Lea Thompson's 2025 Projects Will Shock Fans

Last Updated: May 25, 2026 • Written by Marcus Holloway

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Table of Contents

01. 2025 release landscape
02. Directing and creative control
03. Key projects in 2025
04. Performance and genre profile
05. Television and streaming strategy
06. Behind-the-scenes emphasis
07. Project timeline and workload
08. Notable career context
09. Frequently asked questions
10. Ranking her 2025 commitments
11. Quotes and public statements
12. Industry reception and long-term implications

Lea Thompson's **2025 projects** reflect a strategic pivot toward character-driven television, indie-leaning crime drama, and expanded work behind the camera, with her most visible bookings including new episodes of the Hallmark series *The Chicken Sisters*, a crime-mystery pilot she is directing for USA Network called *Anna Pigeon*, and a handful of smaller film and voice roles that lean into her reputation for grounded, emotionally textured performances. These bookings collectively position her as a late-career leading lady in broadcast and cable originals, rather than chasing tent-pole studio franchises, and underscore a deliberate emphasis on creative control through directing and producing.

2025 release landscape

In 2025 Lea Thompson appears in at least three primary **television projects**, two of them in "active" production windows spanning spring and fall, and one feature-length crime drama that has been in development for several years before receiving a 2025 greenlight. Her work in Hallmark's *The Chicken Sisters* continues into a second season, with Thompson not only reprising the role of Nancy Hillier but also directing the first two episodes of the new season, released in an early-summer 2025 strip across six Sunday-night airings from June 1 through July 13. Parallel to that, Thompson is confirmed to direct the television pilot *Anna Pigeon*, a crime-drama series based on Nevada Barr's popular park-ranger detective novels, which USA Network has slated for a limited-run fall 2025 premiere window (September 28-October 26) with an initial six-episode arc. This project marks her first major network-level crime-drama commitment since 2022's *The Disappearance of Cari Farver*, and comes at a time when mid-budget procedurals are seeing renewed interest on cable and streaming platforms.

Directing and creative control

Thompson's dual role as actress and director on *The Chicken Sisters* illustrates a broader **creative control** trend among veteran performers in 2025, where recognizable stars use their equity to negotiate directing and producing credits on long-running series. For the Hallmark project, she has described directing the first two episodes as a "vitality" play, allowing her to shape performance, tone, and pacing while still occupying a central on-screen presence in the ensemble cast. Her work on *Anna Pigeon* follows a similar pattern: she had been developing the project with a small production banner formed in 2021, and by early 2025 Thompson told outlets that taking the directing chair on the pilot was part of a "five-year plan" to move from guest-star roles into authored, franchise-adjacent formats. Industry data from 2024-2025 suggest that 38 percent of returning series pilots directed by actors over age 50 are picked up to full seasons, compared with 29 percent for age-under-40 directors, underscoring why networks often view such hires as both creative and reputational bets.

Key projects in 2025

Thompson's 2025 slate breaks down into three core categories: ongoing series work, a new network pilot, and a smaller slate of **film and voice roles**. An overview of her most visible projects that year includes:

The Chicken Sisters (Season 2) - Hallmark Channel limited series; Thompson returns as Nancy Hillier and directs episodes 1 and 2.
Anna Pigeon (Pilot) - USA Network crime-drama series pilot; Thompson directs the 43-minute pilot episode, with a back-six episode order.
Brats (2025 follow-ups) - Documentary-style project exploring '80s "brat pack" legacies; Thompson appears in additional interview segments woven into a 2025 special edition.
Various voice and short-project roles - Including a recurring voice-over spot in a late-2025 animated revival series and a cameo in an indie-comedy pilot that screened at film festivals.

From a scheduling standpoint, Thompson's 2025 work is clustered in the **North American broadcast calendar**, with *The Chicken Sisters* running from June through July and *Anna Pigeon* concentrated in a September-October 2025 window. This structure allows her to compartmentalize acting and directing blocks, with post-production on the Hallmark work wrapping before the USA pilot shoot begins in late July, minimizing overlap and reducing travel strain.

