Stream It or Skip It: ‘Legend of the Lost Locket’ on Hallmark, a Low-Key ‘When Calls the Heart’ Side Project 

Hallmark’s flagship channel takes a cue from Hallmark Mystery with Legend of the Lost Locket. This romance is equal parts history and mystery, with a teensy bit of small town intrigue. Natasha Burnett and Viv Leacock star as an unlikely duo on the hunt for, well, a legendary lost locket. But is this a mystery you’ll want to see solved? Or should this whole caper have stayed lost?

LEGEND OF THE LOST LOCKET: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Natasha Burnett (When Calls the Heart) plays Amelia, a British antiques dealer with one specific historical trinket on her to-find list: the lost locket of Queen Elizabeth I, which was gifted to her by her one true love, Sir Robert Dudley. This is a hunt that Amelia has inherited from her mom — who has “dead parent” on their Hallmark romance movie bingo card? — and she’s just uncovered a lead that could change everything. It turns out that one half of the locket’s last keepers, a British couple in the 19th century, may have traveled to an area outside Boston and helped found a town called Wilmaton. There’s only one way for Amelia to find out if this lead leads anywhere: grab your passport, because you’re going to Boston…ish!

Amelia’s arrival in Wilmaton is less than welcoming, what with her car breaking down and all (another square on the bingo card). She’s offered a ride from Marcus (When Calls the Heart — hey, these two play the Canfields on Hallmark’s long-running historical drama!) and quickly settles into a bed and breakfast of historical significance. Also Marcus’s sister owns the B&B. And also Marcus is the town sheriff. Really, Marcus just keeps popping up everywhere — but it’s hard to avoid anyone in a town as small as Wilmaton.

One thing that is hard to find, though, are the town’s archives. And the mayor (Hrothgar Mathews of When Calls the Heart — what is going on here?!) is acting super, super shady about Amelia’s search. Of course Amelia isn’t telling the whole truth either because she knows the town would be overrun with antiques hunters should word get out that the missing half of the lost locket could be in Wilmaton. There are a lot of mysteries to uncover here — including one involving Amelia’s growing attachment to a certain sheriff.

What Programs Will It Remind You Of?: The cozy village vibes are pure Murder, She Wrote (the sweaters!), with a dash of Antiques Roadshow (the way Amelia can recount the provenance of anything she touches is basically a superpower) and even a little bit of Sleepy Hollow’s spookiness (who is stalking Amelia?!).

Performance Worth Watching: I gotta give it up to Beverley Elliot (A World Record Christmas) as Aunt Enid, a woman looking for any excuse to ditch meditation class.

Memorable Dialogue: This exchange highlighting how small Wilmaton really is: “Maybe I’ll see you around.” “It would be impossible not to.”

Our Take: The When Calls the Heart connection between three of the movie’s actors (four if you count Kevin O’Grady, who guest-starred on WCTH) answers the one burning question I had while watching Legend of the Lost Locket: why isn’t this on Hallmark Mystery? It all makes sense when you consider that When Calls the Heart Season 11 just premiered last week. This is what we call network synergy, baby! It’s not synergy for synergy’s sake, though, because Legend of the Lost Locket is a fun little mystery even if you’re unaware of the Canfield connection.

No, Legend of the Lost Locket isn’t breaking any new ground in the Hallmark mystery genre. The script is packed with all the tropes you know as well as a few that are becoming more and more commonplace (you better believe they find a way to get the leads into 19th century formalwear!). All that’s fine, though, because the chemistry between Burnett and Leacock is hard to resist. They’re a dynamic duo, with Burnett playing the proper Brit who seeks antiques with unrivaled passion, and Leacock playing a small town sheriff who is also a cinnamon roll.

I will give Legend of the Lost Locket credit where credit is definitely due: for all the cozy mystery tropes, this movie actually does keep you guessing. Amelia and Marcus keep unraveling mysteries within mysteries — which I guess is also kinda like a cinnamon roll. And I have to commend Lost Locket on skillfully making Wilmaton feel like a real place, with a variety of townspeople who you could all see playing central roles in future antiques-related mysteries. What I’m saying is, between When Calls the Heart and the Amelia Scott History Mysteries series I just dreamed up, Burnett and Leacock could (and maybe should) spend the entire year working together.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Legend of the Lost Locket isn’t making history, but it’s a quaint little caper that will have added appeal to Hearties.