EMMY® AND GOLDEN GLOBE® WINNER CAROL BURNETT CAST AS SPECIAL GUEST STAR ON SEASON ONE FINALE OF
‘SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED’ HALLMARK CHANNEL’S NEW ORIGINAL PRIMETIME SERIES
FROM MARTHA WILLIAMSON, THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF ‘TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL’
Series Stars Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe and Geoff Gustafson
SOURCE: Rogers & Cowan
Los Angeles, Calif. (April 18, 2014) – Hallmark Channel is proud to announce award winning actress Carol Burnett (“The Carol Burnett Show”), one of America’s most beloved and respected comediennes, has signed on as a special guest star on the highly-anticipated Season One Finale of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Hallmark Channel’s new Original Primetime Series. The series, which premieres Sunday, April 20, 2014 (8 p.m. ET/PT, 7C), stars Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”), Kristin Booth (“The Kennedys”), Crystal Lowe (“Smallville”) and Geoff Gustafson (“Primeval: New World”) and is Created and Executive Produced by Martha Williamson, best known as the Executive Producer behind the mega-hit “Touched By An Angel.” Williamson and Burnett, who did a star turn on “Touched By An Angel,” will be reunited for the first time since the series. In “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Ms. Burnett will guest star as the grandmother of irrepressible #POstable “Norman Dorman (Gustafson),” a core member of the quartet of untraditional mail detectives.
“I never cease to be amazed by the depth of Martha Williamson’s relationships in this business, as evidenced by her ability to invite one of the all-time Queens of Comedy, Carol Burnett, to be a special guest star on ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered,’ said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.
“Ms. Burnett brings love and laughter to millions of people all over the world, and she is literally one of the most sought-after, legendary entertainers of all time. The reuniting of Carol Burnett and Martha Williamson will make for an unprecedented, must-see season finale,” Vicary concluded.
“Carol is an American legend who has used words to bring joy and laughter, to encourage, inspire and heal us through nearly six decades of life,” said Series Creator and Executive Producer Martha Williamson. “It’s my privilege to welcome my hero and mentor to the show,” she added.
With her signature humor and warmth, Burnett’s career-defining work on CBS’s popular comedic variety hour, “The Carol Burnett Show,” made her a television sensation, as well as earned her the distinction of being one of America’s most admired women in entertainment. Consistently ranked as one of the best television shows of all time, “The Carol Burnett Show” ran for 11 years and received 25 Emmy® Awards, making Burnett herself a multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe® award-winner and leading to some of the most memorable moments in television history. In addition to her work on the small screen, which has most recently included guest appearances on “Hawaii 5-0”, “Hot in Cleveland,” “Glee” and her Emmy®-nominated role on “Law and Order: SVU,” Burnett has written three New York Times bestselling books, including her most recent one “Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story”, for which Burnett received her second Grammy® nomination for Best Spoken Word.
Starting her career on “The Garry Moore Show,” Burnett simultaneously worked on Broadway, originating the role of Winifred in Once Upon A Mattress. Later Broadway credits included Moon Over Buffalo, Noises Off and Putting it Together. And Burnett is also well known for her starring role as “Miss Hannigan” in the film production of the musical Annie.
A Kennedy Center Honoree, Burnett has received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, the City of Los Angeles named the intersection of Highland Ave. and Selma directly adjacent to Hollywood High School, Carol’s alma mater, Carol Burnett Square.
As the third original series from Hallmark Channel, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” is a wonderful combination of romance, comedy and drama that follows the lives of a group of postal workers who transform themselves into an untraditional team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail. Their missions take them out of the office into an unpredictable world where redirected letters and packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but somehow on time. Season One will include 10 one-hour episodes, with Burnett joining the series’ other special guest stars appearing throughout the season, including Valerie Harper, Della Reese, Valerie Bertinelli and Marilu Henner.
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” is a Muse Entertainment production in association with MoonWater Productions. Executive Producers are Martha Williamson (“Touched by an Angel”), Joel S. Rice (“Cyberbully”), Michael Prupas (“The Kennedys”) and Scott Smith (“Call Me Fitz”). Harvey Kahn (“The Haunting Hour”) is the producer. Muse Distribution International holds the worldwide distribution rights.
ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 86 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of TV movies; original scripted series, including Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart; specials such as Kitten Bowl; as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to Daytime Emmy-nominated lifestyle program, Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel’s sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.
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ABOUT MUSE ENTERTAINMENT
Muse Entertainment is a leading film and television production company known for its well-crafted and high-quality productions. Since its founding in 1998, Muse has produced, co-produced or provided production services on more than 170 TV movies and mini-series, television series and feature films and has won over 100 awards and garnered over 300 award nominations! Muse Entertainment’s most recent television series are Played, Bomb Girls (Seasons I, II), Bounty Hunters and Being Human (Seasons 1, II, III, IV). In 2011, its topical, 8-hr. historical drama, The Kennedys, earned 10 Emmy Award nominations. Its Pillars of the Earth also won an Emmy and many other awards. Muse’s other award-winning programs are Cyberbully, Durham County (Seasons I, II, III), Ben Hur, The Last Templar, Impact, Human Trafficking, Answered by Fire, This is Wonderland and Tales from the NeverendingStory. The company’s head office and its Quebec production centre are in Montreal. Muse also maintains development and production operations in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. For more information please visit www.muse.ca
ABOUT MARTHA WILLIAMSON
Martha Williamson made television history when her CBS series “Touched By An Angel” set a new standard for an inspirational family drama when it grew to a weekly audience of 25 million viewers during its initial nine year run. As Executive Producer of the ground-breaking series, she was the visionary who guided the series into previously uncharted territory with her unique brand of storytelling that produced more than strong ratings; it changed lives. She went on to seal her place in history when she became the first woman to solely executive produce two one-hours simultaneously with “Promised Land,” which aired for three years on CBS. She began her career in comedy with the producing teams for Carol Burnett and Joan Rivers and went on to write and produce situation comedies such as “The Facts of Life,” “Family Man” and “Jack’s Place” for all the networks before making the transition to one-hour drama. Her work has been inducted into the Television and Radio Hall of Fame and honored with numerous awards, including the Edward R. Murray Responsibility in Television Award, the Templeton Prize Epiphany Award and nine Emmy® nominations.