‘Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries’: Is the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Series Filmed in Martha’s Vineyard?
Something strange is afoot in Martha’s Vineyard — and it involves kombucha. The latest installment in the Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries series premieres May 16 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. In Poisoned in Paradise, Jeff Jackson (Jesse Metcalfe) and Zee Madeiras (Sarah Lind) try solve a crime involving an unusual murder weapon. They must also deal with the consequences of the kiss they shared in the last movie, Ships in the Night. And it all takes place in the quaint New England community of Martha’s Vineyard.
Martha’s Vineyard ‘is a character’ in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series, Jesse Metcalfe says
In an interview with Hallmark, Metcalfe — who plays a retired detective who’s pulled back into crime-solving — said the movies’ setting is a key part of their charm. “Martha’s Vineyard is a character in these movies,” he said of the island off the coast of Massachusetts that’s a popular summer resort destination.
Metcalfe was born and raised in Connecticut and has visited the island “many times,” he said.
“Martha’s Vineyard is a place that’s very rich with character, and that’s what’s great, I feel, about these movies,” the Chesapeake Shores star shared. “It’s also a very idyllic summer destination … New England just has a certain texture to it. And I think we definitely bring that to these movies.”
‘Poisoned in Paradise: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery’ isn’t filmed in Martha’s Vineyard
The Martha’s Vineyard setting is a key part of the appeal of the movies. But they aren’t actually filmed on the island. Instead, production takes place on the west coast of Canada.
Poisoned in Paradise was filmed in Victoria, British Columbia, Metcalfe’s co-star Lind explained in a Facebook Live. Other movies in the series, which are based on a series of novels by Philip Craig, were also filmed in Canada.
Craig’s son Jamie Craig explained to the Vineyard Gazette earlier in 2021 that he has used a drone to get shots of Martha’s Vineyard landmarks such as the Edgartown Lighthouse that are used in the movies. He also advises on geography, pronunciation, and law enforcement procedures, so the movies have the right feel.
“It’s obviously not a perfect clone but they try as hard as possible to get the set and all the locations to be as Martha’s Vineyard-y as possible,” he said.
“My contribution has been to keep the Island stuff as authentic as possible and the characters as authentic as possible,” Craig added. “And because I’m a police officer, the police work as authentic as possible.”
What is the newest ‘Martha’s Vineyard Mystery’ about?
The fourth Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries movie focuses on the death of a young waitress named Katie (Britt McKillip). Katie seeks out Jeff’s help after she finds herself in over her head with the wrong people. He urges her to contact the police, but she’s too frightened to do so. Soon after, she turns up dead.
Jeff — who fears he didn’t do enough to help Katie — teams up with Zee to find her killer. But the pair are so absorbed in the case, they have little time to discuss the kiss they shared in Boston and what it could mean for their relationship. Plus, the mystery in Boston gets more complicated when Jeff and Andy (Nelson Wong) get close to catching the person who shot Jeff. But then, an FBI agent shows up, taking over the case and shutting Jeff and Andy out.
Poisoned in Paradise: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery airs Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
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