MatchMaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement

6/10 - good start to a new HMM series and glad to have Danica McKellar finally join the HMM family

Our female protagonist in the Matchmaker Mysteries is Danica McKellar who has a knack for bringing fated to be mated people together. She's got reality television show for that purpose. She's really hit it big when she matches up CEO Robin Thomas with some younger woman. Danica's big ratings score will be their wedding.

But at the engagement party the bride to be is stabbed to death and collateral damage might be Danica's show. She has to save her reputation and the show. Danica moves in on Detective Victor Webster's investigation with the help of her former detective father Bruce Boxleitner who was also Webster's training officer back in the day.

I have to say I was fooled by the identity of the perpetrator. There is an ocean full of red herring suspects in this one so chances are you will be as well.

The acting was bad. Painful to watch at times.

Even Danica McKellar's cuteness could not mask her substandard acting here.

It's a shame. Was hoping I had found something to watch now that there is no longer any more new Aurora Teagarden or Garage Sale Mysteries.

Mystery 101 and even Crossword mysteries are both better than this movie. I might try another, but do not hold out much hope.

I have to admit I am not THAT familiar with Danica's body of work, knowing her primarily from a classic episode of How I Met Your Mother (The Pineapple Incident) and the episode she appeared on of The Big Bang Theory.

She was pretty good on these two sitcom roles, but not here.

When a woman is murdered, and her fiancé is the prime suspect, successful matchmaker Angie works to prove her client's innocence, much to the dismay of Kyle, the detective working the case. But he soon becomes grudgingly appreciative of her involvement, even if she can be quite interfering.

Danica is perfect for this role, and adds some bubbly energy to the proceedings, making this watchable even more. The mystery is decent, though a little convoluted. One gets a little tired keeping up with so many changes in the plot. Victor Webster comes across better than the second entry of this series, mainly because he has more scenes. He's the totally opposite to Danica's character which adds a decent dynamic.

Angie Dove (Danica McKellar) is a TV host and matchmaker in Philadelphia. Paige (Cory Lee) is her TV assistant. Her dad Nick Columba (Bruce Boxleitner) is a retired cop. He has his old files to review. Angie's mother is away a lot. They're still married but just not together. When Angie's high-profile match ends with dead Emma, police detective Kyle Cooper (Victor Webster) leads the investigation. He issues an arrest warrant for Emma's partner Aaron. Cooper's mentor turns out to be her dad and worst still, she knows her match is perfect. Aaron couldn't have killed Emma.

This is a good start for this Hallmark Mystery series. I like Danica and she's a good lead for this. I hope they don't push too hard to pair her up with the cop. They have no chemistry. I know it's Hallmark but the much better pairing is with her dad. There is an easy procedural continuation if he tries to solve all his old cases and she brings her fresh eyes. Cooper could have done something very simple. Be the overprotective white knight. He doesn't want his mentor's daughter to get hurt so that's why he keeps pushing her away. I do like their competing match narrative on that couple on the street but it's too little too late.

I really appreciate why she's so invested in this first case. It speaks to her inner self worth. I do like Danica and her dorky comedic style. This has good potential as a crime procedural and I like the cast for the most part. It does need to be done correctly and I have my doubts on that.