Blue Skies Ahead

Abby’s got a new attitude—and a fun new love interest on the horizon!—when Chesapeake Shores returns

-  JIM HALTERMAN

“MEGHAN, WOULD IT be safe to say one of the themes of Season 5 is how Abby got her groove back?”

“Well, I do have bangs this year.”

“And they are working for you!”

It’s late June, and Chesapeake Shores star Meghan Ory and her new leading man, Robert Buckley, are chatting with TV GUIDE MAGAZINE via Zoom from the set of the endearing Hallmark Channel family drama. They’re between scenes, but as that banter proves, the chemistry between their characters—grounded divorcée (and eldest O’Brien daughter) Abby and self-made billionaire Evan Kincaid—comes naturally.

“I’m excited for people to see this new energy we have,” Ory says. “It’s a whole new show. There’s a lot more laughter.”

To explain how Buckley (iZombie) breezes into town, we need to back up to March, when Jesse Metcalfe, who had starred as passionate musician Trace Riley since the show’s 2016 debut, announced he was leaving. The writers were thrown for a loop: Trace and Abby’s on-again, off-again romance had been the heartbeat of the ensemble series (based on Sherryl Woods’ novels). Plus, when last we saw them in 2019’s Season 4 finale, the two shared a kiss after he pledged his desire to reunite!