BARBARA NIVEN ADDED TO CAST AS SERIES REGULAR IN HALLMARK CHANNEL'S "DEBBIE MACOMBER'S CEDAR COVE"

Primetime Series Stars Andie MacDowell and Dylan Neal; Two-Hour World Premiere July 20

Hallmark Channel announces Barbara Niven ("One Life To Live," "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Moonlight & Mistletoe") has been cast as a series regular in Hallmark Channel's primetime series, "Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove." The two-hour drama is set to premiere Saturday, July 20 (8 p.m. ET/PT, 7C), with Niven joining the cast regularly as Peggy Beldon, wife of Bob Beldon, played by Bruce Boxleitner ("TRON," "Babylon 5," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King"), owners of the local Cedar Cove Inn, Thyme and Tide.

The series is based on the bestselling book series Cedar Cove by #1 New York Times bestselling author, Debbie Macomber and stars Andie MacDowell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Groundhog Day") along with Dylan Neal ("Dawson's Creek," "The Bold and the Beautiful"), Teryl Rothery ("Stargate SG-1," "Kyle XY," "Dragon Ball"), Brennan Elliott ("Strong Medicine"), Sarah Smyth ("50/50," "Call Me Fitz") and Paula Shaw ("Freddy vs Jason," "Hitched For The Holidays").

In "Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove," MacDowell plays Judge Olivia Lockhart whose Cedar Cove Municipal Court is the professional milieu and social microcosm of issues the judge will face in her own day-to-day life with family and friends. Neal plays Jack Griffith, the new editor of the Cedar Cove Chronicle and budding love interest for Judge Lockhart.

"Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove" is a 16 Lighthouse Road Productions Ltd. production. Executive Producers are Dan Wigutow, Caroline Moore, Ron French, Debbie Macomber and Harvey Kahn. The series is produced by Connie Dolphin with Steve Harmaty as Co-Executive Producer. The pilot was directed by Michael M. Scott, written by Bruce Graham ("Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas") and was adapted from material from Debbie Macomber's series of books, Cedar Cove. Carl Binder is the show runner for the series.

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 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls and Frasier. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot, and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also 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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