The Hallmark Channel has announced there will be the sixth season of Chesapeake Shores and it will be the last.
The announcement was made Tuesday as filming got underway in downtown Qualicum Beach.
The Town has once again been transformed into the fictional town of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland.
Many locals who have seen the filming of the popular series over the years are glad to see the crew and cast are back for another season.
“Absolutely. It brings a lot of business to the community and they spend a lot of money. I think it’s great,” said Isobel Moore, a Qualicum Beach resident.
Joan Miller, film commissioner of the Vancouver Island North Film Commission, says she never doubted the series would be back for another season.
“We followed the ratings. We knew the success of the show so there was never any hesitation in my mind. We continued to work with the production. It’s lovely that we can now speak about it,” said Miller.
The drama follows four generations of the O’Brien family and the network says this final season will be a special one.
The show has also taken mid-Vancouver Island on a journey from a region that had never hosted a multi-year series to one hosting more and more productions.
“Now our crew base has grown. Our training has grown. Our region is really setting the benchmark for how to build a local crew and how to provide qualified training. Chesapeake Shores really helped us get to the next stage,” said Miller.
Each season of Chesapeake Shores pumps $5-10 million into the mid-island economy. The series also shows the industry it can be done here successfully.
“And with streamers, there are so many more opportunities so we were lucky that we have had this advantage now as a region to get moving to be putting everything in place to manage the next one that comes along,” said Miller.
Expect to see filming in the region through the end of June with the final season premiering this summer.
Hallmark announced its fifth season of Chesapeake Shores at the end of February 2020.
Kendall Hanson
