Chesapeake Shores: Season 2 – A New Favorite Family to Love

With their themes of family and love as network cornerstones, Chesapeake Shores finds its ideal home on Hallmark Channel. Season two returns and picks up just where its prior season left off with Abby O’Brien (Meghan Ory) back  home in a place she can raise two daughters with family values. But the summer is now over and though it was magical, real life begins again. Abby has to balance her new job with the girl’s and school, and learn how to navigate the re-kindled relationship she has with her hometown sweetheart-turned-country-music-superstar, Trace Riley (Jesse Metcalfe).

As her girls (Abbie Magnuson, Kayden Magnuson) start a new school, and Abby makes time for family, and her career, life keeps busy. Then, Trace’s musical career slowly picks up speed which creates a chasm between him and Abby. Meanwhile, the rest of the O’Brien’s also encounter challenges. Jess (Laci J Mailey) still has trouble accepting her mother (Barbara Niven); Bree (Emilie Ullerup) is preparing to return to Chicago where her new play could be produced; Kevin (Brendan Penny) struggles with guilt and the possibility his relationship is over; and Connor (Andrew Francis) prepares to start his first job post-graduation.

Apart from the five O’Brien kids, business challenges of a personal nature affect the patriarch Mick O’Brien (Treat Williams). Through it all, Nell (Diane Ladd) fights to ensure her sons, Mick and Thomas (Gregory Harrison) remember the most important thing of all: family means everything.

Chesapeake Shores: Season 2 Hallmark Review

I love this show. Imperfections and all, it’s my “fan favorite” when it comes to Hallmark’s scripted series. There’s something so genuine about the characters that works, and for me, it’s a group I can relate to. Are the characters endearingly over-dramatic sometimes? Yes, but they’re also annoyingly flawed which means it feels really real. That’s something that drives home each episode, and is an important part of storytelling.

Before I gush too much, the one glaring aspect I don’t like is the constant back and forth between Abby and Trace. It’s not really fair to single out Chesapeake Shores because all of the shows do this, but this doesn’t make it any less annoying. It’s unnecessary to create conflict for everyone (or in this case, every single romantic relationship) because there’s plenty of other conflict in their professional lives or other aspects of their personal; like familial tension.

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Despite this, the stories in this quint town are worth investing in. There’s heartbreak, yes, but at the end of the day, the sun sets on a family who is supportive and always there for each other. That end game “feels” you experience is worth the strain between characters, and the writers seem to understand the importance of being a family and all that comes with this.  This is a storytelling method most writers don’t seem to understand, so when I find it, it makes an impression.

Always a story to wear its heart on its sleeve, Chesapeake Shores is a family saga not to be missed.

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You can see this story digitally on Amazon Video or on DVD; or go back to where it all begins in season one. Find the book collection by Sheryl Woods on Amazon!