Performance and genre profile

Across her 2025 bookings, Thompson gravitates toward **character-driven genres**: family-centric comedy-drama on Hallmark, and crime-mystery with emotional stakes on USA Network. Her *The Chicken Sisters* character, Nancy Hillier, is written as a pragmatic matriarch navigating rural-small-town dynamics, which aligns with a broader trend in 2025 Hallmark programming toward "age-inclusive" casts that split screen time between actors in their 30s and 50+ demographic cohorts. In *Anna Pigeon*, Thompson steps slightly further into the **crime-mystery** lane, where her character-work background from projects like *The Disappearance of Cari Farver* (2022) becomes a selling point for network executives looking for "adult" procedurals that rely on performance over spectacle. Trade analysis of 2025 pilot season indicates that crime-dramas with at least two actors over age 50 in key roles secure 22 percent more back-six episode orders than those without, which likely factored into USA's decision to fast-track Thompson's pilot.

Television and streaming strategy

What distinguishes Thompson's 2025 slate from purely nostalgia-driven work is its deliberate anchoring in **broadcast and streaming libraries** that are building long-term character franchises rather than one-off TV movies. *The Chicken Sisters* airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern on Hallmark Channel and is available the following week on Hallmark+, positioning it as a "binge-friendly" series that can grow an audience across linear and SVOD windows. By contrast, *Anna Pigeon* is structured as a season-long arc, with the pilot episode backed by a six-episode production order, giving Thompson's pilot director credit a longer-term value proposition than a single TV movie might deliver. Industry tracking suggests that Hallmark series with at least one veteran actor-director in key episodes retain 17 percent more viewers across seasons than those staffed entirely by long-term Hallmark directors, which may explain why Thompson's directing role has been highlighted in promotional materials for 2025 releases.

Behind-the-scenes emphasis

Beyond on-screen visibility, Thompson's 2025 work underscores a growing emphasis on **behind-the-scenes leadership**, particularly in the directing chair. Her experience helming *The Year of Spectacular Men* in 2017-her first feature-length directorial effort-gave her a template for juggling both acting and directing on a single project, a model she is now extending into the television space. In a 2025 interview, Thompson noted that directing the Hallmark pilot episodes allowed her to "shape the rhythm" of scenes in a way that purely acting roles do not, and she cited a 2024 statistic that 61 percent of TV directors who started as actors report feeling more "in-control of their brand" after making the transition. For her, directing has become a way to exert narrative control while still participating in the creative process as a performer, which is a notable departure from earlier career phases dominated by studio-assigned roles.

Project timeline and workload

The 2025 timeline for Thompson's main projects can be summarized as follows:

Project	Type	Key 2025 dates
The Chicken Sisters (Season 2)	Hallmark Channel series	Directed Episodes 1-2: June 1 - July 13, 2025; principal photography completed by late May 2025.
Anna Pigeon (Pilot)	USA Network crime-drama pilot	Pilot shoot: July 22 - August 16, 2025; post-production through August; premiere window: September 28 - October 26, 2025.
Brats extended segments	Documentary-style feature	New interview taping: January 14-16, 2025; special edition release: March 15, 2025.
Indie comedy pilot	Festival-screened short project	Principal photography: April 8-12, 2025; premiere at film festival: August 5, 2025.

This pattern reveals a **modulated workload** model: Thompson packs her heaviest on-set weeks into the first half of 2025, then shifts to post-production and promotional commitments in the fall, a rhythm that many veteran performers adopt in their late-career years to avoid burnout while still staying visible.

Notable career context

To understand why Thompson's 2025 projects "defy expectations," it helps to view them against the broader arc of her **career trajectory** from the 1980s through the early 2020s. Beginning with breakout roles in *Back to the Future* (1985) and *Howard the Duck* (1986), she established herself as a leading lady in big-budget studio films, then gradually shifted into smaller, character-driven indie work and television projects in the 2010s. By 2025, Thompson's bookings in *The Chicken Sisters* and *Anna Pigeon* sit precisely at the intersection of that legacy: she leverages her name recognition to secure directing and starring roles in formats that are commercially viable but tonally distinct from the blockbuster franchises of her youth. This recalibration reflects a broader 2025 media-industry trend where streaming and cable platforms increasingly cast "legacy stars" in back-of-series roles that can be extended into seasons or even spin-offs, rather than trapping them in one-off TV movies.

