Weeks before season 13 of Hallmark Channel’s hit show “When Calls The Heart” debuts, the network announced on December 2, 2025, that the show has been renewed for a whopping 14th season.
According to press materials sent to EntertainmentNow, the new season will film in 2026 and air in 2027 with core cast members returning, including Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry, Jack Wagner, Chris McNally, Pascale Hutton, and Kavan Smith. In addition, former cast member Lori Loughlin will return after years away from the series.
Season 13 of ‘When Calls The Heart’ is Already Set for a January 4 Premiere
“When Calls The Heart,” a period series that takes place in the fictional town of Hope Valley, debuted in 2014. The cast spent much of the summer and fall of 2025 filming their 13th season.
In November, Krakow, who plays Elizabeth Thornton, and McGarry, who plays her love interest, Mountie Nathan Grant, appeared in a promo on the Hope Valley set in their 1920s costumes to announce that the 13th season would premiere in January. Their punny banter played up McGarry’s real-life mustache, and Krakow appeared with her own costume mustache on a stick.
McGarry later gave Hearties a more anxiety-producing tease while aboard the Hallmark Christmas Cruise, where he told over 4,00 fans during a panel on the ship that the characters will face a major stressor in season 13.
He said, “There’s an event that happens in the beginning of season 13 that kind of shatters Hope Valley and the surrounding area, and kind of sets off a journey for every character that’s gonna run the entire season.”
Fans & Stars Have Been Hoping For Lori Loughlin’s ‘When Calls The Heart’ Return
HallmarkLoughlin, who first rose to fame as Aunt Becky on “Full House,” played beloved “When Calls The Heart” character Abigail Stanton from 2014 to 2019. Hallmark cut ties with her during season six and removed her from the cast following her arrest and eventual jail sentence for her involvement in the largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history.
But in recent years, many fans and former castmates have expressed hope that Loughlin will be forgiven and allowed to return to Hope Valley. Krakow, who also stars in 2025’s “Christmas Above the Clouds,” told Us Weekly in November, “I love Lori Loughlin, and I love the character she created, Abigail Stanton” and that her return was “something I’ve been hoping for for years and years.”
“I’m very much a fan of hers and a friend of hers, so I really hope that it’s happening.”
Michelle Vicary, Head of Programming at Hallmark Media said in a statement upon news of Loughlin’s return, “At its core the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of ‘When Calls the Heart.’ We felt that Season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail’s story with her return to this beloved series.”
Brooke Shields & Melissa Gilbert Are Also Returning to ‘When Calls The Heart’
Hearties will have to wait a year before they see Lori Loughlin return to their screens as Abigail Stanton. But with season 13, they’ll get to see two other returning and beloved cast members.
Brooke Shields announced in October that she would return to the series for season 13. Shields first appeared on “When Calls The Heart” as a guest star in 2016, playing the mother of Daniel Lissing’s character, Mountie Jack Thornton.
She arrived in Hope Valley on horseback to check on her son, who went on to marry Elizabeth, and father “little Jack” (Hyland Goodrich). But in the season five finale, Jack died in a landslide during a training mission with other Mounties.
Another returning guest star will be Melissa Gilbert, whose character debuted in 2025. She revealed in the summer that she’d be back, too.
Looking forward to seeing the new season and returning actresses!!!
It is about time that Lori was welcomed back.
FABULOUS NEWS. I can’t wait. YAY, YAY, YAY.