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Our Interviews With 'Sweethearts' Stars Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga, & Caleb Hearon And Writer Jordan Weiss

Sweethearts might be the ultimate cozy holiday season watch, but its cast and crew can't stop gushing about cozy classics like When Harry Met Sally and Harry Potter. ("Oh, my childhood," Kiernan Shipka says with a nostalgic edge to her voice. "All the meals, the dining hall." This, too, is what I envy the most about the Hogwarts lifestyle).

Writer-director Jordan Wiess declares herself a When Harry Met Sally superfan and says the movie "always makes me feel [good]. The sweaters and the style, and it always reminds me of the fall...ObviouslyThe Holiday is one of my favorite Nancy Meyers movies that always have to watch in December. And then a re-watch of Gilmore Girls is mandatory for the fall."

What do all of these titles have in common? Memorable relationships and oh-so-cozy backdrops. And in Sweethearts (on Max November 28), two best friends decide to break up with their high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving break, and wind up running into all their old friends during their mission. So, naturally, I have to ask for their best advice for returning home for the holidays!

"I've told people that I've had childhood crushes on that I didn't tell at the time, 'By the way, I had a huge crush on you,'" Kiernan says. "It's so fun to say the thing you've never maybe said to someone that you've always wanted to. I mean, that's fun to me. I would say maybe do that if you can find an old crush that you never expressed your feelings to. Even if it's just for the fun of it."

"I like going back and doing a lot of the old things I grew up doing with the old friends that left the Bay or stayed in the Bay," Nico Hiraga adds. "That's special when you go back and just treat it like no time went by at all, you know, do the same old traditions."

But for Caleb Hearon, it's out with the old and in with the new. "Going and seeing a bunch of people you haven't seen in a while I think, try on something new," he says. "Bring up a new music you're listening to, wear a bold shirt. Just try on something new when you're coming home from college. I remember going back to my small town from college and I was trying out new clothes. I was trying out new phrases. I was testing things out, seeing what people liked and didn't like. They don't know who you are now!"

Clearly, heightened emotions around going back to your hometown is a universal experience, and for Jordan and co-writer Dan Brier, it was important that the storyline fit right in with those classics we all know so well.

"Dan and I had a lot of conversations where we're like, 'Ok, what if you gave Superbad or Booksmart the male-female friendship When Harry Met Sally treatment — but in the shape of one of those raucous buddy comedy night-where-everything-goes-wrong type of movies."

They also pulled from John Hughes titles like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, "where an adventure is unfolding in a really limited span of time. And the characters are having a pretty complete emotional arc happen through this one crazy day or one crazy night."

Sweethearts is full of crazy moments, from house parties to college roommate horror stories, and the chemistry in those scenes is just a reflection of how close the cast and crew got on set, which Jordan equates to being at summer camp. Caleb remembers "laughing so hard that we had to muffle it so you don't ruin sound."

"I really hope people have truly half as much fun watching this movie as we had making it because we had the goofiest happiest set," Jordan adds. "Shout out to Nico who was definitely our onset DJ who had a wireless speaker with him on his cast chair at all times. So the second we would call cut, he was grabbing the speaker, blasting the tunes. I have so many funny videos of Kieran and Nico just dancing it out in the middle of the night because we were shooting mostly all throughout the nights and you gotta find creative ways to keep the energy up at four in the morning."

"One of my favorite parts in the movie is when Ava DeMary (Claire) sings the national anthem and it's only in there for about 15 seconds," she continues. "We need to release the full four-minute performance because it got so unhinged, and also just all of Caleb's faces that he was making at her when she was singing. I have to find out if we are going to cut a blooper reel."

Considering how close the cast got, and Kiernan's track record for starting cast group chats (she's gone viral multiple times for revealing she texts her friends and costars good morning), I'm not surprised to learn she started a Sweethearts cast chat. I am surprised, however, to learn she started at least four!

