‘When Calls The Heart’ Spinoff: Everything We Know About ‘When Hope Calls’

Crown Media Family Networks, the company that owns both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, revealed that a spinoff of its popular period drama, “When Calls the Heart,” is on the way.

The new show, currently titled “When Hope Calls,” was announced during the company’s Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour event in Beverly Hills, California on Thursday. Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart,” which is based off the “Canadian West” books by Janette Oke, premiered in January 2014 and has grown in popularity every year since. This second series is some good news in the midst of a hard time for Hearties, who lost fan-favorite character Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing) when he was killed in the Season 5 finale in April.

This new spinoff series will give fans a second helping of all the love, drama and family-friendly storylines they enjoy from “WCTH.” While the network was fairly tightlipped about what “When Hope Calls” will be about, Brian Bird, executive producer and showrunner of “When Calls the Heart,” shared on Twitter that the spinoff will focus on “a new town & new characters.” He also teased that Hearties will see clues about the new show in Season 6 of “WCTH,” which is expected to premiere in early 2019.

Bird is not just active in the Heartie community on Twitter, but also on Facebook. In the official fan group, he answered a few questions from viewers about what the new show is about and what it might mean for the future of “WCTH.” When one fan commented about being worried that “When Hope Calls” might mean the end for the original show, he assured everyone that wasn’t the case.

“It doesn’t mean ‘WCTH’ is ending at all,” he wrote about the continuation of the Erin Krakow (Elizabeth) and Lori Loughlin (Abigail) led series.

To yet another commenter, he said, “It bodes very well [for ‘WCTH’]. Hallmark wouldn’t be doing this if ‘WCTH’ wasn’t hitting homeruns with the Hearties.”

Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming and Network Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks, had the same type of assurance for “WCTH” fans in a press release last week. “‘When Calls the Heart’ has developed a passionate community of loyal viewers and we wanted to serve their increased appetite by developing a spin-off series that we know will evolve into another beloved classic,” Vicary said.

While there’s no official premiere date yet for “When Hope Calls,” the network shared that fans can expect the show to arrive in 2019. Unlike the show it’s stemming from, this one will not air on Hallmark Channel. Instead, it will be released on Hallmark Movies Now, the company’s online video subscription service. This will be Crown Media Family Networks’ first-ever streaming series.

Finally, to hold everyone over until more information comes out about “When Hope Calls,” Bird provided one last tease. He clarified via a Facebook comment that while there will be new characters, he “didn’t say ALL new characters.” That means Hearties might be seeing some of their favorite “When Calls the Heart” characters move over, or, at least, show up, on the new show.

“When Calls the Heart” will air a Christmas movie special later this year, before premiering Season 6 in early 2019. “When Hope Calls” is expected to debut Season 1 in 2019.