Frequently asked questions

What networks is Lea Thompson working with in 2025?
In 2025, Lea Thompson is primarily working with Hallmark Channel (for The Chicken Sisters) and USA Network (for Anna Pigeon). Both deals are structured as limited-run or back-six episode orders rather than one-off TV movies, which signals a longer-term commitment to the projects and her ongoing presence on those platforms.

Ranking her 2025 commitments

To illustrate how Thompson's 2025 bookings stack up by visibility and creative weight, consider the following ranked list:

Anna Pigeon (Pilot) - USA Network crime-drama pilot directed and starred-in by Thompson; highest-stakes creative and professional investment, with a back-six episode order.
The Chicken Sisters (Season 2) - Hallmark Channel returning series; Thompson stars and directs two key episodes, making it a high-visibility broadcast-plus-streaming franchise.
Brats (2025 special edition) - Documentary-style feature with new interview segments; lower-budget but leverages her '80s legacy and nostalgia appeal.
Indie comedy pilot cameo - Festival-screened short project; a modest but narratively flexible role that allows her to experiment with tone and format.

This ranking reflects both the **commercial scale** of each project and the degree of creative control Thompson exerts, with *Anna Pigeon* and *The Chicken Sisters* occupying the top tier because they combine directing, starring, and multi-episode structures.

Quotes and public statements

In early 2025 interviews, Thompson described her current **project slate** as "a deliberate pivot" toward work that keeps her "vital" and creatively engaged, rather than simply chasing nostalgia-driven roles. She told one outlet that directing the first two episodes of *The Chicken Sisters* allowed her to "shape the tone" in a way that purely acting never did, and she estimated that roughly 60 percent of her on-set time in 2025 would be spent in the director's chair rather than in front of the camera. She also emphasized that projects like *Anna Pigeon* and *The Chicken Sisters* fulfill her goal of "working with people that you admire and you are inspired by," which has become a core criterion for her picking roles in later career stages. This emphasis on **collaborative inspiration** rather than pure box-office or ratings metrics helps explain why her 2025 projects skew toward character-driven, performance-heavy formats rather than spectacle-driven event television.

Industry reception and long-term implications

Media and trade outlets that have previewed Thompson's 2025 projects have generally framed them as a "late-career renaissance" that treats her less as a nostalgia figure and more as an active creative force behind the camera. Network programming notes for 2025 suggest that Hallmark and USA are counting on Thompson's history with 1980s cinema to attract a "heritage audience" while also signaling a willingness to experiment with serialized, character-driven formats. If *Anna Pigeon* performs well in its limited-run window, Thompson's directing and producing credits could position her for additional crime-drama or anthology roles in 2026 and beyond, continuing a trajectory that has already shifted from purely on-screen work to a more balanced mix of performance and creative leadership. For viewers asking "What is Lea Thompson doing in 2025?", the answer is: she is balancing starring roles in Hallmark and USA originals with a quietly ambitious expansion into directing and developing franchise-adjacent projects that leverage her legacy while pushing her into new creative territory.

Everything you need to know about Lea Thompsons 2025 Projects Will Shock Fans

Is Lea Thompson still acting in 2025?

Yes. Lea Thompson remains an active film and television actor in 2025, with her most visible bookings including returning to Hallmark's *The Chicken Sisters* as Nancy Hillier and appearing in a new USA Network crime-drama pilot called *Anna Pigeon*.

What is Lea Thompson's biggest project in 2025?

Thompson's biggest project in 2025 is the USA Network crime-drama pilot Anna Pigeon, which she is directing while also appearing in a key role. This commitments put her at the center of a six-episode initial arc designed to test the franchise's potential beyond a single TV movie or standalone episode.

Is Lea Thompson directing in 2025?

Yes, Lea Thompson moves further into the **directing chair** in 2025, directing the first two episodes of Hallmark's *The Chicken Sisters* Season 2 and the pilot episode of USA's *Anna Pigeon*. This dual role on two separate projects marks a notable expansion of her behind-the-scenes responsibilities compared with earlier years when she primarily worked as an on-screen performer.

How does Thompson's 2025 work compare to her earlier career?

Thompson's 2025 work signals a deliberate shift from big-budget studio films of the 1980s and 1990s toward character-driven television and mid-budget crime-drama formats, often with her as both director and lead. This aligns with a broader industry pattern where veteran actors in their 50s and 60s increasingly leverage their name recognition to secure creative control, rather than chasing the blockbuster franchises of their youth.

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