When Calls the Heart Spinoff Renewed — With a Few Major Changes

Nearly three years after its last original episode, we finally have word on the fate of When Hope Calls .

When Calls the Heart Renewed for Season 12

The When Calls the Heart spinoff — which originated on Hallmark in 2019 with a 10-episode Season 1, then relocated to Great American Family in 2021 for a pair of Christmas episodes — has been renewed for Season 2 at GAF. But the cast is getting something of an overhaul, with three new additions announced ahead of air.

When Hope Calls initially followed sisters Lillian Walsh (played by Sullivan’s Crossing’ s Morgan Kohan) and Grace Bennett ( Chicago Fire’ s Jocelyn Hudon) to the town of Brookfield, circa 1916. The series “centered on the town’s orphanage and its residents who meet tremendous challenges while creating a hopeful, faith-filled community on the cusp of change in the frontier town,” according to the official logline. Ryan-James Hatanaka co-starred as Lillian’s love interest, Mountie Gabriel.

In the Season 1 finale, Grace departed for London — and when the series resurfaced on Great American Family in 2021, Hudon did not return. Lillian revealed that her sister had put down roots in the UK; her Season 1 love interest Chuck (played by former series regular Greg Hovanessian) also skipped town.

When Calls the Heart Season 12 Adds Melissa Gilbert — and There’s a Little House Connection

According to GAF, while the opening episodes of Season 2 will “pay homage to the romance” between Lillian and Gabriel, “new characters are introduced that are seminal to the orphanage and children, the sprawling farms and ranch lands, and to the town of Brookfield.” Those include Cindy Busby ( Cedar Cove ), who has been cast as Nora; Christopher Russell ( UnREAL ), who will play a new mountie, Michael; and Nick Bateman ( A Christmas Miracle With Daisy ), who will inhabit the role of Wyatt. They’ll be joined by Kohan (Lillian), Hatanaka (Gabriel), Wendy Crewson (Tess) and Hanneke Talbot (Maggie).

Marshall Williams and Neil Crone — who recurred in Season 1 as handyman Sam and hotel manager Ronnie, respectively — are not mentioned in Season 2’s cast list. Neither is Lori Loughlin, who reprised her WCTH role as Abigail Stanton in 2021’s Christmas episodes.

Season 2 of When Hope Calls will consist of eight episodes. Production will begin later this month with an eye on a January 2025 debut; TVLine will keep you posted once a premiere date is formally announced, and a trailer is available to share.

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