I have to admit that I love this show. And, believe me, I had low expectations. Middle-aged men like me probably aren't the show's target audience and, well, I just figured this show wouldn't hold my interest. But I was wrong.
My 9 and 12-year-old girls are big fans of The Middle, the sitcom that ran on ABC for a decade. One of that show's cast members, Galadriel Stineman, plays the lead role in Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries, and that connection was all the hook my daughters needed to give it a try.
So we started watching. And we loved it.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll just say the show isn't about murder and mayhem, it's more about missing quilts and mistaken identities. But the plot lines are layered and filled with twists and turns. My girls and I take turns hitting the pause button numerous times during each episode as we discuss what's coming next and share our theories about how the mystery will get solved. The show runs about 45 minutes, but it usually takes us 90 to get through it because we keep pausing the show to share our theories and possibilities about what is unfolding. It's a lot of fun.
And I know I might sound like a total prude saying this, but it's really nice to have a "safe space" on TV where the girls and I can watch a fun mystery without any surprises: no topics I'm not ready to discuss with my kids, no uncomfortable moments, or gross or coarse. It's just wholesome mystery at its best.
But how accurate is it, culturally speaking?
Most people won't be watching through the same Amish cultural lens that I am, but I actually think the portrayals are pretty good, better than most Amish TV shows. This is especially true if you make the leap, and it's not a far one, that these characters are New Order Amish. The show is set around Sugarcreek, Ohio, and there are indeed New Order Amish in that area. New Order Amish are horse-and-buggy, just like the Old Order, but a little more progressive in their interaction with the outside world.
Several Amish characters appear in the show, and I think they could easily pass for New Order Amish. I think young actress Riley Beeson is especially convincing as the teenage and dutiful daughter of Naomi and Seth. If the show is trying to portray Old Order Amish, it's less realistic, but most people aren't watching a mystery series for a cultural education.
There's a clear romantic undercurrent between Galadriel Stineman's character, Cheryl, and Amish heartthrob Levi (portrayed by actor Kevin Joy). But even that has wholesomeness coursing through it, since the two actors are married to each other in real life.
I also love Denise Gossett's portrayal of Naomi, who serves as Cheryl's wingman on much of the mystery-solving. Her portrayal, too, is spot-on for New Order Amish.
It's fun to watch the on-location scenes from Sugarcreek. And the portrayal of the Swiss Miss, the tourist-focused store that Cheryl runs in her aunt's absence, is very realistic. My daughters want to visit the Swiss Miss sometime (I keep trying to tell them, that place isn't real, but Sugarcreek is)
I was thrilled to hear that the series has been renewed for another season, and that filming will be done in Sugarcreek this summer. A new episode drops each Thursday night during season. That's another aspect of this show that I like. Instead of binge watching it all at once (which you can do once it is all out, like now, Season 1 is all released), we wait excitedly for the new episode each Thursday. That feels so retro, like when I was a kid and we waited for a new episode of our favorite show each week.
Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on UPtv and is also available on UP Faith & Family.
Episode Guide — Season 1 (No Spoilers)
Pilot Movie: Blessings in Disguise (April 2025) After Cheryl's three-year engagement ends in a devastating breakup, her life is turned upside down when her Aunt Mitzi offers her an escape from Chicago to the Amish town of Sugarcreek. Cheryl runs Mitzi's store, The Swiss Miss, while Mitzi is away doing missionary work. Struggling as a fish out of water, Cheryl uncovers an unsettling secret that could disrupt this small Ohio town — and begins to find community, belonging, and the potential of new love. (Available on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, and UP Faith & Family — start here if you haven't seen it.)
Episode 1 (April 23, 2026) Cheryl settles into life in Sugarcreek and finds herself drawn into her first mystery as a full-time resident. You'll also meet cantankerous Chief Twitchell. The police chief is always urging Cheryl to mind her own business. That rarely happens and the two develop at once adversarial and respectful relationship th one another.
Episode 2: A Season of Secrets (April 30, 2026) Winter grips Sugarcreek as Cheryl investigates after an Amish teenager receives puzzling texts about her cousin Mark, who has been missing for years. UP Faith and Family
Episode 3: O Little Town of Sugarcreek (May 7, 2026) Cheryl is drawn into a string of Christmas thefts that unsettle the tight-knit Amish community. This was a favorite of ours!
Episode 4: Off the Beaten Path (May 14, 2026) A vanished bus, fake FBI agents, and hidden feelings test Cheryl's courage and her heart. Lots of twists and turns in this one!
Episode 5: Simply Vanished (May 21, 2026) A hidden chute leads Cheryl to a disappearance from decades ago, and a birthday she'll make sure won't be forgotten. This episode made me want to start checking my old house for hidden chutes.
Episode 6: Stitch in Time (May 28, 2026) A mysterious quilt points Cheryl toward a buried secret, and in the process, she finds a family ready to heal.
Episode 7: Mason Jar Mayhem (June 4, 2026) Wartime treasures have resurfaced, and Cheryl must solve the mystery surrounding them before history vanishes a second time.
Episode 8: When There's a Will (June 11, 2026 — Season Finale) Levi's land and his future are on the line as a missing deed and county corruption create a race against time he cannot afford to lose. And, yes, the romantic undercurrent between Cheryl and Levi continues. What will happen in the next season?
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