Signed, Sealed, Delivered (TV series)
| Signed, Sealed, Delivered | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre |
Comedy Drama Romance Mystery |
| Created by | Martha Williamson |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin |
United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (plus pilot film) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Harvey Kahn |
| Running time | 76 minutes (pilot); 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Moon Water Productions |
| Distributor | Muse Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Hallmark Channel |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | April 20 – June 22, 2014 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (original title: Dead Letters[1]), also known as Lost Letters Mysteries,[2] is an American-Canadian drama/romantic comedy television series that aired on the Hallmark Channel from April 20 through June 22, 2014.[3] Created by Touched by an Angel's Martha Williamson, Signed, Sealed, Delivered focuses on four postal workers who take it upon themselves to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail.[3]
On October 12, 2013, a two-hour backdoor pilot movie aired on Hallmark and was a ratings success. It was the number-one television movie on its airdate and the number-two movie for that week.[4] The movie was watched by 1.72 million viewers.[5]
Following the first season, Hallmark announced the series will be re-branded and air as television films on its Movies & Mysteries channel.[6]
Cast
Main
- Eric Mabius as Oliver O'Toole
- Kristin Booth as Shane McInerney
- Crystal Lowe as Rita Haywith
- Geoff Gustafson as Norman Dorman
Guest stars
- Valerie Bertinelli as Rebecca Starkwell
- Carol Burnett as Ardis Paine, Norman's grandmother
- Valerie Harper as Theresa Capodiamonte
- Marilu Henner as Glynis Rucker
- Della Reese as Cora Brandt
Critical reception
Signed, Sealed, Delivered scored 58 out of 100 on Metacritic based on five "mixed or average" reviews.[7]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | "Second Chances (Pilot)" | Scott Smith | Martha Williamson | October 12, 2013 | #100-120 | 1.72[5] |
| Oliver still believes stamped and mailed letters are important to human communication. The humdrum jobs of his dead letter mail experts Rita and Norman change when a technophile named Shane gets mistakenly transferred into their office. Shane inspires them to partake in a risky and unorthodox manner, starting with a chance to clear the name of a wrongfully accused man and reconnect him with the love of his life. | ||||||
| 1 | "Time To Start Livin'" | Scott Smith | Martha Williamson | April 20, 2014 | #1001 | 1.70[8] |
| Oliver wants to investigate a letter from ten-year-old boy alerting his grandmother he is running away after being inexplicably separated from her. Meanwhile, Shane, Rita and Norman prepare for new supervisor, Theresa Capodiamonte (Valerie Harper), a winner of the prestigious Dark of Night award, who challenges them to take greater risks with their deliveries. They discover that the boy's life is in danger, and they become determined to find the intended recipient of his letter. Theresa also realizes she has an unfulfilled lifelong dream. | ||||||
| 2 | "To Whom It May Concern" | Scott Smith | Martha Williamson | April 27, 2014 | #1002 | 1.44[9] |
| A mangled letter describes a young woman's search for a soldier who saved her life and helped her escape Afghanistan during the Battle of Kamdesh. The Army officer is untraceable by normal means and the team must find him, even if he does not want to be found. Their search reveals a number of war heroes who not only return to less than a hero's welcome, but they are also homeless. Attempts to deliver an orphan's letter to a war hero changes his life while Theresa's pursuit of her dreams inspires the team. | ||||||
| 3 | "Soulmates" | Kevin Fair | Dawn DeKeyser | May 4, 2014 | #1003 | 1.69[10] |
| The team discovers an undeliverable love letter, and their investigation initially exposes more questions than answers. Their new supervisor Cora Brandt (Della Reese) also arrives with stricter policies and procedures. The letter contains a passionate plea from ranch owner Sam to his childhood sweetheart. However, a domino effect could occur for its recipient and the people in her life. After an unexpected twist, clues among the team's co-workers bring a resolution to the case. | ||||||
| 4 | "The Masterpiece" | Kevin Fair | Jeff Eckerle and Marilyn Osborn | May 11, 2014 | #1004 | 1.30[11] |
| Norman retrieves a package jamming the office mail chute. A letter attached to it is written by a man named Danny to his father. Both were sent to Henry Barrett three years ago. The team learns Henry lost his home and business after a bout with cancer, and he now spends his time living and working at a bar. There, they hear from Henry that he has not spoken to Danny since he left for college ten years ago to be an artist rather than take over the family's auto repair business. To learn more about Danny, the team opens the package to find a piece of art. At a gallery, they learn the piece was part of a triptych detailing Danny's life, which has been cut short when he died in a fire. The mailed piece reveals a baby painted on it. Henry is a grandfather and is asked to bring the piece with him when he meets Danny's wife and daughter. | ||||||
| 5 | "The Edge of Forever" | Lynne Stopkewich | Katherine Collins | May 18, 2014 | #1005 | 1.44[12] |
