The family drama with southern charm and romance is set in the fictional town of Merinac, where a generations-old rift between dueling fried chicken restaurants - Mimi's and Frannie's - has left the founders' families fractured and the locals taking sides. When popular cooking competition show Kitchen Clash comes to town, this could be the recipe for ending this feud once and for all. But things are fixing to heat up both inside and outside of the kitchen as the reality show spotlight causes sparks to fly as secrets are spilled and feathers get ruffled.
In addition to Thompson and Malick, the drama will star Schuyler Fisk and Genevieve Angelson.
Annie Mebane developed the drama based on the novel by KJ Dell'Antonia. She will executive produce with Bradley Gardner, Larry Grimaldi, Ani Kevork, Hannah Pillemer, Fernando Szew, Shawn Williamson and Jamie Goehring. MarVista Entertainment, Lighthouse Pictures and Busy B Entertainment will produce.
"Annie Mebane blew us away with her vision for The Chicken Sisters - her unique spin and enthusiasm for this fried chicken feud had us excited from Day 1," said Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President of Programming, Hallmark Media. "And talk about a dream cast! Schuyler, Genevieve, Lea and Wendie are the perfect actors to lead this witty and heartfelt story. We are confident that each episode is going to leave our viewers craving more and more."
"When I read The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia, I fell in love with these characters," added Mebane. "On the surface, the show is about two restaurants competing on a reality show, but it's about the baggage we pass down through the generations and learning to unpack it. I love telling this multigenerational story focused on women: their frustrations, their desires, and ultimately, their healing. We've assembled an incredible cast, and we can't wait to welcome audiences to Merinac."
