What’s next for When Calls the Heart? The Hallmark Channel TV show just announced they are going on a brief hiatus to retool the rest of season six.
Last week, Hallmark severed ties with star Lori Loughlin following her arrest for alleged involvement in a college admissions scheme. Loughlin has played Abigail Stanton on the period drama since its debut in 2014.
On social media, executive producer Brian Bird announced When Calls the Heart is going on a “creative hiatus” so they can retool the end of season six. In the statement, Bird assured fans the Hallmark Channel series has not been cancelled.
You can read the full message below:
#Hearties, thank you for your love, support and patience these last several days as we have been preoccupied with the news about Lori Loughlin and her family, and the decisions our colleagues at the Hallmark Channel USA needed to make,” read a “producers’ statement” from Brian Bird and the show’s other executive producers that was posted to the show’s official Instagram page on Sunday. “As you can imagine, everyone involved with ‘When Calls the Heart’ was surprised by these developments, so we hope you can forgive us for initially staying silent while we sorted through how to respond.As for the show itself, we know millions of fans are on pins and needles wondering what will happen now. Let us reassure you, ‘When Calls the Heart’ has always been bigger than the sum of its parts, and it has not been canceled. With the full support of the network, we have gone on a creative hiatus to do some retooling on the remaining Season 6 episodes. That process has already begun. Hope Valley will return to your TV screens as soon as we can bring the episodes to you.On behalf of our entire producing team, including Michael Landon Jr., Brad Krevoy and Alfonso Moreno, I want to thank you for continuing to show your support. Your private messages of support and your #Hearties4S6 worldwide trending on Thursday brought a lot of tears to the eyes of our cast and crew and to the good folks at Hallmark Channel. Your love for ‘When Calls the Heart’ is the courage we count on as we work through this challenging transition and your Hearties community will always be the most important legacy of this TV series. We love you!”
What do you think? Do you watch When Calls the Heart? Will it be the same without Loughlin?
Glad Hallmark is continuing the show and as unfortunate as it is, Hallmark did the right thing in dismissing Lori from the show. She did not show herself a team member of life and did a great disservice to her daughters by not teaching them right from wrong.
Why doesn’t the show keep going and they can retool it in season 7 and leave lori out it’s disappointing to discontinue the show let’s just keep going with the show instead of retooling it now doesn’t make sense.
I lave the program. Lori knew what she was doing and I have to believe that the Hallmark producers will come out of this and “When Calls the Heart” will be better without the stain of Lori Loughin. I really miss my program!
I have always enjoyed this show and will be happy to leave it up to the powers to be to decide how to handle the situation. Anxious to have When Calls the Heart back on the air. It wouldn’t matter to me if they showed the programs already recorded….they can replace Lori after that with another actress. As long as the program remains the same quality, I will watch it.
If the Hallmark network is convinced they did the right thing by firing Lori Loughlin from “When Calls the Heart” and her other programs, why not take advantage of a genius (at least in my opinion) marketing ploy. Many people think the Hallmark Channel is a goody-two-shoes channel. Those same people would love to see just who this Lori person is as those same people love negativity, witness what ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC AND other networks show. Televise Lori’s remaining programs that are still in the can. Advertisers, while leery at first, will gain monetarily as new people will see… Read more »
Thank You! We love your show, and will look forward to your return. Soon, we hope! Thank You!!!
I have to say, I am very disappointed with Hallmark. Lori has not even been through her court hearing and you have completely turned your back on her. Shame on you. Maybe you should go back and watch some of your own episodes on forgiveness and second chances.
I dido your sentiment. Hallmark has done this to the hosts of their morning show and I feel, less and less like watching Hallmark.
Maybe it would be good to send that message to LL’s friends that have totally distanced their selves from her! LL is not the victim she is the crime. People can be forgiven while still having to pay for all the things they’ve done wrong.
I’m sorry, but I completely disagree with all of you that Lori should not have been fired. I am a huge fan of When Calls the Heart. If you’ve watched the news, the FBI has more than enough proof that she and her husband paid to get their kids into USC. And on top of it, her privileged daughter admitted that she was going to the school to party and not to study. Many deserving kids that worked very hard to get into the school by their merits alone, may have lost out because of this behavior. I believe in… Read more »
When you mentioned you disagreed with “all of you that Lori should not have been fired”. I am one of the ones that has a comment above yours so just to make it clear I agreed with Hallmark’s decision and it’s sad if someone would stop watching Hallmark just because Hallmark let her go if they like the shows they were watching to start with. Having said that, yes, Lissing decided to leave and I could care less as he is not the only good actor and LL is not the only good actress, but it was the writers and… Read more »
I think HM should have KEPT the remainder of THIS season as is, written her out for next season. Instead, they throw Loughlin under the bus, before her due process & stopped the series to waste MORE time, and re-tool. I would still watch her, would not like ANY replacement, would rather they kill her off than put another wrong syrupy HM actress to play her.
Love “When calls the Heart”. Thankful it’s not being cancelled. Will miss Ms Loughlin’s character but happy the rest of the characters will return b
I absolutely love this series. I’m not sure that it will be the same without lori Laughlin and people make mistakes. I would hope that she is just written out as she is going on a trip and has someone to take her place and eventually return. I definitely don’t want the show to be canceled but I’m not sure anyone will be able to feel her shoes.
I, for one, will truly miss Lori Laughlin. She added a great deal of love, emotion, and wisdom with compassion. She without a doubt will be missed. I wish her well with life and career. We have all made mistakes at one time or another during our journey on this planet. I look forward to the next chapter with all the very talented crew and actors on When calls the Heart. My thanks go out to the producers and writers for deciding to allow this magnificent show to continue. I can assure you, the loyal fans will agree!
I agree with you about LL. It is not just her character but others will be affected. For instance, what will happen to her adopted children? We are still not over the loss of Jack from last season. I would have felt better about it if Hallmark had waited until the results of her trial. By the way, I am a 76 year old grandmother so have seen lots of living.
Too bad it isn’t totally cancelled. I was a fan until they pulled the nonsense last year. Now could not care less about it, Loughlin or no.
Same here. When Jack died the show died as far as I am concerned. They didn’t recast him like so many fans wanted including me so why should I care if they recast LL or not? I don’t. I haven’t watched it since the end of last season and I won’t no matter what they do with the show.
When Calls the Heart will get definitively survive the departure of LL. Her departure is absolutely a necessity after the scandal tied to her directly and irrefutably. This show is totally More than one person on the show. LL has shown arrogance and not humility since her arrest, all the more reason to move on from her. She obviously is not Abigail in
real life, she is an actor, plain and simple. And a person who thinks money and celebrity is beyond the Law. Actions have consequences. WCTH will survive and I suspect thrive without L L.
I don’t care if the show gets canceled but I do agree with you about LL.
I am very sorry to see Lori Loughlin leaving this show, I cannot believe what she has done and how this has now ruined her career. I always liked her and I hope at one point we can all forgive her, Because I think there is many other people that have have done the same thing and will never be caught.
What happened to “innocent until proven guilty”? I will no longer watch Hallmark Channel based on their actions.
I’m so disappointed in the HC. Everyone deserves their day in court before they are convicted. By firing her before her day in court HC convicted her without a trial. Just another way to put down women.