Emma Fielding Mysteries
3 movies
Emma Fielding Mysteries gives the cozy whodunit an academic hook: the sleuth is an archaeologist, and her expertise in the past is what cracks crimes in the present. Courtney Thorne-Smith plays Professor Emma Fielding, who keeps unearthing more than artifacts on her digs. James Tupper plays FBI antiquities agent Jim Connor, her partner in the investigations and a slow-building romance, and Adam DiMarco and Tess Atkins play her students Joe and Carey throughout. The films are based on Dana Cameron's novels, which is part of why they read a touch brainier than the average Hallmark mystery.
There are three movies, released between 2017 and 2019, and the settings carry them: a coastal dig site, a castle estate, an academic conference. The first two run a full two hours, longer than most Hallmark mysteries, which gives the cases room to breathe and the tone a more measured, serious register. Ratings sit in a tight band from 6.2 to 6.4. These aren't twisty thrillers, but if you want a mystery that takes its setting seriously, they deliver.
Emma Fielding Mysteries movies in order
Each film is a standalone case, so any order works. Release order is the nicer way through, since Emma and Jim's relationship develops a little further each time.
- 1
Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery(2017)
The 2017 opener. Emma returns to coastal Maine to lead a dig hunting for a legendary 17th-century lost colony, hoping to vindicate her late father's controversial research, and the work turns dark when a man is found dead in her excavation trench and her research map vanishes. This is where FBI agent Jim Connor walks in and the partnership starts. A full two-hour mystery, and the most personal of Emma's cases. Rated 6.2.
- 2
Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery(2018)
The 2018 second film, Past Malice, and the moodiest entry. When Emma's colleague is found murdered in the crypt of Chandler Castle, an old curse seems to settle over the professor, her students, and Agent Connor. The grand-estate setting hands this one a gothic atmosphere the others can't match, and at two hours it has the space to use it. Rated 6.3.
- 3
Emma Fielding Mysteries: More Bitter Than Death(2019)
The 2019 finale, More Bitter Than Death. The president of an American archaeology association is murdered on the eve of naming a successor, and the suspects are Emma's own academic peers. It's a closed-circle, conference-set whodunit with Emma and Jim working it together. A tighter 90-minute close, and the best-rated of the three at 6.4.
Emma Fielding Mysteries cast
Frequently asked questions
What order should I watch the Emma Fielding Mysteries?
Any order works, since each film is a self-contained case. For Emma and Jim's relationship to develop in sequence, watch in release order: Site Unseen (2017), Past Malice (2018), then More Bitter Than Death (2019).
How many Emma Fielding Mysteries movies are there?
Three, released between 2017 and 2019, all starring Courtney Thorne-Smith as archaeology professor Emma Fielding.
Who stars in the Emma Fielding Mysteries?
Courtney Thorne-Smith plays archaeology professor Emma Fielding and James Tupper plays FBI agent Jim Connor in all three films. The series is based on the Dana Cameron novels.
Are the Emma Fielding Mysteries any good?
They're brainier than the average cozy, built around archaeology and history, and sit between 6.2 and 6.4 on IMDb. The first two run a full two hours, which gives the cases more room than the usual Hallmark mystery gets.
Where can I watch the Emma Fielding Mysteries?
They air on the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery, and stream on Hallmark+. Check each film's page for current availability.