Ruby Herring Mysteries (TV Series) Silent Witness (2019) User Reviews

Hallmark casting needs a rehab

[easheehan · 5/10 · 24 January 2019]

I generally like Taylor Cole in her Hallmark movies (and still do), but while this movie at least had some chemistry between Cole and Stephen Huszar other casting was way off. -Debra Donohue and Shawn Christian: such a mismatch. In their first scene together, I was trying to figure out were they married? Was she the grandmother? What is going on here? Shawn Christian is barely old enough to be Taylor Cole's father (and looks even younger), but Ms. Donohue was wildly miscast. I think even the film editors noticed this, because these two were rarely in a scene together after that opener. Prediction: if there is another Ruby Herring, the mom will either be recast or she will be absent (died or away on a trip). -The sister: out of all of the actresses at work in the U.S. and Canada why couldn't they find someone who at least looked like "Ruby Herring"/Taylor Cole? Also, someone who had stronger acting chops.

I agree with another commenter that Hallmark is rushing stuff and putting out poor quality. There's a place for these kind of movies (as seen by the ratings popularity), but have some pride in your product, Hallmark. You're damaging your brand.

Bad supporting cast

[franksjolynn · 5/10 · 21 January 2019]

Taylor Cole is a good actress but even she can't help an entire cast that can't act. Could be bad writing, but this isn't a great way to start a series. Hallmark is fast-tracking these shows and the quality is suffering.

Love a mystery but....

[gingerpinger · 5/10 · 21 January 2019]

I generally love these mysteries-Allison Sweeney, Lori Laughlin, however I seriously could NOT get past her hair. It was awful and so fake looking. Not sure about the acting, it was stiff. Didn't buy it, but I may take another. But the hair..

Bad Casting

[kbruffett · 6/10 · 21 January 2019]

The plot is fine, the acting is good but the casting is way off. There is no way that Shawn Christian is old enough to be Taylor Cole's father, especially when they cast someone who looks motherly as his wife. Come on Hallmark, you can do better.

Ruby Herring Mysteries: Silent Witness

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 6/10 · 20 July 2019]

6/10 - the first installment in a perfectly average Hallmark series

miscasting

[djsturnnow · 7/10 · 27 January 2019]

Enjoying this film, but Shaun C. as the father is so confusing! How is he old enough to be the father? Too young to be the husband.

Bad casting, acting, and story!

[TamelaBox · 2/10 · 27 January 2019]

I completely agree with the other reviewers about the casting. The parents didn't fit at all. The acting was really bad all the way around. It was like everyone was waiting for their line and couldn't get it out awkwardly enough or over dramatically enough when it was their turn. The dialogue was canned, predictable, and delivered poorly. There was no chemistry between the lead actors. I watch pretty much every Hallmark movie and can handle a lot of cheesy dialogue / storyline. This one was bad enough that I took the time to write this to hopefully keep someone else from wasting 2 hours. Hallmark, do better!

Everybody has an opinion but in the end it's everybody's personal feelings

[itssally · 8/10 · 4 March 2019]

I found this actually quite interesting ! I don't see how anybody has an issue with it or apparently her hair? Why would her hair make the show bad or good? Is it going to talk or something? No , I found it cute and interesting like the books I used to read when I was younger . Nowadays people want heavy sex in shows , drama etc etc instead of a clean cut mystery. In my personal opinion this is what it is.

Not that bad

[wjspears · 7/10 · 6 September 2021]

Watching this and writing this review in 2021, after all the initial buzz around this movie, I have to say that I think that most of the reviewers are a bit too harsh in their reviews.

As a mystery, this was well written and structured. The evidence built believably and the reveal of the killer at the end was a surprise to me, but was logical.

The one criticism that feels justified is that the actor playing Ruby and Charlotte's dad does look too young for the part.

(Hallmark changed the actor who played that role in the subsequent two episodes).

Taylor Cole (Ruby Herring) certainly looks the part of a TV reporter, and plays that character very well. The amateur detective part though, needs a little more work from the writers. Ruby comes off as abrupt when talking to "leads", when I would expect a seasoned reporter to know how to be smoother in her approach.

I liked Ruby's relationship with her family, especially the father and her sister. The dad's emotional support for Ruby's detecting skills, and her sister's actual active support--even as she's planning her own wedding--was sweet to watch.

I thought the actors Taylor Cole (Ruby Herring) and Stephen Huszar (Detective Jake Killian) showed genuine chemistry. But the characters Ruby and Jake became "buddies" much too quickly to be believable, IMO.

All in all, I would argue that the jury is still out on how good this series will be.

