‘Paris is Always a Good Idea’ is emotionally charged

Category: Television and Streaming

 

Lacey Chabert and Scott Michael Foster are teamed in the new Hallmark+ original limited series Paris is Always a Good Idea. The six episode series takes viewers to Paris, Ireland, and Spain in this story of reliving the past, making peace with the present, and finding a future.

Chelsea Martin (Chabert) works for a cancer-support and research organization. She is tasked with going to Paris to secure a large donation, but when she gets there she sees that her perceived rival in the organization, Jason (Foster), is also there for the same reason. Can they work together to secure this big contribution or will their rivalry create too much chaos?

Chelsea had been to Paris before her mother passed away. Now her father and sister accompany her to the City of Lights to finally fulfill the final wish of her mother, who dearly loved the city. They are each given places to explore where her mother enjoyed visiting. This is a heartbreaking set of tasks for the family but they are determined to follow the instructions and get closure.

While there, Chelsea looks back on the time when she herself was in Europe. When she was younger she had three relationships with men in various locations. Was she meant to be with one of them? After all, these men were each important to her at the time, and she left the relationships to return to America. 

This woman begins searching for her “lost loves” to understand if she made the right decision or if she should rekindle a former romance.

While she is trekking around Europe, Jason remains in Paris to work on the donation. He and Chelsea keep in touch as he encourages her to find her past and either get closure with these men, see that she was ultimately supposed to be with one of them, or leave the past in the past and move on.

The emotions that run through the episodes are heartening. Finally letting go of her beloved mother is hard enough, but then following her past to see if that is the path to her future is also difficult. 

Is one of these men “the one that got away,” or, more aptly, the one she left behind? 

The story is about healing. As Chabert told a few television critics lately, “I had such a beautiful experience here with my wonderful cast-mates having a chance to create this.”

And filming in Paris was an experience the actor thoroughly enjoyed as she had treasured her past visits to the city. 

“When we were on the Eiffel Tower, like I was just staring. I mean, any amount of awe my character was in by being in Paris was not me acting. It was totally sincere. But it’s such an epic thing to have the chance to, you know, take the show on the road, literally.”

As for the story itself, Chabert explained,  “The three different timelines that we follow in the story is probably my favorite part of the series. Because we get to have that ultimate like ‘what if’ story by looking back 10 years prior. And she revisits not only the relationships, but the version of herself she was in that chapter of her life.” 

Paris is Always a Good Idea premiered July 30, 2026 on Hallmark+ with the first two episodes. The final episode drops August 27, 2026. 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She is a long-standing member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Image was supplied courtesy Hallmark