The Women Of The Chicken Sisters Are Stepping Into Their Power In Season 2

Things are getting heated, y’all! The Chicken Sisters is now serving up a second season, and the stakes are even higher for the four women at the heart of the series: Nancy (Lea Thompson), Amanda (Schuyler Fisk), Mae (Genevieve Angelson), and Gus (Wendie Malick). From a new fried chicken rivalry and rekindled romances to family secrets and small-town chaos, there’s a lot going on in Merinac.

Based on the Reese’s Book Club pick by KJ Dell’Antonia, Hallmark’s multigenerational dramedy has returned, and this go-round, it’s upping the spice factor. Scary Mommy sat down (in two separate conversations) with the series’ stars to talk about Season 2’s big themes and why it’s never too late for a fresh start.

Lea Thompson & Genevieve Angelson on Daddy Issues and Playing Women Who Lift Each Other Up

SM: It broke my heart seeing Nancy’s conflict with Frank Jr. Will we see more mother-son drama?

Lea Thompson: My son, bless his little heart … He's not the brightest bulb. So yes, Nancy's going to have much more conflict with him, and it's going to really heat up in the second season. Luckily, I don't have this problem; I love both my daughters, and they're awesome. But when you have a kid that goes astray, how you get them back is an interesting thing to think about.

SM: Genevieve, Mae’s got a wedding ahead. What can you tease about her journey to “I do”?

Genevieve Angelson: When we meet [Mae] in Season 1, she's just the very image of being uptight as a way of managing her unmanageable past. This season, we really get to see what happens when she embraces chaos and lets it all go. And yeah, I think for a lot of women when they're facing their romantic future, daddy issues come up. So you will, yes, be seeing some of those for sure.

SM: Nancy also has a love interest this year. Do we feel she is empowered enough now to rewrite what it means to be a ‘Frannie's girl’ in a relationship?

LT: Yes, we do. I end up with the very eligible bachelor Pastor McGregor. I get to kiss him in the very first episode, which is fabulous. He's a wonderful actor. But she does, through the season, learn how to not disappear into the relationship like she did in her marriage. And I think that's a really important lesson for a lot of women — to not kind of just totally disappear when you're dating someone.

SM: Absolutely. I love how the show touches on things like weaponized incompetence and toxic masculinity, but does it in such a ‘palatable’ way.

LT: It's true. I mean, we all know what's going on; you don't need to put a pin in it.

SM: Nancy’s relationship with Amanda is so warm. Was it refreshing to play a non-meddling TV mother-in-law?

LT: Yes, she has a very open heart. She sees her daughter-in-law straying from her marriage ... and can still find a way back into understanding her because she does really deeply love her.

That's one of the things we really love about the show is that these are four women who love each other and try to figure out how to lift each other up and help one another. That's a beautiful thing. And generationally, I have a daughter and a granddaughter, and we all treat each other as people, as equals, as friends — which I really love.

SM: Genevieve, you’ve mined some deeper emotions with Mae’s backstory. How was that shift?

GA: It was incredibly rewarding to be on a show where you get to play completely absurd humor that's, to me, on the level with any of the greatest comedies on TV. Then also, whether or not you have any particular point of relationship with hoarding, to be someone who's contending with stuff from her family and from her parents that she finds unbearable, I think, is a very common point of entry. Certainly, yeah, it’s a pleasure as an actor to have both of those poles.

Wendie Malick & Schuyler Fisk on Stepping into Your Power and Letting Go of the “Old Stuff”

Scary Mommy: What’s one thing fans will be surprised by this season?

Wendie Malick: Men. There are a lot more men this year in a good way — and in everyone's life, really. Isn't that true? All four of us. Some really yummy men to come and play with us this year. We'll see how it turns out. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to go well, but we get to have some fun.

SM: Gus has someone from her past reentering the picture this season. What can you share about that dynamic?

WM: She’s been mysterious about where her daughters came from, and she’s been shunned by the community for years. Finally, she decides to just pull the trigger and bring Mae’s father out … because Mae’s getting married and really would like her father to walk her down the aisle. After much resistance, I decide I need to get out of my own way and be there for my daughter. So, both Mae and Amanda are my somewhat estranged daughters, and this year we’re starting to finally heal and come together as a family. I’m doing my best to do my part, though it’s incredibly hard.

SM: Amanda went through quite a metamorphosis last season. What have you enjoyed about her evolution, and how does that continue this year?

Schuyler Fisk: Amanda really gets to come into her power this season, and that was really fun to explore. And it was happening for me in real-time because we didn't get the scripts very much ahead of time. So two days before we'd shoot, we'd do two episodes at a time, we'd get the scripts, and then we'd be like, OK, this is what's happening. It was just so exciting, and I’m such a big fan of all our writers.

SM: There’s a big theme of women stepping into their power. What message do you hope that sends?

WM: I hope that women can look at that character who's well into her third act and realize that it's never too late to turn over a new leaf, that we're never done until the very, very end. If you think you're set in your ways and you can't possibly learn something new or get rid of a bad habit that's not serving you, then you're blinded to possibilities. We're all works in progress. No matter how old you are, life will surprise you if you give it a chance.

SF: Same. For Amanda, she's had this life [where] she was a wife and a mother, and now she's transitioning to a new chapter where she's figuring out herself. And there are no rules — it's never too late. Just because you didn't make the choices you wanted to when you were younger, you can still get after it and figure yourself out.

WM: Also, being gentle with yourself. If you’ve made some big mistakes, made some bad choices, everybody does it. You can let yourself off the hook and just say, ‘OK, I learned from that, and I'm not going to do that again.’

And not to hold onto the old stuff — the old stuff that doesn't serve you … That is a recipe for disaster because all it ends up doing is giving you righteous anger. It makes your heart just shrink, and it's not necessary. Life is too short for that.

SM: Gus struggles to accept help, which is something I relate to. Advice for people like us?

WM: It's really hard. I get it because it's usually that we've created armor; we put a protective thing around ourselves. You have to really sit with that and think, Is that really serving me? Is this really how I want to live? Is it really feeling safe, or is it being in prison? You realize, what's the worst thing that can happen if I open myself up to somebody?

Maybe you'll get hurt. But if you find someone that you think seems like a good egg and that you can trust, you'll be amazed at how good it feels to be able to just express yourself, get things off your chest, and then have a chance to just wipe the slate clean and try a different tack.

SM: Food is such a big part of the show. What’s your go-to “love on a plate” dish?

SF: Gosh, I love to entertain. I love to serve. I love to cook … I love to have a spread out so when people arrive, they feel very welcome and they feel like they can just nibble and pick. I have so many recipes that I go to. A big one, a go-to, is definitely like an Arctic char or salmon, just a simple roasted fish. It's so quick and easy, and clean-up's easy. It's a crowd pleaser.

WM: And she is a fabulous hostess.

SF: Roasted peppers, too. Love to roast some peppers. A good salad. Rice.

SM: We’re coming to your house next for dinner.

SF: Come on!

How to Tune In for All the Chicken-Fried Fun

So, there you have it — Season 2 promises to be a hearty reminder that it’s never too late to grow, forgive, and start fresh. And if you can do it over fried chicken? Even better.

The first episode of The Chicken Sisters Season 2 is now streaming on Hallmark+. Subsequent episodes will air on Sundays at 8/7c on The Hallmark Channel and be available for streaming on Hallmark+ the following day.