Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea Tease SpecialSabrina the Teenage WitchEaster Egg in Their New Hallmark Movie (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Beth Broderick (left) and Caroline Rhea in ‘Holiday Mismatch’.Photo:Hallmark Media/Philippe Bosse

Hallmark Media/Philippe Bosse

Beth BroderickandCaroline Rheaare bringing their witchy magic toHallmark’s Countdown to Christmas.

Best known for playing Aunt Zelda and Aunt Hilda on the hit ABC — and later The WB — seriesSabrina the Teenage Witch, Broderick, 65, and Rhea, 60, are re-teaming for the Hallmark Channel’s new festive filmHoliday Mismatch, premiering Sunday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. ET.

In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the movie’s stars teased a specialSabrinaEaster egg Rhea sneaked into the movie for fans to spot.

“[Rhea] wore a piece of clothing fromSabrinathat she’s thinking people will recognize, which it’s a pretty unmistakable piece of clothing, but I don’t want to give it away,” Broderick says. “People will have to figure it out for themselves.”

Broderick, who is also starring in Netflix’sThe Merry Gentlementhis November, got in on the nostalgicSabrinafun as well. “I do have a necklace of Aunt Zelda’s I snuck in there once or twice,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Rhea recalls momentarily falling back into Aunt Hilda’s shoes during filming. “I did point to use magic once — which I thought was a hilarious thing — just out of sheer habit,” she reveals.

Beth Broderick (top left) Caroline Rhea (top right) and Melissa Joan Hart (bottom center) on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’.Bob D’Amico/Viacom Prod./Courtesy Everett Collection

Bob D’Amico/Viacom Prod./Courtesy Everett Collection

According to the actresses, playing Barbara and Kath felt like revisiting Zelda and Hilda in some ways.

“Kath is like Hilda, completely free-spirited,” Rhea says, before joking, “I always seem to play single women, I don’t know what that is.”

Broderick agreed, adding that the dynamic between their latest characters is “pretty similar because we are pretty darn well typecast.”

“You know, Caroline’s an extravert, I’m an introvert,” she says. “I remember walking to the set one day with Caroline years and years ago when we were onSabrina, and she looked at me and she said, ‘Oh my God, I just figured it out. You’re a total nerd.’ And I go, ‘Just now, you just now got that?’ "

Beth Broderick (left) and Caroline Rhea in ‘Holiday Mismatch’.Hallmark Media/Philippe Bosse

Ultimately, the chance to work with her longtime comedic partner again is what led Rhea to pitch Broderick as her costar forHoliday Mismatch.

“I suggested they hire Beth because what it brings to it is, one, it’s like a fun twist of nostalgia,” Rhea says, noting that the friends and costars have “done comedy together for so long” that they have a “shared history” they can draw from when they’re working together.

She continues, “I just thought why not take advantage of the natural comedic chemistry that Beth and I have had on that show and you know put it in a different scenario.”

For Broderick, joining her pal in making some holiday magic was a no-brainer, sharing that the film sounded like “a lot of fun.”

“There’s nobody I’d rather stand next to, in front of a camera or just to the side of than Caroline Rhea,” she says.

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Holiday Mismatchpremieres Sunday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. ET on The Hallmark Channel.

source: people.com