(Photo: Great American Family)

When Hope Calls is finally returning for its second season. Great American Family has announced that production on season two will begin this month, with an eight-episode season set to arrive in January 2025. The series, a spin-off of When Calls the Heart, was last seen with holiday specials airing in 2021. Season one aired in 2019.

Inspired by Janette Oke’s novels, the series stars Morgan Kohan, Jocelyn Hudon, Ryan-James Hatanaka, Greg Hovanessian, Wendy Crewson, Hanneke Talbot, and Jefferson Brown and follows reunited sisters who open an orphanage in the small town of Brookfield.

Great American Family revealed more about the series’ return in a press release.

Great American Media announced its sequel to a storied TV series, inspired by beloved author, Janette Oke, “When Hope Calls,” begins filming in late September for a World Premiere in January 2025 on Great American Family, then streaming on Pure Flix.

“When Hope Calls” season two stars Cindy Busby (Crown Prince of Christmas) as “Nora,” Christopher Russell (A Dash of Christmas) as “Constable, Mountie Michael,” Nick Bateman (A Christmas Miracle with Daisy) as “Wyatt,” Wendy Crewson (“Frankie Drake Mysteries”) as “Tess Stewart,” Hanneke Talbot (“Star Trek”) as “Maggie Parsons,” Morgan Kohan (“Sullivan’s Crossing”) as “Lillian Walsh,” and Ryan-James (RJ) Hatanaka (“Criminal Minds”) as “Mountie Gabriel.”

“When Hope Calls” is a spinoff of Oke’s legendary book series, When Calls the Heart and followed a pair of sisters, Lillian Walsh (Kohan) and Grace Bennett (Jocelyn Hudon) to the town of Brookfield, circa 1916. “When Hope Calls” is a family drama 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 while nurturing the children in their care.

“We were fortunate early on to understand that Janette Oke’s faith-filled characters had such rich origins that building entertainment universes from this world would present themselves over and over,” said Bill Abbott, President & CEO, Great American Media.

“When Hope Calls” had 10 episodes in season one, followed by two one-hour Christmas episodes in 2021 that saw Lori Loughlin reprise her role as Abigail Stanton. There are eight episodes in season two, and while the opening episodes pay homage to the romance of “Lillian” and “Mountie Gabriel,” new characters are introduced that are seminal to the orphanage and children, the sprawling farms and ranchlands, and to the town of Brookfield who welcome a new Constable from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, “Mountie Michael” (Russell).

“When Hope Calls” is executive produced by Brad Krevoy, Cara Russell, Lorenzo Nardini, and Amy Krell (full producer billing block released soon). Bradley Walsh directs from Original screenplay by showrunner and writer, Alfonso Moreno.

The exact premiere date for season two of When Hope Calls will be announced later.

What do you think? Have you watched this spin-off series? Are you excited to finally see season two?