A Guide To "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

 Next Friday July 12 at 9 PM EDT, Hallmark Mystery (formerly Hallmark Movies and Mysteries) will premiere the newest film in its hit franchise "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"-"Signed, Sealed, Delivered:A Tale Of Three Letters". To celebrate the upcoming premiere, this article will take a look back at the previous episodes and films in the franchise and highlight the moments that got the series to where it tis today.

What is "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"?

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered" revolves around a quartet of postal workers for the Dead Letter Office (DLO) in Denver, Colorado-Oliver (Eric Mabius), Shane (Kristin Booth), Norman (Geoff Gustafson) and Rita (Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe)-who in each installment of the franchise are tasked with delivering a letter that, for various reasons (insufficient postage, envelope damage, etc.) was deemed undeliverable and sent to the DLO.  

How did the series begin?

The series began with the premiere of the two hour pilot movie, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" (Alternatively titled "Second Chances") on October 12, 2013 on Hallmark Channel. In this first movie, Shane McInerney has just moved to Denver to take a job in Direct Line Operations at the United States Postal Service (USPS)-or so she thinks. Thanks to a mix-up, she has actually been assigned to the Dead Letter Office. In the movie's opening scene, Shane meets Oliver O'Toole who, unbeknownst to her, will become her future coworker. When Shane arrives at the post office, she is reintroduced to Oliver and is also introduced to her other two new coworkers, Norman Dorman and Rita Haywith.  Together, these four will become the POSTables, although that name will not officially be used until later on in the series. the POSTables discover a letter written by Kelly (Laci J Malley), a young woman who was diagnosed with cancer, to Charlie (Benjamin Hollingsworth), a young man who she had just met at work. Charlie and Kelly spent the day together before Kelly suddenly disappeared. The POSTables are eventually able to track down Charlie's address but when they get there, they discover that she is currently in prison for murder. Convinced of Charlie's innocence, the POSTables go to talk to Charlie about the events of the day of the murder. Realizing that Charlie could not be the murderer, as he had spent that entire day with Kelly, they realize that the only way to prove Charlie's innocence is to find proof of his day with Kelly-and they do, thanks to a website that Kelly had set up just before she started a new cancer treatment in town. Unfortunately, they also discover that none of the patients who were treated survived, leading the POSTables to assume that Kelly had died. Charlie, who had promised to meet Kelly at a bridge one year after their initial meeting, decides to go to the bridge anyway as a way of honoring Kelly's memory-only to discover that she's still alive. It turns out that Kelly was able to find a cancer treatment in Boston, allowing her and Charlie to reunite. Along with Charlie and Kelly's plot line, we also learn that Oliver's wife Holly left him move to Paris two years ago and that Shane's father left the family when she was ten.  

Key Moments In The Franchise

Listed below are some of the key moments in the franchise. I've attempted to highlight at least one moment from each episode and/or movie.

Time To Start Livin'

The POSTables reunite a boy named Owen (Spencer Driver) with his grandmother Vivian (Christine Willes) after their family was forced to go into the Witness Protection Program when the boy accidentally witnesses a drug deal. Supervisor Theresa Capodiamonte (Valerie Harper) makes her first appearance in this episode.

To Whom It May Concern

The POSTables track down a letter written by a girl in Afghanistan named Samila (Rami Kahlon) to the solider, Buzz (Joel Berg) who saved her life. Last appearance of Theresa Capodiamonte, who at the end of the episode, leaves to participate in a theatrical production of "The Wizard Of Oz".

Soulmates

The POSTables attempt to reunite Sam (Greyston Holt) and Marie (Emilie Ullerup) after discovering a letter that the former had written to the latter right before her wedding. First appearance of Cora Brandt (Della Reese). Meanwhile, Rita begins writing a romance novel in which the main characters are based on her and Norman. 

The Masterpiece

The POstables discover a painting by a man named Danny (Jeffrey Ballard) intended for his father Henry (Paul McGilllion) as an attempt at reconciliation after the two had a falling out when the former chose to become an artist rather than work in his dad's auto shop. First appearance of Ramon Rodriguez (Zak Santiago). 

The Edge Of Forever

The POStables help sisters Caitlyn Atkinson (Kendra Anderson) and Vanessa Dougherty (Elise Gatien) reconcile years after they stopped speaking to each other when their father was killed on 9/11. 

