After 25 years of co-starring on hit shows about gangsters and gruesome crimes, “The Sopranos” and “Blue Bloods” alum Steve Schirripa was ready for a kinder, gentler project. And it sounds like co-starring in a new Hallmark Channel movie was just the break from drama he needed.
“It was, believe it or not, a bucket list thing,” Schirripa told Us Weekly on February 12, 2025. “How many guys can go from ‘The Sopranos’ to Hallmark?”
Schirripa 67, co-stars in Rachael Leigh Cook’s new Hallmark Channel movie “Sisterhood, Inc.,” set to premiere on February 22. And though it’s his first Hallmark movie, he hopes it won’t be his last.
Steve Schirripa Jokes That There Was ‘No Killing’ Required for New Hallmark Role
Schirripa is best known for playing Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri on HBO’s “The Sopranos” from 2000-2007 and retired NYPD detective Anthony Abetemarco on CBS’ “Blue Bloods” from 2015-2024, per IMDb.
When the opportunity popped up to appear in a Hallmark movie, he told Us Weekly, “I made the jump and I was very happy and we had a wonderful time. And we shot it up in the Albany area. It’s a Valentine’s Day kind of movie. The cast is wonderful. I really had a good time. I hope to do more.”
Noting how different it was from his typical roles, Schirripa said, “You know, very nice — there’s no arguing, no killing, no nothing. Even on ‘Blue Bloods,’ which I loved, I must’ve killed four or five people. I killed more people as a cop than I did as a mobster!”
According to Hallmark’s synopsis of “Sisterhood, Inc.,” Cook plays corporate exec Megan, who starts a board of directors to be in charge of improving life for her younger sister, played by Daniella Monet. But while guiding her sister to new heights, she falls for a psych professor, played by Leonidas Gulaptis, “who uncovers her tough demeanor.”
Steve Schirripa Says He Turns to Hallmark Channel When He Wants to Avoid ‘the Bad Stuff’
Despite Schirripa’s ability to play hard-nosed, no-nonsense characters, he’s shown that beyond the tough exterior, he’s a bit of a softy. He frequently posts Instagram videos with his dog, Willieboy, and dresses him in funny outfits — from a king on New Year’s Day, seen above, to a turkey on Thanksgiving.
He also told Us Weekly he likes to watch Hallmark Channel from time to time.
“I mean, I’m not glued to it,” he said, “but yeah, I’ve watched. You know, listen, it’s just a nice vibe. Sometimes you’re not in a great mood, you don’t want to watch anything heavy. If I want to watch bad stuff, you put on the news. Sometimes you just want to watch something nice.”