Quite Awful

[momdzt · 1/10 · 29 January 2019]

I love Andrea Canning if she is the same one on TV, but Andrea- call me. I can help you with the dialogue. Most Hallmark mysteries are trite, but this one hits a new low. And I mistook the actor who plays the father ( Ruby looks older than he) for the "love interest" many times. Ruby seems smug and self-assured with everyone but the detective/ love interest, with whom she crumbles into insecurity and self- doubt. Ugh. This was painful to watch.

middle of the road suspense

[musicalfreakgurl · 7 October 2019]

This mystery wasn't what I expected. It was middle of the road, which isn't a good place to be. Because it means it's neither good or bad but rather meh. Therefore you can go forego watching it, you won't miss anything.

The mystery itself wasn't hard to solve within 20 mins of the movie. Not the best writing on Hallmark. The leads were okay. Again. Not good or bad but blandish. Except for her horrid hair which need to be dyed or a better wig bought. It was truly awful!

Watch at your own risk. You'll either love it or hate it, or maybe you'll be like me and just feel blasé about it.

The Best Hallmark Mystery

[edholmes-38943 · 10/10 · 30 September 2019]

I love the Ruby Hemming character I love the plots, story line, and filming locations. This is a keeper.

Decent Hallmark Movie

[ariadnebene · 6/10 · 14 November 2021]

I thought this TV film was good. Not amazing, but good for a TV movie. My main issue is that Shawn was even considered to play Taylor's father. While yes he could TECHNICALLY be her father, he doesn't LOOK like he could be. They look MAYBE five to ten years apart in age. I think that's why a lot of people didn't like him playing her father, because they don't believe that he's actually older than he looks. If I hadn't looked him up on Wikipedia, I wouldn't have known he was actually considerably older than what I thought.

Bad

[jcchick · 1/10 · 26 January 2019]

Bad acting, poor plot, movie ran on and on. Hallmark could do better

Red hair !

[kathdutton-12783 · 7/10 · 31 July 2022]

As a Brit I've never seen or heard of Taylor Cole - but can't understand all the criticism of her hair !! It looks gorgeous to me- and I'm enjoying the show very much too!

Another mystery lady for Hallmark

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 23 January 2019]

We'll see if Hallmark now launches a Ruby Herring mystery series now. Taylor Cole stars as yet another female amateur detective whose day job here is as a consumer affairs reporter.

Cole is in town attending her sister's wedding when the baker who baked the wedding cake is killed. Quite a thing to have a murder interrupt what should be a joyous family occasion, but there it is.

The victim Stellina Rusich was not a very nice woman, quite ruthless in business. Lots of people might want to do her in.

The film was entertaining, but was this originally meant to go in the Murder She Baked series?

Entertaining

[kalderton-63269 · 7/10 · 3 June 2019]

I thought this was an enjoyable movie. Taylor Cole's "red" hair was so distracting. What is with the Hallmark Channel's bad wigs and bad haircuts/color? I can't imagine you don't have professional people to do this. Other than that, it was a good movie.

How Not to Make a Hallmark Mystery

[larrylbryant · 1/10 · 29 January 2019]

My wife and I are big fans of most every other Hallmark mystery show and have been looking forward with anticipation to the new ones being premiered this month.

What a huge disappointment this one was. We were able to stick with it for maybe 45 minutes but became so painful to watch that we fast-forwarded to the end to see who did it without having to watch the rest of the mess.

Where to begin. Painfully formulaic plot with nothing new to offer. Cardboard characters. Surprisingly poor phoned-in performances from lead actors who are usually much better. No real 'rhythm' to the whole thing, just kinda floats along with little real suspense or drama. This whole disaster is as flat as a pancake.

And what was up with the weird hotel host/concierge/desk guy, who we agreed was the worst actor we've ever seen in a Hallmark production, yet he seemed to be kind of 'featured' and kept being given useless lines/scenes that did nothing to advance the story and could've easily been handled by others who actually had some acting ability. Extremely annoying.

Please Hallmark, do NOT waste your money making this useless pilot into a series.

One good thing about it, though--it's bound to make the other mystery premieres to come look muuuuuch better by comparison!