| A large box with an urn and a large envelope arrive in the office. The envelope has the name "Maggie" written on it and contains two separately addressed envelopes inside it. One is for Caitlyn Atkinson, the other is for Vanessa Doherty. The urn contains their mother's remains. Since the large envelope was addressed to someone else, the team searches for her. The women recall visiting a cabin with their mother in their younger days. The cabin belonged to their mother's friend, Maggie, who, when found, sends them on an adventure with their mother's ashes. The family was supposed to take a hike on September 11, 2001, when they learned the father died on one of the hijacked planes. The event caused the whole family to become bitter, even with each other. The daughters scatter their mother's remains when the hike was finally completed. | ||||||
| 6 | "The Future Me" | Lynne Stopkewich | Kerry Lenhart and John J. Sakmar | May 25, 2014 | #1006 | 1.26[13] |
| A letter, postmarked with a future date, sets off a chain reaction that leads the team on a surprising, emotional journey. As Rita prepares for the Miss Special Delivery pageant while being threatened by Glynis Rucker (Marilu Henner), an intimidating supervisor whose daughter is also competing, Oliver, Shane, and Norman find themselves in the middle of a couple's struggle for acceptance. | ||||||
| 7 | "Something Good" | Scott Smith | Dean Batali | June 1, 2014 | #1007 | 1.27[14] |
| A CD is found in the small bin of items that fell out of unsealed packages. The team listens to it and hears a single studio recording of someone's love song. Norman's cousin, Serge, who has a mental music memory recognizes the woman singing as Linda Hawkins from a local rock band. The male singer is not known. Linda tells the team the singer was very talented, and she hoped he would mail the song to her agent. She gives them the studio's address. Studio manager Jennifer Becker remembers the singer, Billy, with a last name that was difficult to pronounce. She adds he worked there in exchange for time recording. He also owned a vintage motorcycle. Billy Antonopoulos was involved in a motorcycle accident that impaired his memory. Shane believes Jennifer was for whom the song was written. She takes her to see Billy, whom she thought had moved on. She returns his guitar, and, as he slowly plays it, the song returns to him and he sings it for her. Meanwhile, Shane meets her old friend, Rebecca Starkwell (Valerie Bertinelli), the head of Special Projects from the Washington, D.C. post office who is in Denver to help with "awareness, goodwill and an increased reliance on the work of the post office." | ||||||
| 8 | "Dark of Night" | Scott Smith | Martha Williamson | June 8, 2014 | #1008 | 1.61[15] |
| A letter found in a stolen Bible makes its way to the Dead Letter Office ten years after it was written. It contains a dark secret that was written the same night the sender died. The letter reveals that Melissa, wife of D.A. Michael Wheeler, was raped the night before their wedding and Abby, their daughter, is the product of said rape. After the letter is delivered without complication, Wheeler, distraught, plans to kill the rapist, Carl Brackner, at a court hearing. Upon learning of his plans, Shane and Oliver take the information to Rebecca Starkwell who decides to reorganize the Dead Letter Office into a special task force reporting directly to her at Special Projects, giving the entire D.L.O. a promotion and Rita creates a nickname for their group - The Postables. To stop Wheeler from killing Brackner, Oliver, Shane, Norman and Rita confront Wheeler at the court hearing and reveal that his daughter needs a kidney from Brackner to survive her injuries from the original accident that killed her mother. Brackner, upon learning of Abby and her plight, donates the kidney and the Dead Letter Office receives not only the Distinguished Service Award from their branch, but the highest postal honor, The Dark of Night Award. | ||||||
| 9 | "The Treasure Box" | Mike Rohl | Martha Williamson | June 15, 2014 | #1009 | 1.47[16] |
| While Norman helps Rita prepare for the Miss Special Delivery pageant, Oliver and Shane head to a bank vault with a safe deposit key found in a puzzle box. They are told by vault manager Jason that the box's contents are about to be auctioned off. An alarm sounds while the three check out the box, the vault seals, and the bank clears out. With only hours of air left, Jason finds the key needed to help open the box. Inside are letters from "January '08", wrapped in a ribbon. They document a long-distance love affair between Jonathan and Katherine, which ultimately reveal she has a rare case of pneumonia. Once free from the vault, Oliver and Shane locate "Jonathan", only to discover that he is the writer's great-grandson, Jonathan Walker IV. The letters were passed down through generations and contain the secret to true love. Back at the pageant, when Rita can't recall all the ways mail can be delivered, Oliver, at Shane's request, prays, and Rita remembers a comment Norman made the night before about mail delivery to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and wins. | ||||||
| 10 | "A Hope and a Future" | Mike Rohl | Brandi Harkonen | June 22, 2014 | #1010 | 1.52[17] |
| While the team attempts to reunite a mother with her twin sons that never knew each other, Norman learns about a grandmother (Carol Burnett) he never knew he had. Also, Shane helps Oliver make a decision about contacting his estranged wife. | ||||||
Expansion films
