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80s Icon Aiming for Hallmark Return: ‘Hope the Fans Feel the Same’
Since actress Mindy Cohn skyrocketed to fame in the 80s playing Natalie Green on the hit sitcom “The Facts of Life,” she’s enjoyed a wide-ranging career, from voicing “Scooby-Doo” character Velma for more than a decade to her recurring role on the 2024 Apple TV+ show “Palm Royale.”
In March 2025, Cohn made her Hallmark Channel debut, appearing as a foster mom in the network’s four back-to-back “Hearts Around the Table” movies. It was an experience she loved so much, she told People on April 4 she’s hoping Hallmark invites her back for many more.
Mindy Cohn Says There Was ‘No Fakery’ With Her Hallmark Castmates’ On-Screen Chemistry
Noting that she has many friends who are Hallmark Channel “devotees” Cohn told People that joining the network was a dream.
“I didn’t know who any of these insanely terrific actors are but they taught me a thing or two,” she said. “It was such a beautiful surprise to work with such incredible actors and a production team. I just had a spectacular experience all the way around.”
Though instant chemistry among a cast is hard to come by on many Hollywood sets, Cohn told the outlet that wasn’t the case this time around, explaining, “Creating chemistry is part of my job, right? Even when you don’t feel it, you try and make the audience feel it. Well, there was no fakery at all here. We just really spent so much so much time together so quickly, and the bonds were real.”
In each of Hallmark’s new “Hearts Around The Table” movies, Cohn plays Angie, a former foster parent who hosts weekly Sunday suppers for the now-grown kids she raised. The ensemble cast includes many familiar faces to Hallmark fans, including Torrance Coombs, Mishael Morgan, Ashley Newbrough, and Kathryn Davis.
The third “Hearts Around The Table” movie, “Josh’s Third Serving,” premieres on April 6 with a storyline that centers around a couple played by Hallmark regulars Jake Epstein and Stephanie Bennett. A fourth movie, “Kiki’s Fourth Ingredient,” premieres on April 12.
If Cohn has her way, these movies will mark the beginning of an ongoing “Hearts Around The Table” franchise at Hallmark.
“We hope this does well because we want four more,” she said. “I’m hoping there is a way for a future for them with Hallmark as well. These characters are so delicious. We don’t want to put them down. I hope the fans feel the same way.”
‘Hearts Around The Table’ Cast & Crew Helped Mindy Cohn Through the Loss of Her Dad
Cohn, who’s begun filming the second season of “Palm Royale,” and the rest of her “Hearts Around The Table” castmates have gushed on social media about the bond they forged while filming their Hallmark movies from August through November 2024.
She leaned on her co-stars for comfort after losing her dad in November, sharing on Instagram at the time that her family was “in the deepest ocean of despair.”
While filming “Hearts Around The Table” in Ontario, she shared another post in mid-November that said, “Oh Canada. thank you for holding me while i grieve my beloved daddio and providing me with a cast, crew and production company that were sublime. ‘til soon. ❌⭕️”
Cohn told People that one of the things she loves about the “Hearts Around The Table” movies is that they portray what it’s like to create safe spaces for sharing with each other within family and friend groups.
“I think we all crave those kind of safe spaces,” she said. “I think people just long for that connection. I think the ‘Hearts’ are just an amazing example of that, and I think I hope people are craving it as much as I am.”