The Future Me

The POSTables discover a letter written by Ellie Kempert (Jessica Kishner Morgan), a girl with Down Syndrome, to her future self about her desired relationship with classmate Bobby Richards (Jeremy Raymond), who also has Down syndrome. The POSTables must find a way to convince Ellie and Bobby's respective parents that the two are mature enough to get married.

Something Good

The POSTables discover a demo tape recorded by a man named Billy James (Adam DiMarco) for a woman named Linda Hawkins (Leah Gibson) who had intended to send the tape to an agent. It's revealed that Billy got amnesia after getting into a car accident the night the demo was recorded and now has no memory of Linda or of recording the demo. First appearance of Norman's cousin Serge (Chris Gauthier) and Rebecca Stairwell (Valerie Bertinelli)

Dark Of Night

The POSTables discover a letter written by a woman named Melissa (Kimberly Sustad) which reveals that the night before her wedding to her husband, Michael Wheeler (Lane Edwards), she was raped by a man named Carl Brackner (Aaron Pearl), resulting in Melissa giving birth to a daughter, Abby (Stephanie Bennet), who now needs a kidney transplant. They must convince Michael to not go through with his plan to murder Carl as well as convince Carl to donate one of his kidneys to save Abby's life. 

The Treasure Box

Oliver and Shane accidentally become locked in a bank vault while investigating a series of love letters written by a pair of lovers over a century ago. Fearing for his life, Oliver writes a letter to his estranged wife Holly. Meanwhile, Rita participates in Colorado's "Miss Special Delivery" pageant.

A Hope And A Future

Norman discovers that he has a grandmother named Ardis Paine (Carol Burnett) as the POSTables discover a letter written by a woman named Susan (Ingrid Tesch) to her son Joshua (Adam Korson) which explains why she gave him up for adoption. Meanwhile, Oliver decides to mail his letter to Holly that he had written in the previous episode.

Following the Season One finale, it was announced that "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" would become a movie series. 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered For Christmas

The POSTables discover a letter written by a girl named Hannah (Ava Telek) to God, which asks God to help make her mom better in time for Christmas. The POSTables are aided by a mysterious young man named Jordan Marley (Rob Estes) who has a surprising connection to Oliver's childhood. 

From Paris With Love

It's revealed that Oliver's letter to Holly was never sent due to the envelope getting damaged in a rain storm. Shane and Rita discover the letter, which is accidentally mailed by Norman, leading to Holly (Poppy Montgomery) returning. The POSTables also discover divorce papers from a man named Joey Castelluci (Kevin McGarry) to his wife Caitlin (Brooke Nevin) after he mistakenly believed that she was cheating on him. Meanwhile, Norman deals with his own feelings for Rita and his jealously over her friendship with Ramon. The movie ends with Oliver and Holly finally deciding to separate, leading Oliver to build a porch swing for Shane, and Rita confessing her feelings for Norman.

Truth Be Told

The POStables discover a letter written by a US. Army soldier named Randilynn Amidon (Tammy Gillis) to her daughter Phoebe (Megan Charpentier) explaining the circumstances behind her disappearance in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Oliver's father Joseph (Gregory Harrison) reunites with his son after the two had been estranged for many years-and shocks Oliver with the news that he is not actually his biological father. It turns out that  his biological father was a man named Harvey Schmidtz, who Oliver's mother left the family for when Oliver was a kid. Part One of a two parter. This film also marks the first appearance of Hazel (Jill Morrison).

The Impossible Dream

The POSTables head to Washington, D.C. for Rita to participate in the "Miss Special Delivery" pageant finals while at the same time attempt to decipher Randilynn's letter to her daughter Phoebe during a meeting with a Congressional committee. The POStables must convince the committee that Randilynn is not only still alive but did not willingly desert her post and needs to be rescued. First appearance of Steve Marek (Mark Valley).

