When Calls The Heart Season 10: Details We Know So Far
Since its premiere in 2014, "What Calls the Heart" has been tugging on viewer's — wait for it — heartstrings. The show focuses on schoolteacher and single mother, Elizabeth Thornton (played by Erin Krakow), who must find the strength to go on after her husband is killed in the line of duty. Luckily, she has plenty of support in of Hope Valley, including best friend Rosemary Coulter (Pascale Hutton) and the two men vying for Elizabeth's attention: Mountie Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) and saloon owner Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally).
The Hallmark Channel drama averaged 2.9 million viewers per episode during Season 9, which ended with Lucas proposing to Elizabeth with the help of her young son, Jack. In fact, the season finale was the most watched of the season, as well as one of the year's most-watched original scripted series, per a Hallmark press release.
"I hope the hearties are feeling as excited as we are to dive into these long-anticipated events," co-executive producer and writer, Elizabeth Stewart, told Entertainment Tonight. "Plotting out a season is always an organic process, built step by step, but yes, we hoped by season's end to have earned Lucas' proposal."
But can its loyal viewers expect a new season?
The show has been renewed for a new season
Hallmark has officially renewed "What Calls the Heart" for Season 10. "'When Calls the Heart' continues to push the limits as to what we can achieve with this show," said Lisa Hamilton Daly, the executive vice president of programming at Crown Media Family Networks, in a statement, per Deadline. "There are many more stories still to be told about the lives of the beloved characters in this series and we cannot wait for everyone at home to tune in to see what unfolds."
There have already been some changes made behind the scenes — for instance, Lindsay Sturman will be taking over as showrunner for the drama's upcoming season. Sturman has been a television writer and producer for more than 15 years, with credits that include "Supergirl" and "Rizzoli & Isles," per IMDb.
"I am thrilled that 'When Calls the Heart' is coming back for a tenth season," said Erin Krakow, the show's star and executive producer. "With our amazing cast, crew, and talented writers, we can look forward to more adventures, laughs, tears, and stories of romance throughout the community of Hope Valley. We are so excited for all the viewers, especially the Hearties, to continue this journey with us!"
There has been no official word on when filming for the new season starts or when it will premiere, but Parade speculated that fans can expect it to air sometime in early 2023.
What do we know about Season 10?
There hasn't been much information released on Season 10 of "What Calls the Heart," but writer and producer Derek Thompson tweeted that he was working on the show's second episode.
And even before the renewal, executive producer Brian Bird said there were still plenty of stories to tell for the residents of Hope Valley. In fact, he was adamant that the drama would go on even if Hallmark decided to pull the plug. "There's unfinished business in Hope Valley," Bird said in a recent interview with JLJ Media. "We didn't tie up everything in [the season finale]. Because we have no intention of riding off into the sunset ourselves with this show. We will never end the show unless we decided to end the show."
Hearties can probably expect the next season to continue to explore Bill's (Jack Wagner) health problems, as well as Henry's (Martin Cummins) legal issues. And let's not forget the impending nuptials for Lucas (Chris McNally) and Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), and Rosemary's (Pascale Hutton) pregnancy, per Parade.
The show will also reach its 100th episode during the 10th season, which McNally called "a cool milestone."
The cast celebrated the renewal news in Italy
Some of the cast members of "What Calls the Heart" found out the show had been renewed for a new season while vacationing in Italy, with Erin Krakow posting a photo on Instagram of herself with costars Ben Rosenbaum, Kevin McGarry, and Kayla Wallace. McGarry shared the same photo with the caption, "Mama Mia, here we go again!"
And while she's surely enjoying her European adventure, Krakow might also be itching to get back to the show's Vancouver set. She admitted that wrapping up a season is hard when you don't know if you're coming back. "I love, love, love my job," she told Patheos. "I love the people I work with. We have a great time. I'm passionate about this show and this character, so it is bittersweet. It's hard to say 'so long' at the end of the season, especially not knowing what the future holds for us. We don't find out until the show's been on the air for a little while as to whether or not we're coming back for another season. So with things up in the air, it's not easy to step away from it."
Luckily, Krakow — and her co-stars — will be returning to Hope Valley soon.