(Hallmark)

Hallmark has ordered When Hope Calls, a spin-off series based on Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart TV show (which returns on February 24th). The new series will launch sometime in August 2019 and revolve around characters introduced in the recent When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing movie.

If you want to watch the new series, it sounds like you’ll need to subscribe to the Hallmark Movies Now streaming service. The service costs $6 a month and subscribers have access to Hallmark movies and TV series like Cedar Cove, Heartland, Chesapeake Shores, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Interestingly, it doesn’t appear that the When Calls the Heart series is available through the service.

Here’s the announcement about When Hope Calls:

HALLMARK MOVIES NOW’S FIRST ORIGINAL SERIES ‘WHEN HOPE CALLS’ PREMIERES AUGUST 2019
Spin-off of Hallmark Channel’s Beloved Series “When Calls the Heart” to Debut on Hallmark Movies Now

“When Hope Calls,” Crown Media Family Networks’ first-ever streaming series, will premiere August 2019 on Hallmark Movies Now, the network’s digital streaming service. The series is spawned from Hallmark Channel’s longest-running, most-watched primetime series to date, “When Calls the Heart,” currently entering its sixth season. The announcement was made today as part of Crown Media Family Networks’ bi-annual Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

“‘When Hope Calls’ embodies the same heartfelt themes of community, family and faith that have resonated so strongly with ‘When Calls the Heart’ fans over the past six years. This is another series that viewers are sure to treasure,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming and Network Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks. “The series rounds out the experience we are offering loyal viewers in 2019. Along with our linear networks, publishing and podcast platforms, our SVOD service is another way to enjoy the original content our brand is known for,” Vicary concluded.

“When Hope Calls” follows Lillian (Morgan Kohan) and Grace (Jocelyn Hudon), sisters who were orphaned and raised very differently, as they reunite as adults and open an orphanage in a small Northwest town in the early 1900s. The town and its people are on the cusp of change, transitioning from the simple times of the horse and buggy to the more modern times of cars and technology. The characters were introduced in the 2018 ratings record-breaker, “When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing.”

Hallmark Movies Now launched in October 2017. Subscribers to the service have access to a robust library of content not available on Crown Media Family Network’s linear channels, with new programming available every week. Hallmark Movies Now is available on iOS, Android, Roku and Amazon Fire, among other devices. The SVOD service is also now available over the Internet on both Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Cox’s Contour platforms.

What do you think? Do you plan to check out the When Hope Calls series if it means subscribing to the Hallmark Movies Now service to see it? Are you already a subscriber? Do you like it?