Hallmark Pivots ‘Aurora Teagarden’ Franchise to Prequel After Candace Cameron Bure’s Exit, Casts Skyler Samuels as Lead

Aurora Teagarden is making a big return to TV with a new mystery, a new movie, and a new Aurora. As announced by ET, the fan favorite sleuth will return to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in a brand new movie titled Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New — a prequel film starring Skyler Samuels (The Gifted, Scream Queens) as a younger Aurora Teagarden — a character previously played in 18 TV movies by Candace Cameron Bure. Additionally, Evan Roderick (Spinning Out, Arrow) has been cast as a younger Arthur, a police officer played in previous movies by Peter Benson. Marilu Henner will reprise her role as Aurora’s mother Aida.

Originally the protagonist of a series of crime novels written by Charlaine Harris, Aurora Teagarden was played by Bure from April 2015 to February 2022. The news of Aurora’s return to TV comes almost a year after the franchise was presumed dead following Bure’s highly publicized deal with GAC Media.

Described as a prequel to the previous Aurora Teagarden films, Something New is set during Aurora’s post-college years. Aurora’s back home in Lawrenceton and splitting her time working as a TA in a crime fiction class and waiting tables at a diner. In her spare time, she studies famous crimes with her best friend Sally and police officer Arthur. Aurora finds herself caught up in a mystery of her own when Sally’s fiancé goes from a missing person to presumed dead to a murder suspect.

“Our viewers have been waiting for more adventures with Aurora and her friends — what better way to do that than to take them back to when the young, amateur sleuth was just coming into her own?” said Emily Merlin, Development Manager, Programming, Hallmark Media, in a press release. “The Aurora Teagarden franchise is a fan favorite and we’re excited to share this new chapter with viewers.”

Filming on Aurora Teagarden: Something New begins shortly.