"It's that thing where we have so many people," she says. "There's like one hero, bigger group chat that I think is like eight people. And I think it's called Via Carrot because it was a play on Via Carota [and] someone was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna get there via carrot.'"

"But then it's that thing of like it's me, Caleb, Me, [Nico], Jordan, and Dan," she continues. "But we all have one group chat where like one person is there or we have a smaller one. So we maybe have five others, and there's just the three of us called Friends Are Life...There's a lot going on. I'm gonna accidentally text the wrong one."

What is the movie Sweethearts about?

Sweethearts Plot

Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga play two best friends who are trying to nagviate friendship, relationships, and adulthood during their first year at college. When they return home for Thanksgiving break, and agree to break up with their high school sweethearts before classes start back up, a chaotic night out ends up putting their friendship to the ultimate test.

​When is Sweethearts coming out?

Sweethearts Release Date

Sweethearts is premiering on Max Thursday, November 28, which also happens to be Thanksgiving! We'll start perfecting our mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce now.

Who's in the cast of Sweethearts?

Sweethearts Cast

The cast of Sweethearts includes Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga, Caleb Hearon, Tramell Tillman, Ava Demary, Charlie Hall, Joel Kim Booster, and Christine Taylor.

Sullivan's Crossing (2023) — Streaming On The CW

Doctor Maggie returns to her hometown of Sullivan's Crossing after a life-altering incident threatens her medical career. Reconnecting with her estranged father, and meeting a handsome new stranger, Maggie has to come to terms with her past while figuring out what her future looks like. This is exactly the kind of cozy series that will fill that Gilmore Girls void in your life — its cozy, loving, small-town vibes will make you feel right at home. And season 2 is streaming this fall!

Sullivan's Crossing stars Morgan Kohan, Scott Patterson Chad Michael Murray, Lynda Boyd, and Tom Jackson.

Firefly Lane (2021) — Streaming On Netflix

Just like Sookie and Lorelai, Tully and Kate are inseparable best friends, and the older they get, the stronger their relationship gets. And just like Gilmore Girls, this series covers tons of topics that we all deal with in our own lives: love, loss, and career struggles. Plus it proves just how much strength we can draw from our own relationships!

Firefly Lane stars Katherine Heigl, Sarah Chalke, Ben Lawson, Beau Garrett, and Roan Curtis.

We get another small town drama with Sweet Magnolias, which follows lifelong BFF's Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue. The women lean on each other during tough times in their families and their business lives, and just like Gilmore Girls, this show gets you just as invested in the teen plotlines as the adult ones.

Sweet Magnolias stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, Heather Headley, Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Justin Bruening.

If you miss the age of TV where we focused on relationships instead of magic or treasure hunts, then The Summer I Turned Pretty is for you. Belly, her brother Steven, and their mom visit Cousins Beach, and the Fishers, every summer. Belly loves Cousins, but not as much as she loves Conrad Fisher. And her first summer on the island as a young woman is full of dances, romance, and the ups and downs of adolescence.

The Summer I Turned Pretty stars Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Rachel Blanchard, and Jackie Chung.

Virgin River (2019) — Streaming On Netflix

Nurse practitioner Melinda is looking for a fresh start, and moves from Los Angeles to the small California town of Virgin River. She's hoping to get in tune with life, and herself, again, but as Lorelai and Rory can attest to, small town life is anything but uncomplicated.

Virgin River stars Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Tim Matheson, Annette O'Toole, and Colin Lawrence.

Nobody does mother-daughter relationships like Gilmore Girls, but Ginny & Georgia comes close. And things between Ginny and Georgia get infinitely more tense when Ginny realizes her mom is hiding a dark secret. The drama has its fair share of cringey moments, but you can't deny how strong its relationships are.

Ginny & Georgia stars Antonia Gentry, Brianne Howey, Scott Porter, Diesel La Torraca, Jennifer Robertson, and Felix Mallard.

