jesse metcalfe exits hallmark's Chesapeake Shores as Trace
Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Ricardo Hubbs

When one door closes, a few others open.

Many fans of Chesapeake Shores were devastated when Jesse Metcalfe left the Hallmark Channel series as Trace last year and were happy when he turned up on GAC Family’s holiday lineup in Harmony From the Heart — and now they are in for a real treat come 2023. The former Passions star (Miguel) has been cast in Lifetime’s V.C. Andrews Dawn Cutler series, which follows the dark and twisted history of the Cutler, Longchamp and Booth families. And as an added bonus, former General Hospital vet Donna Mills (ex-Madeline) will appear in a leading role as well.

The first movie in the series, Dawn, surrounds the story of Dawn Longchamp (Brec Bassinger), who after growing up with a hardworking, loving family abruptly has everything she cares about taken from her when she is forced to live with a new family — and their dark and twisted secrets end up changing the course of her life forever.

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Dawn has a hard time fitting in, especially since her wicked grandmother Lillian Cutler (Mills) rules her life with an iron fist and inflicts cruel punishments when she doesn’t follow strict orders. Soon, Dawn finds herself deeply rooted in the mysteries surrounding the family and it becomes clear that a dark and inescapable curse looms over the Cutlers.

Metcalfe stars as Ormand Longchamp, Dawn’s adoptive father, and of the project he stated, “So excited to be a part of this amazing cast, playing Ormand Longchamp in the new Lifetime movie series by the iconic author V.C. Andrews!”

And speaking of the “amazing cast,” it includes New Kids on the Block fave Joey McIntyre as Michael Sutton, Khobe Clarke as Jimmy Longchamp and Fran Drescher as Agnes Morris.

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After the first installment, viewers can expect Secrets of the Morning, Twilight’s Child and Midnight Whispers to follow with the final novel of the series, Darkest Hour, currently in development.

Stay tuned for more details and casting news as they are released. Do you plan to watch Metcalfe in the Dawn Cutler series on Lifetime? We wouldn’t miss it!

Look back on some of Metcalfe’s final Chesapeake Shores scenes as Trace in the photo gallery below.