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas" | Kevin Fair | Martha Williamson (teleplay) Brandi Harkonen, Kerry Lenhart and John J. Sakmar (story) | November 23, 2014 | #111-120 | 0.755[18] | |
| An emotional holiday story in which the Postables work overtime to help a struggling family find hope on Christmas Eve. Guest stars include Marion Ross and Rob Estes.[19] | ||||||
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From Paris with Love" | Kevin Fair | Martha Williamson (teleplay) Martha Williamson and Brandi Harkonen (story) | June 6, 2015 | #112-120 | 0.830[20] | |
| The Postables deliver divorce papers to a happy couple, as well as Oliver's estranged wife, Holly (Poppy Montgomery), returning from Paris.[6] | ||||||
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told" | Kevin Fair | Martha Williamson (teleplay) Martha Williamson and Brandi Harkonen (story) | September 13, 2015 | #113-120 | 0.806[21] | |
| The Postables deliver a soldier's letter from Afghanistan to his daughter, while Oliver's estranged father brings him surprising news. | ||||||
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream" | Kevin Fair | Martha Williamson (teleplay) Martha Williamson and Brandi Harkonen (story) | October 4, 2015 | #114-120 | 0.798[22] | |
| The Postables travel to Washington, D.C., to bring a letter from an American prisoner of war before a Senate Hearing Committee. Also, Rita competes in the Miss Special Delivery Contest. | ||||||
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From the Heart" | Lynne Stopkewich | Martha Williamson (teleplay) Martha Williamson and Brandi Harkonen (story) | February 21, 2016 | #115-120 | 0.807[23] | |
References
- ↑ "Martha Williamson Begins a Highly Anticipated Return to Television with "Dead Letters," (Working Title) a Hallmark Channel Original Movie of the Week and Potential New Primetime Series". The Futon Critic. July 2, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Lost Letters Mysteries (aka Signed, Sealed, Delivered) (20 x one hour, HD)". Betafilm. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- 1 2 "Hallmark Channel's Highly Anticipated New Original Series from the Creative Force Behind "Touched by an Angel" Martha Williamson, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," Will Have Its World Premiere Sunday, April 20th". The Futon Critic. February 19, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Hallmark Channel's Scripted Series, "Cedar Cove", Closes Out Its First Season with 2.2 HH RTG". The Futon Critic from Hallmark press release. October 15, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- 1 2 "Saturday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: ALCS, NASCAR & College Football Top Charts". The Futon Critic. October 15, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Poppy Montgomery to Guest Star In 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered From Paris, With Love' Sunday, June 14 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- ↑ "Signed, Sealed, Delivered : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ↑ Levin, Gary (April 22, 2014). "Nielsen ratings: 'Scandal' finale up from previous year". USA Today. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ↑ Douglas Pucci [sonofthebronx] (April 30, 2014). "1.44M viewers RT @carstenter Do you have ratings for last Sunday's (04/27) episode of Signed, Sealed, Delivered?" (Tweet).
- ↑ "Sunday, May 04, 2014". Multichannel News. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ Douglas Pucci [sonofthebronx] (May 14, 2014). "1.303M viewers RT @carstenter Do you have ratings for last Sunday's (05/11) episode of Signed, Sealed, Delivered?" (Tweet).
- ↑ Douglas Pucci [sonofthebronx] (May 21, 2014). "1.437M viewers RT @carstenter Do you have ratings for last Sunday's (05/18) episode of Signed, Sealed, Delivered?" (Tweet).
- ↑ Douglas Pucci [sonofthebronx] (May 30, 2014). "1.264M total viewers, only 195k adults 18-49 RT @carstenter Do you have ratings for Sunday’s (05/25) episode of Signed, Sealed, Delivered?" (Tweet).
- ↑ Douglas Pucci [sonofthebronx] (June 4, 2014). "1.273M viewers RT @carstenter Do you have ratings for Sunday’s (06/01) episode of Signed, Sealed, Delivered?" (Tweet).
- ↑ "The Heat Returns For ABC! - Sunday, June 8, 2014". Multichannel News. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Who Won Sunday Night's Primetime Slugfest? - Sunday, June 15, 2014". Multichannel News. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ↑ Douglas Pucci [sonofthebronx] (June 25, 2014). "@carstenter Signed Sealed Delivered 6/22 1.516M viewers" (Tweet).
- ↑ Pucci, Douglas (December 1, 2014). "Sunday Final Nationals: NBC Wins Competitive Night". TV Media Insights. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ↑ Signed, Sealed, Delivered Christmas
- ↑ Pucci, Douglas (June 9, 2015). "Saturday Final Nationals: 147th Belmont Stakes Fuels NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on NBC". TV Media Insights. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 15, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.13.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ↑ Pucci, Douglas (October 7, 2015). "Sunday Final Nationals: CBS Dramas Down Big from Their Prior Season Premieres". TV Media Insights. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (February 23, 2016). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 2.21.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
External links
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