“All My Children” alum and frequent “Good Morning America” and “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent, Cameron Mathison, has signed on to star alongside Alison Sweeney (“Days of our Lives,” “The Biggest Loser”) in a new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series of movies beginning with “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder” (working title), which will premiere on the network in the spring.

Currently in production on its second season, Hallmark Channel announced last night during its Winter TCA Press Tour event that “General Hospital’s” Jack Wagner (ex-Frisco Jones) and Kristina Wagner (Felicia Jones) will join the cast as regulars in its original series “When Calls the Heart,” set in a 19th century mining town and starring Lori Loughlin (“Full House,” “Summerland”), Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing.

The series premiere of FOX’s “Empire” on Wednesday night attracted 9.9 million viewers and a 3.8/10 in Adults 18-49, reports TVbytheNumbers, based on rush nationals ordered by the network. “Empire” now ties ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” for the highest rated series premiere of the season in the key sales demo.

There won’t be a second season for MTV’s “Happyland,” which followed a group of teenagers working at a popular Disneyesque theme park as they prepare to segue into adulthood. The network has quietly canceled the half-hour series after a poorly rated first season, which began in September.

Now that “Days of our Lives” is no longer part of her daily grind, Alison Sweeney (ex-Sami Brady) is taking the lead in a new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie franchise. Sweeney has been cast as Hannah Swensen in “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder,” which is based on the New York Times best selling series of books by Joanne Fluke, reports Deadline.

Tuesday, January 6 marked the third season premiere of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s “The Haves and the Have Nots,” created by Tyler Perry and starring “One Life to Live” alum Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williams) as seductress Candace Young, who has immersed herself into the complicated dynamic between the rich and powerful Cryer and Harrington families. A record 3.22 million viewers tuned in to all the antics going down.

On Wednesday, January 7, CBS aired the 2015 “People’s Choice Awards,” which saw The CW’s “Jane the Virgin” and “The Flash,” along with talent from the network’s “The Vampire Diaries,” “Supernatural,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” sweep much of the television categories.

The preliminary list of honorees for the 32nd Annual PaleyFest Los Angeles event were announced on Wednesday. ABC’s “Scandal,” CBS’ “The Good Wife” and The CW’s superhero pairing of “Arrow” and “The Flash” are among the first batch of shows scheduled to be honored and have panels.

With “General Hospital’s” Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall) set to appear on ABC Family’s “Baby Daddy” next month as an exaggerated version of herself, ABC announced today that in a cross-promotional move cast members from the hit comedy are set to appear on the daytime drama series for the show’s Valentine’s Day episode.

Fans of online series “Youthful Daze” will soon get a dose of “The Young and the Restless'” Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman), when she debuts in upcoming episodes as Nicole Wallace, the mother of resident bad boy Randy Milhouse (Reese Mishler). Scott’s character is described as being “calculated and waspy.”