I don't normally watch the Hallmark channel but was curious about their first TV series, which is based on a book series of the same name.
Cedar Cove is set in a fictitious small Washington State coastal town. In the first episode we meet the small town judge who is ethical. wise, unpretentious, and who is offered a federal judgeship by her Washington State U.S. Senator. They knew each other from law school, but he chose to nominate her for the federal position because only one of some 20 decisions of hers that had been appealed was overturned by the higher court. Other characters in the story are the town's newspaper editor who is a newcomer to small town life, her daughter who is dating a wealthy older man, a younger man who wants to renew a relationship with her, and a young couple who are in her court for a divorce.
The plot of the episode, which mostly dealt with problems couples had in their relationships but also involved political and legal issues, kept me interested. For the most part the acting was good, particularly Andie MacDowell's. I thought the actor playing the reporter was a trifle hammy. My impression of Hallmark is that it is akin to the Harlequin Romance novels, but I didn't feel that way about this pilot episode. Hopefully the future episodes will continue in this same manner.
It's nice to have at least one dramatic series that doesn't involve criminal investigations or vampires.
