There are one-liners in “The Chicken Sisters” that sound like something on a gift shop tea towel.
“If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”; “That woman could have an argument in an empty house”; and “Never extend a sweaty palm” are among the offerings, but they shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying a series that twists more than a Slinky going down stairs.
“The Chicken Sisters” follows a competition between rival chicken restaurants in little Merinac, where Frannie’s and Mimi’s have relatives in common.
When a reality show host (Rukiya Bernard, left) comes to town, Gus (Wendie Malick) wonders what that might mean for her chicken restaurant in "The Chicken Sisters."
The show “Kitchen Clash” has come to town to answer the “who’s best?” question and deposit $100,000 in the winner’s bank account. In the process of frying up a storm, the relationships between Mimi’s Gus (Wendie Malick) and Frannie’s Nancy (Lea Thompson) and Gus’s daughters, Amanda (Schuyler Fisk) and Mae (Genevieve Angelson), become strained.
While trying to settle the reality show’s score, they also debate relationship woes and discover many more skunks in the woodpile. In parts, this is “Waitress” without the music.
The fun, though, heats up when Mae thinks she can land a home makeover hosting gig if she manages to turn Mimi’s into a masterwork. Toss in a new chef (Ektor Rivera) and “Chicken Sisters” begins cooking with oil.
Frequently, it’s impossible to remember who’s mad at who.
Sioux City Journal entertainment reporter Bruce Miller speaks with Wendie Malick and Genevieve Angelson, stars of "The Chicken Sister." The series, appearing on The Hallmark Channel's H+ streaming service, is based on K.J. Dell’Antonia's book of the same name.
Thankfully, Margo Martindale narrates (not unlike Julie Andrews in “Bridgerton”) and gets all those wincing one-liners. She moves things along, however, and manages to recall who did what to whom, even when we don’t.
Malick, hardly as refined as she has been in dozens of sitcoms, wrestles with a long gray wig that screams “makeover.” Thompson changes things up, too, but it’s the Amanda/Mae situation that intrigues.
Not surprisingly, no one has the same accent. There are wild Southern offerings and Midwestern twangs that make you wonder where this is taking place. (The book says it’s Kansas; the series doesn’t weigh in.)
Director Kimmy Gatewood makes sure the first episodes have force and takes full advantage of the spackling Martindale can do.
James Kot and Lea Thompson consider what a reality show might mean for their chicken restaurant in "The Chicken Sisters."
Fewer bromides might make this a better series but it takes the Hallmark model and turns it ever so slightly so newcomers can find a handle. Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Chicken Sisters” delights in its ability to shock and thaw.
Fisk and Angelson are fun to watch, particularly when they veer from their stereotypes. When the former toys with the competitor’s chicken and the latter tries to one-up a rival reality host, “Chicken Sisters” finds its roost.
Who rules? That depends on how long you can stick with it.
“The Chicken Sisters” airs on H+, a new Hallmark streaming service.
