Everyone loves a good old fashioned time travel adventure: Back to the Future has stood the test of time and spawned two entertaining sequels. Terminator 2: Judgement Day cemented the franchise’s popularity. And we can’t forget 1993’s Groundhog Day, a quasi-time travel film where Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell enter a time loop. Now, the cast of The Way Home are the newest kids on the time-travel block.

The huge Hallmark Channel’s hit premiered last January 2023 and stars Chyler Leigh, Sadie LaFlamme-Snow and Andie MacDowell as three generations of women all trying to understand and reconnect with each other through a time travel twist. When they all come together under one roof for the first time in more than two decades, a surprising discovery unexpectedly sets the trio on a path toward healing. 

What happened in The Way Home Season 1?

**Beware of spoilers ahead**

Season 1 of The Way Home kicks off with Kat (Chyler Leigh) and her daughter Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) moving in with Kat’s mother Del (Andie MacDowell) after a series of unfortunate events. Kat loses her job, Alice gets kicked out of school, and her father’s girlfriend is now moving in with him.

Kat receives a letter from her mother telling her to come home, and she and Alice make their way to the farm as they embark on this new chapter. While grappling with the changes in her life, Alice goes exploring around her grandmother’s farm, falls into a pond, and when she emerges, finds herself in 1999 face to face with the teenage version of her mother, and her mother’s brother, who, in present day, is dead. Elliot (Evan Williams) is an old friend of Kat’s and local science teacher who also knows about the time traveling secret.

As time goes on, we are introduced to various other characters through Alice’s travels. There’s Colton (Jefferson Brown), who is Kat’s deceased father and Del’s deceased husband. Another key player is Jacob (Remy Smith), Kat’s brother who went missing as a child and was presumed dead.

Eventually, Kat also takes part in these travels into the past. It’s there where they explore and finally get answers regarding Jacob’s disappearance, and see first hand the car accident that killed Colton. The season ends with the knowledge that Jacob actually fell into the pond and never emerged, and we witness Kat back in the year 1814 with the final words, “I’ll be back, Jacob, I promise.”

Cast of The Way Home

Faces new and old bring this unique tale to life.

Andie MacDowell as Del Landry

MacDowell is Delilah “Del” Landry, Katherine’s mother and Alice’s maternal grandmother. Del is the matriarch of the Landry family and a pillar of the close-knit community. 

MacDowell has a long acting resume, first gaining attention in Sex, Lies and Videotape. She went on to star in Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Green Card to name a few. (Click through to read Andie MacDowell’s Simple (and Affordable!) Secrets For Looking Stunning) She also has an established history with Hallmark, starring in the Cedar Cove series.   

So what is it that drew her to Del’s character? “When I first started reading it, I loved my character because she’s on a farm and really cares about bees and the community.  Then once I got deeper into it, and my on-screen daughter comes home, we’re dealing with this very difficult relationship,” she told The List. “She brings home my granddaughter, who I haven’t been able to spend time with.  Eventually, she ends up going into the pond on my land and through time until she sees what was happening in my life and my daughter’s life in 1999.  I got chills because it was such a unique and powerful story and continues throughout the season to surprise you in that way so it offers a lot.”

Chyler Leigh as Kat Landry in the cast of The Way Home

In The Way Home, Chyler Leigh is Katherine “Kat” Landry, Alice’s mother. Leigh has a long history of playing TV characters: She was Alex Danvers in Supergirl for six seasons and Lexie Grey in Grey’s Anatomy. Her breakout role was playing Janey Briggs in Not Another Teen Movie. Aside from acting, she is an accomplished singer and is spokesperson for the Be Vocal campaign, that highlights the importance of advocating for mental health. 

Sadie Laflamme-Snow as Alice

Alice, played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow, is a 15 year-old teen who accidentally discovers she can time travel after falling into the pond on the family property. Sadie Laflamme-Snow is a Toronto based actress and newcomer to the small screen. 

“I don’t want to spoil anything,” she told TV Fanatic about her current role, “but I think the Alice and Elliot relationship in the present day, feels very separate from her mom and Elliot’s relationship. I could see this being potentially a bit difficult for Alice. Over the season, our characters grow and get so much deeper, all these characters that we already love, especially the teen versions of some of our older characters in the present, really blossom. I’m excited about everything to come, so it’s hard for me to tease just one or two things.”