That Withering Look

[alan-oreilly-1 · 9/10 · 2 March 2021]

DD724 USS Laffey limped into Seattle, Washington on May 24 1945 for repairs at the Todd Shipyard after sustaining heavy damage in the battle for Okinawa during which she served as one of the gallant radar pickets against the kamikazes, when a third of her crew became casualties. She became known as The Ship That Would Not Die. Fast forward almost three-quarters of a century. Seattle reporter Ruby Herring is her own radar picket against evil doers and true to the spirit of the Laffey and her crew she will not quit. When Jake teasingly implies that Ruby might already be on his bad side, that withering look she gives him plainly says, "You just crossed a line, Detective. You won't shake me now. From here on in I'm your limpet." Deep down, of course, Jake's great with that. The chemistry between Jake and Ruby is subdued but supercharged. She won't be rebuffed and he won't be distracted but though it's unsaid, indeed it doesn't have to be said, Jake is obviously concerned that Ruby's intrepid efforts don't endanger her. That's why he has her tailed. Their relationship is for the long haul and I hope that Hallmark decides on RHM4+. Ruby unfailingly champions the underdog, being in a unique position in that respect for Hallmark heroines, and resolutely stays on track to fulfil two demanding and diametrically opposed objectives of wedding planning and murderer identification. The script proceeds smoothly with introduction, incident, development, climax, conclusion, with violence kept to a minimum, the crime being solved by more by subtlety than by a frenetic chase culminating in a knock-down-drag-out confrontation. Though minor, there were two downsides; one potential suspect was eliminated without explanation and the fate of the wedding cake was left hanging. I therefore give RHM1 9/10.

Silent Witness

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 9 July 2023]

Ruby Herring (Taylor Cole) is a consumer investigative reporter for a local news station in Seattle. However, as this movie is starting, she is taking some vacation time so she can be the maid of honor in her sister Charlotte's (Alyson Walker) wedding. The wedding is taking place at a resort just outside of town, and baker Sugar Albert (Stelina Rusich), a family friend, is going to bake the wedding cake.

However, when Ruby and Charlotte go for a hike their first morning at the resort, they find Sugar's dead body. The officer at the scene is quick to rule it an accident, but Ruby is suspicious, as is Detective Jake Killian (Stephen Huszar).

I don't understand the bad reviews- it's a stand mystery with familiar element and the chemistry between the reporter and detective isn't too strong, but it's a fairly well done mystery with an actively inquisitive heroine - well played by Taylor Cole - keeping the Sidon the edge. There were enough clues and suspects to keep the story satisfying, and having a consumer investigative reporter solving murder mysteries is an interesting idea.

Not one of their better "Mystery" series

[jk-692-236394 · 4/10 · 24 January 2019]

First I thought this was a really old Hallmark show I had missed somehow. I had no idea it just came out. It looked like they went to a modeling agency to cast the crew. The acting felt like it too. Everyone felt flat and with bright white teeth and like they were reading their lines. The male love interest and the father look the same age and like brothers. That was weird. The plot was such a rehash. Zero originality at all. It was like paint by the numbers, and dull. This one will not fly Hallmark. You need to up your game. Get some decent writers/stories and stop casting plastic actors.

Wanted to like

[jennifer-102-43500 · 2/10 · 2 February 2019]

I was excited for this movie, but it was a flop. That hair!! Soooo bad, so distractingly bad. It was like it was it's own character in the movie. The father, wrong casting. He looks the same age as his "daughter". No way would I believe he was her father. So somber and boring. I fell asleep.

Nah....

[agambre · 2/10 · 21 January 2019]

The plot of this movie was flat. Predictable outcome...leads were not in tuned with each other. It's one time watch for me.

A Real Disappointment

[iloveautumn-98193 · 3/10 · 14 February 2019]

I'll be the first to admit I've not read the Ruby Herring series. That can be a real plus when a book is made into a movie. Not reading the book allows a person to enjoy the movie without getting caught up comparing it with the book. That said - I still had difficulty enjoying this movie.

I'm a big fan of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movies and have thoroughly enjoyed the different series that have been made into movies from books. And, I was really looking forward to watching this when it premiered.

Not only was I disappointed, I had to "work" at watching it. Moreover, it didn't help trying to ignore the distraction with Taylor's dyed red hair which looked like it had been done in a cheap salon for $10. Her hair got more attention from us than the movie at times. To say the least, it wasn't flattering, was unnatural and made the character look cheap.

As other reviewers have astutely pointed out, chemistry was lacking, not just with the lead characters but in general. In short, Ruby Herring: Silent Witness is not consistent with Hallmark's quality.

Not very good at all.

[erininmaine54 · 4/10 · 4 April 2020]

After watching mystery 101 and loving every episode & the chemistry between the actors, this was bad. The dad & mom were super mismatched and he is way too young to play her dad. There is 19 years between them and he looks much younger. I didn't like the chemistry between the leads. He was a bit stiff.