Deadly Deed: A Fixer Upper Mystery

No matter how you cut it, Hallmark & Lifetime are onto something.

When cable and streaming TV led to a proliferation of channels, old school boomer TV execs assumed tv viewers would want to see things like explicit sex or lots of action.

Au contraire.

In truth, just as women do most of the reading, women do most of the TV watching, and they like murder mysteries, romantic storylines and Christmas storylines.

Murder mysteries with romantic storylines such as this third installment of the Fixer Upper series is precisely what female watchers like. The Hallmark Channel knows their demographic and they cater to it.

As for the production, it's pretty good. Jewel is an experienced actress, while Colin Ferguson is a very reliable actor best known for his many years as the sheriff in the show "Eureka" on SyFy. The rest of the cast is fine, the script is plot driven, and it's a good film.

All three films in the series are good. Thumbs up.

In the latest in the Fixer Upper Murder series Jewel Pilcher is given over what turns out to be a Deadly Deed. She's imitating Jimmy Carter and has a bank turn over a piece of property they repossessed for a quick turnaround and repair. It's a charitable contribution, but the head of the bank takes his banking practices from Lionel Barrymore in It's A Wonderful Life. His name is also Potter.

Imagine if Barrymore had been found knifed to death in some property he owned in Bedford Falls? No shortage of suspects there and none here for Jewel Pilcher and her boyfriend mystery novelist Colin Ferguson. I will say you hope the perpetrator gets a good lawyer when all is revealed.

A nice gallery of suspects, none of whom you hope is proven guilty. I think fans will enjoy this.

I've really enjoyed these movies. I like the background of restoring homes, and even more so done by a strong, knowledgeable female contractor. Girl power! I love the chemistry between the two main characters as well.

7/10 - not as good as the others, but still worth watching again

It's the small town of Lighthouse Cove. A mansion is being renovated by community volunteers led by Shannon Hughes (Jewel). The apartments are to be occupied by struggling families with donations saving it from demolition by the bank. When the banker is founded murdered inside, Shannon and reporter Mac Sullivan (Colin Ferguson) have to solve it before the demolition begins.

It's a Hallmark mystery. Even considering that, this needs more. The lead pairing needs some more chemistry. The mystery needs to be more compelling. There needs to be some sense of danger. This strikes me as falling a little flat. It's a borderline case but I have to leave this marginally under the line.