Jane The Virgin (2014) — Streaming On Netflix

Jane Villanueva’s life gets totally turned upside down by an unexpected pregnancy (especially since she's never had sex). But while the revelation throws her romantic life into chaos, it makes her relationships with her mother and grandmother stronger than ever. It totally reminds me of Lorelai and Rory, and will give you the perfect amount of feel good emotions. Just like Gilmore Girls!

Jane the Virgin stars Gina Rodriguez, Justin Baldoni, Andrea Navedo, Yael Grobglas, and Ivonne Coll.

Hart of Dixie (2011) — Streaming On Prime Video

Doctor Zoe relocates from a big city to the small town of Bluebell (which sounds a little like Lorelai leaving Hartford for Stars Hollow, TBH!). Zoe has to figure out firsthand what life in the South is like, including everything from fake niceties to handsome Southern gentlemen.

Hart of Dixie stars Rachel Bilson, Jaime King, Cress Williams, Wilson Bethel, Tim Matheson, and Scott Porter.

Bunheads (2012) — Streaming On Hulu

Gilmore Girls fans really need to press play on Bunheads — it was created by GG creator Amy Sherman Palladino and stars Kelly Bishop! The series follows former showgirl Michelle, who leaves the glitz and glam of Vegas to get married and start working at her mother-in-law's small town dance studio.

Bunheads stars Sutton Foster, Kelly Bishop, Julia Goldani Telles, Bailey De Young, and Emma Dumont.

Rory isn't the only teen trying to find their place in the world. Devi is navigating high school, romance, and her cultural identity as a young Indian-American woman. Oh, and if she could improve her status at school, that would be great too. This show will make you nostalgic for your teen years while also making you grateful you're not in high school anymore.

Never Have I Ever stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Darren Barnet, Jaren Lewison, and Richa Moorjani.

​The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On season 3 — On Netflix December 4, 2024

These couples are at a crossroads in their relationship: will they tie the knot and spend the rest of their lives together, or will they call it quits? It's a dilemma a lot of relationships face, and you'll have to tune in to find out how these couples handle the ultimate q.

The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is hosted by Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey.

Black Doves — On Netflix December 5, 2024

This thriller stars Keira Knightley as Helen, a politician's wife who doubles as a spy — and feeds her organization all his deepest, darkest secrets. But when her secret lover is assassinated, Helen is forced to play a dangerous game of survival that involves everyone she holds close. This December TV show is also set against London at Christmas...you really can't go wrong!

Black Doves stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Buchan, Adeel Akhtar, Tracey Ullman, Finn Bennett, Luther Ford, Andrew Koji, Kathryn Hunter, Sam Troughton, and Ella Lily Hyland.

Southern Charm season 10 — On Bravo December 5, 2024

The best TV shows always involve reality TV, and nobody's doing it like Southern Charm. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, these ladies are balancing their "bless your hearts" and sweet tea with plenty of drama. Although...when is dating not dramatic? Our favorite familiar faces are joined by some newcomers, bringing a whole new edge to the show we know and love.

Southern Charm Season 10 stars Venita Aspen, Leva Bonaparte, Craig Conover, Taylor Ann Green, Austen Kroll, Madison LeCroy, Rodrigo Reyes, Shep Rose, Jarrett “JT” Thomas, Salley Carson, Ryan Albert, and Molly O’Connell.

The Sticky — On Prime Video December 6, 2024

Despite the fact this new series revolves around a maple syrup empire, it's actually not related to Riverdale. Sorry to disappoint! This dark comedy is inspired by the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, where a maple syrup farmer stole millions of dollars worth of syrup in order to save her livelihood. Yep, really.

The Sticky stars Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Guillaume Cyr.

Queer Eye season 9 — On Netflix December 11, 2024

We're in need of some life advice right now, TBH, and thank goodness The Fab Five are bringing it in the new season of Queer Eye. And alongside the emotional stories and heartfelt connections they make in Vegas, we'll see plenty of fabulous style. Because duh!

