Poultry is the name of the game on The Chicken Sisters, but star Lea Thompson revealed that season 2 is all about the girls — the good, the bad and the sassy.
“I think we have quarrels, but I think it’s kind of us against the world too, at the same time,” Thompson, 64, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, August 4, of the season 2 premise for the Hallmark Channel series. “We learn how to bond together, because we are an odd group.”
Thompson, who plays Nancy Hillier on the show, noted that her character doesn’t know former chicken restaurant rival Gus Moore (Wendie Malick) or her daughter Mae Moore (Genevieve Angelson) “that well” when the season begins.
“Gus and I used to be enemies,” she reminded fans. “So, we all bond together and kind of fight against the rest of the world, which is what happens in this season.”
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Thompson teased that as the ladies of Mimi’s — Gus and Mae — and the women of Frannie’s — Nancy and her former daughter-in-law, Amanda Moore-Hillier (Schuyler Fisk) — team up, it won’t be totally smooth sailing.
“A lot of stuff is getting stirred up. And it really gets stirred up at the end,” she revealed to Us. “It’s really, really fun.”
The Chicken Sisters premiered in 2024 on Hallmark+ before making its debut on the Hallmark Channel earlier this year. During the first season, based on KJ Dell’Antonia’s novel, two rival chicken restaurants in the fictional town of Merinac compete on a reality show called The Ultimate Kitchen Clash to see who is the best.
In addition to a food rivalry that goes back decades, tensions rise between the two families who owned the eateries. The biggest issue is that Mimi’s owner, Gus’ youngest daughter, Amanda, married Frannie’s owner, Nancy’s son, Frank Jr. (James Kot), creating an even bigger divide between the restaurants.
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During the season 1 finale, Frank Jr. and Amanda called it quits following the end of Ultimate Kitchen Clash. After an explosive conclusion to the competition, the four ladies — Nancy, Amanda, Gus and Mae — decided to squash their beef and unite to create “The Chicken Sisters” restaurants housed in Mimi’s and Frannie’s locations.
Frank Jr., meanwhile, teamed up with a chicken big shot to seemingly open his own place, which Thompson told Us will cause issues during season 2.
“It’s a really complicated relationship,” Thompson said of Nancy and Frank Jr.’s dynamic moving forward, explaining that Nancy “has to kind of manage it as her only son, while yet trying to keep her business afloat, while he’s trying to compete with hers.”
While Nancy will have trouble with her son — and navigating her relationship with Amanda after her split from Frank Jr. — Thompson shared that love will be in the air.
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“There is some dating that goes on,” Thompson told Us of Amanda’s love story after she hooked up with Mimi’s cook Sergio (Ektor Rivera) last season. “There’s obviously chemistry with Sergio and because now everybody has to work together — the restaurants are kind of fluid — so they’ll be in close proximity.”
The actress added that Amanda won’t be the only one with romance on her mind thanks to Nancy and her boyfriend, Pastor McGregor (Matthew James Dowden).
“That’s probably only the second guy she’s ever dated or kissed in her whole life,” Thompson said. “And so that’s a big, big growth. She finally got over her husband and moved on. … She takes a big leap, and she learns how to put herself first.”
Thompson teased, “But there’s romance for everybody,” although she said that’s not the focus of season 2.
“Really, it is still about the girls, you know, how they get along and how we hold each other up,” she concluded.
Season 2 of The Chicken Sisters premieres on Hallmark Channel Sunday, August 10, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes stream the next day on Hallmark+.
