Dylan Neal Opens Up About Gourmet Detective’s Future & New Mystery He Pitched to Hallmark

Hallmark alum Dylan Neal is a fan favorite. To this day, viewers still talk about his “Gourmet Detective” series with Brooke Burns, even though the most recent installment, “Roux the Day,” premiered back in 2020. Neal recently opened up on social media about the future of “Gourmet Detective,” along with a new mystery series he had pitched to Hallmark.

‘Gourmet Detective’ Is Not Coming Back

It’s understandable that fans would wonder if “Gourmet Detective” might return. The series, written by Neal and his wife, Becky Southwell, has had its ups and downs over the years. It had already been canceled before Hallmark chose to revive it for the fifth installment that premiered in 2020. At the time, Neal wrote on Instagram, “It’s been almost a year since Becky and I got the order to write a new Gourmet Detective. I know I told you all that we had been cancelled and it was true – we were done! Then, like a phoenix from the ashes… well, here we are again. The script has been done for months and now we finally get to start pre-production.”

Unfortuantely, this time “Gourmet Detective” won’t be returning like a phoenix from the ashes again.

In a long post on June 4 about the entertainment industry in general, Neal addressed the question about “Gourmet Detective” and the series’ future.

“I haven’t worked at Hallmark in several years, I don’t have anything in the pipeline and no, I don’t believe there will be any more Gourmet Detectives,” he wrote.

A few days earlier, when he shared a recommendation for a movie that reminded him of the Hallmark Hall of Fame days, he reiterated the same news.

One fan wrote, ” I too could have seen you in the lead of Nonnas, especially from your work in GD, which to this day is still my favorite series Hallmark ever put out. Any possible chance of another one??? My gosh would I love that!”

And Neal replied, “Sorry Rosie, I don’t think that will ever happen. Glad you enjoyed them.”

A curious fan wondered if Neal might find better opportunities for the type of work he was interested in at Great American Family. They wrote, “Are there opportunities for better work at @greatamericanfamily?”

Neal honestly replied, “Sadly Elizabeth, no. Glad your mom enjoyed GD!”

Neal Said He & His Wife Pitched a New Series to Hallmark, But It Didn’t Work Out

Neal also talked about a new series that he and Southwell pitched to Hallmark, but didn’t work out.

“Almost two years ago, Beck and I delivered a new European-based murder mystery franchise that Hallmark had ordered, but sadly that never moved forward over creative differences,” he wrote. “Nothing unusual, that happens all the time everywhere. Admittedly, it was a big creative swing as we were trying something a little more daring on a bigger canvas and it would have cost a little more. We just didn’t want to do the same old thing over there and this was in the Thomas Crown Affair territory but with a more appropriate Hallmark-sized budget. Well maybe more in the Hallmark Hall of Fame type of budget. “

Neal added that he’s certain Hallmark will successfully weather these challenging times for broadcast TV.

“Beck and I are doing our own thing these days and enjoying Europe, but I will always be rooting for Hallmark and wish them well in this challenging TV environment,” he wrote. “I’m sure they are in very good hands and I know their audience will continue to let them know how they’re doing because it’s a powerhouse brand that many people care about.”

Back in 2021, Deadline reported that Southwell and Neal’s Southwell Neal Entertainment had optioned the film and TV rights for an 18-book series called “DI Hillary Greene.” At the time, Neal said this was “not a Hallmark project” because “it’s a little grittier.” It’s not clear where that project currently stands.

Neal appeared in four episodes of Hallmark’s series “Ride” in 2023. It was his first Hallmark appearance since “Christmas She Wrote” and “Roux the Day” in 2020.