Queer Eye Season 9 stars includes Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Tan France, and Jeremiah Brent.

No Good Deed — On Netflix December 12, 2024

Sitcom fans rejoice! This December TV show has some of the all-time greats sharing the screen, and we can't wait to rewatch these episodes 100 times. Multiple families believe one house will solve all their problems, and are all racing to sign on the dotted line. But, naturally, the beautiful 1920s Spanish-style home isn't as beautiful as it appears.

No Good Deed stars Linda Cardellini, O-T Fagbenle, Abbi Jacobson, Lisa Kudrow, Denis Leary, Poppy Liu, Teyonah Parris, Ray Romano, and Luke Wilson.

Ready, Set, Glow — On Hallmark+ December 12, 2024

If your favorite scene from Jim Carrey's The Grinch is Molly Shannon and Christine Baranski's Christmas light competition, then this reality show is for you. Hallmark star Wes Brown introduces us to four families who have the best decorations around — and are sure to make your home feel even more festive.

Ready, Set, Glow is hosted by Wes Brown.

The girls are back!! Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie reunite in an attempt to produce something the world desperately needs: an operatic performance based on their iconic "Sanasa." Say no more.

"I'm so excited to be doing this with Nicole on Peacock," Paris told E! News. "Nicole has been my best friend since we're 2 years old, every memory that I have is with her."

Paris & Nicole: The Encore stars Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

In the face of loss and hardship, nobody comes together like the town of Virgin River. And despite the struggle, this season promises to be heartwarming and lovely too — Mel and Jack are finally getting married! Their nuptials are met with some family drama but don't worry romantics. True love is sure to win out.

Virgin River season 6 stars Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Tim Matheson, Annette O’Toole, Colin Lawrence, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Zibby Allen, Sarah Dugdale, Marco Grazzini, Kai Bradbury, Kandyse McClure, and Mark Ghanime.

According to the official Peacock site, this dark rom-com answers the age-old question of "Is there something wrong with me?" with “Yes. There is. The problem is definitely you.” This December TV show follows Stephanie Hsu's Ruby, who's in for a rude awakening when she realizes all of her past sexual encounters are dying. Now she has to get to the bottom of it before anyone else bites the dust.

Laid stars Stephanie Hsu, Zosia Mamet, Michael Angarano, Tommy Martinez, Andre Hyland, Olivia Holt, David Denman, Finneas O’Connell, Chloe Fineman, Ettore “Big E” Ewen, and John Early.

Kennedy Center Honors — On CBS December 22, 2024

The Kennedy Center Honors (a tribute ceremony that celebrates contributions to American performing art) always provide us with iconic moments — like Anna Kendrick fangirling over Beyoncé and Cynthia Erivo performing "Alfie" for Dionne Warwick. And this year promises to be no different.

The 2024 Kennedy Center Honors will honor Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, and The Apollo.

Despite the fact we all took games very seriously in elementary school, I'm sure we can all agree no game of Red Light, Green Light comes close to the one in Squid Game. And we're in for another round of nail-biting challenges when season 2 drops December 26. As for what to expect?

"As we all saw at the end of season 1, the main plot of season 2 will be revenge," actor Lee Jung Jae told All K-Pop. "The key figure who controlled the workings of the games in season 1 was Lee Byung-Hun...it seems that the two of us will be the central figures of this next story."

Squid Game season 2 stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, Gong Yoo, Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, and Yang Dong-geun.

Dick Clark's New Year’s Rockin’ Eve — On ABC December 31, 2024

If you ask me, there's no December TV show as iconic as New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. It's going to be the perfect way to ring out 2024 (and welcome 2025). Although I have to admit, I don't know how they're going to top Megan Thee Stallion, Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tyla's performances from last year!

Dick Clark's New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is hosted by Ryan Seacrest.