From The Heart

The POSTables discover two letters, one written by a man name Ryan (Aaron Craven) to his high school sweetheart Maddie (Holly Elissa) after the former killed a homeless man in a drunk driving incident. The other letter was written by Ann Rutledge to then-future president Abraham Lincoln nearly two centuries ago regarding a potential romance between the two. Meanwhile, both Oliver & Shane and Norman & Rita face their own challenges on Valentine's Day, the former due to Shane's mistaken belief that Oliver did not invite her to Valentine's Day dinner and the latter due to Rita neglecting to mention Norman when asked during an interview if she has a boyfriend. This may be the only film in the franchise that does not have a definite happy ending as Ann's letter is ultimately deemed undeliverable and while never explicitly stated, it's implied that Maddie dies at the end of the movie as the result of a heart condition that she had, presumably since birth. First appearance of Dale Travers (Emilie Ullerup).

One In A Million

The POStables must convince a soon to be retired disgruntled postal worker named Dudley Curly (Peter Hanlon), a former colleague of Oliver's father, from destroying a series of letters that he has stolen. Meanwhile, Oliver and Shane have their first date at Montaldo's. 

Lost Without You

The POSTables learn that a fellow employee, Eleanor, has suddenly passed away and also attempt to reunite a retired soldier (Jesse Moss) with PTSD with the dog that helped save his life. Meanwhile, Oliver agrees to go on a camping trip with his father Joseph, only for things to take a dramatic turn for the worse after the latter develops an infection after accidentally cutting himself. 

Higher Ground

The POSTables attempt to reunited a blues musician named Gabe (Keb Mo) with a waitress named Hattie (Karen Holness) years after the two become separated following Hurricane Katrina. Norman proposes to Rita, and she accepts, resulting in the two becoming engaged.

Home Again

The POSTables discover a vase mailed nearly two decades ago by a trio of sisters in an attempt to raise enough money to save their family's farm. Meanwhile, Norman meets Rita's parents (Barry Bostwick and Colleen Camp) but struggles to make a good first impression with them after accidentally destroying the latter's glasses in a blender. Rita must convince her parents (more specifically, her father) to accept Norman as her future husband.

The Road Less Traveled

The POSTables discovery of a disposable camera leads to the four of them going on a road trip to track down a young boy (Christian Convery) and his mother (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), who lost most of her money after her husband (Jason Cermak) got involved in a fraud scheme. Meanwhile, Norman & Rita discuss the possibility of starting a family together once they're married and Oliver questions his future with Shane after discovering that the latter has been receiving text messages from someone named Alex Brighton. It's eventually revealed that Alex is actually Shane's sister. With Oliver's encouragement, Shane calls Alex and reconciles with her at the end of the movie. 

To The Altar

As the POSTables get ready for Norman and Rita's wedding, they discover a series of letters written by a woman named Annaliese (Janet Kidder) to her daughter Jessica (Jessica Sipos) for the latter's wedding. It turns out that the woman was actually suffering from mental illness and left her daughter to seek treatment for her condition. Meanwhile, Joseph arrives to help Oliver and Shane plan Norman's bachelor party-complete with a surprise video appearance by Norman's grandmother Ardis. Shane also learns about the O'Toole family's "Ugly Green Tie" tradition that states that a member of the O'Toole family will never wear an ugly green tie unless he's going to propose marriage. Sure enough, Oliver is wearing the tie during Norman and Rita's wedding and proposed to Shane at the end of the movie. In the end, Norman & Rita are now married, Oliver & Shane are now engaged and the POSTables succeed in reuniting Annaliese and Jessica.

The Vows We Have Made

As Oliver and Shane prepare for their wedding, they, along with Norman and Rita, attempt to reunite a young cancer patient (Jude Wilson) with a firefighter mascot named Fred. Meanwhile, a new postal worker named Charley (Rhiannon Fish) begins working at the DLO just as she is about to go into labor with her first child, Norman and Rita decide to adopt Charley, giving her the home that she and her baby need.  Shane's mother (Sherry Miller) shows up to help with the wedding, leading to a potential romance starting between her and Oliver's father Joseph. We also see a potential romance start between Hazel and Ramon. In the end, Charley gives birth to her baby, a girl named Eleanor, named after the fellow employee who was revealed to have died in the movie "Lost Without You), and Oliver and Shane are finally married. 

What's next for the POSTables?

As mentioned above, the newest film in the franchise, "A Tale Of Three Letters", is set to premiere next Friday July 12 at 9 PM EDT on Hallmark Mystery. Another movie, "To The Moon And Back", will premiere sometime in 2025.