Evan Williams as Elliot “El” Augustine cast of The Way Home

Actor Evan Williams plays Elliot “El” Augustine, a close friend of the Landry family.  Williams, a Canadian native, was first seen in the feature, Save The Last Dance 2, and has worked continuously from there. Williams now plays present-day Elliott, a kind and funny science teacher still in love with Kat after years in the friend zone. 

“This one guy has three different love relationships with the family.  The way he relates to Kat is potentially a romantic love.  The way he relates to Del is more of a maternal love.”  He told UPI. “It’s been shocking, actually, the pro-Elliot movement that is sweeping my DMs right now.”

Alex Hook as Young Kat

Gaining recognition on the Nickelodeon show I Am Frankie, Alex Hook plays the role of young Kat in The Way Home. Hook, who was a student during the filming of the series, had to balance school work with the demands of her acting career.

“My parents pretty much put me into everything to try things out, to see what I liked and what stuck. I started in theatre and loved the idea of becoming someone else, but I didn’t quite enjoy the theatrical aspect of the stage,” she told Smith Magazine.

Jefferson Brown as Colton Landry cast of The Way Home

Colton Landry is played by Jefferson Brown. Colton is Kat’s deceased father and Del’s deceased husband. We learn how he dies during Kat’s time travels.

Al Mukadam as Brady Dhawan cast of The Way Home

Brady Dhawan, played by Al Mukadam, is Kat’s ex and Alice’s father, whom she has a complicated relationship with. When she learns that his girlfriend is moving in with him, she isn’t thrilled.

Remy Smith as Jacob Landry

Smith is the child actor who plays Jacob, the mysteriously deceased younger brother of Kat who is presumed dead in present day. However, when Alice and Kat travel back in time in attempt to save him, they eventually learn the truth behind his disappearance.

What’s in store for the cast of The Way Home in season 2?

With the runaway success of The Way Home since its premiere in January, it’s no surprise that Hallmark has already given the greenlight for Season 2.  Season 1 was a consistent ratings winner, debuting to 1.44 million viewers and just two months later, pulling in 1.6 million viewers.

With the season one finale already aired, what might be in store for these residents of the small Canadian farm town of Port Haven? “From what I’ve been told,” says Leigh to TV Line, “I think I will be going back in time in order to, hopefully, help explain a little bit of what happened in the white witch factor episode.  Because I’d like to know!  Also, with Elliot, I’m kind of like, ‘Awww.  But we have to get back together, don’t we?’”

Leigh surmises what might be in store for the next season on this storyline. “Colton lies dying in Kat’s arms. I’m speaking now from a fan perspective because I don’t have all these answers yet, but I’m wondering myself,” she said to TV Line. “When Kat was cradling Colton, she says a couple of times, ‘It’s OK, daddy, I’m here.’  He’s always looking at Kat in the grief counseling.  Jefferson Brown and I had a long chat about us connecting and why is talking to her so important and so special.”  

Taking on a new generation

With Kat time travelling to the 1990’s being a main focus of the series, it seems she will be spending a lot of time back in 1814 in the next season. “I don’t know exactly how it’s going to be incorporated quite yet, but I have been asked if I have experience on a horse and if not, would I be willing to take lessons. I was like Absolutely! Luckily, what’s great is I live in Tennessee and some very good friends of mine own a horse ranch nearby.” 

Another question going into Season 2 is the identity of Elliot’s ex-wife.  “I’m not going to like her, so whatever,” laughs Leigh. And is Elliot moving away from Port Haven?  “I doubt it,” continues Leigh.  “He’s a teacher and has too much invested in life there.  But I couldn’t confirm or deny, because I don’t know.” 

The initial success of The Way Home meant the Season 2 renewal came after just six weeks on the air. While there’s no date set just yet, viewers can anticipate seeing their favorite Port Haven characters return once again. 

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Bonnie Siegler is an established international writer covering the celebrity circuit for more than 15 years.  Bonnie’s resume includes two books that combine her knowledge of entertaining with celebrity health and fitness and has written travel stories which focus on sustainable living.  She has contributed to magazines including Woman’s World and First for Women, Elle, InStyle, Shape, TV Guide and Viva.  Bonnie served as West Coast Entertainment Director for Rive Gauche Media overseeing the planning and development of print and digital content.  She has also appeared on entertainment news shows Extra and Inside Edition.