The owner of the house where Hallmark filmed Good Witch said she knew the series was coming to an end when the network filmed two endings for Season 7. One ending was full of cliffhangers. The other wrapped up several storylines.
“I thought, that’s the end of the show,” Lisa Heersink told the Hamilton Spectator in a recent interview.
Heersink had allowed crews to film at her Dundas, Ontario home since 2008, when the original movie in the series, The Good Witch, was made. Known as Foxbar, Heersink’s 1847 home stood in for Grey House, the mansion owned by the lead character of the series.
Hallmark ended up making eight movies and shooting seven seasons of a television series at Heersink’s house. They eventually duplicated several interior rooms on a Toronto soundstage, though they continued to film exterior shots and scenes on the house’s interior staircase at Foxbar.
Heersink didn’t know the seventh season would be the show’s last until she found out about the two endings. She had mixed feelings about the situation.
“It was an imposition,” she said. “They had 13 years. They had a long ride.”
The Grey House
As difficult as it was to have people coming and going at all hours to make the show, Heersink also enjoyed the experience. She said the cast and crew were always kind and considerate, and she used to invite friends over while they were filming.
“It was fun. Friends could come over and watch a television show being made,” Heersink said.
Heersink said she donated the money she received for letting crews use her home to the Good Shepherd Centre.
A surprise ending
Filming on Season 7 of the show started back in the fall of 2020. The first episode premiered in May 2021. In early July, Hallmark announced the show would not come back for another season, saying the show had simply run its course.
“‘Good Witch’ has enchanted viewers for over a decade,” said Randy Pope, Hallmark’s senior vice president of programming and development. “We…extend our gratitude and thanks to the entire cast and crew for their dedication and hard work.”
Some fans felt blindsided by the decision. They immediately created online petitions, started websites, and launched social media campaigns to get the series back on the air.
They initially hoped to get Hallmark to reconsider its decision. But when they didn’t hear anything from the network, they appealed to streaming services and other networks to pick up the show.
Heersink hasn’t heard from any producers looking to start filming again, though she encounters plenty of Good Witch fans on her doorstep.
“These are people who just love that show,” Heersink said. “They just get excited to see the house. I was very good with their fans.”