When Calls the Heart Unveils Major Change — Plus, [Spoiler]’s Long Lost Love Comes to Hope Valley!
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When Calls the Heart is switching things up with an earlier return than usual for Season 12 and fans are ecstatic that the beloved Hallmark series will be back so soon. Find out what’s in store for the upcoming season when the show returns in January.
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When Does When Calls the Heart Return For Season 12?
Hallmark revealed the When Calls the Heart Season 12 premiere date in a promo that aired during the Christmas movie Santa Tell Me, starring WCTH’s Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing. The show returns on Sunday, January 5, 2025! This is a departure from the past few seasons, when WCTH premiered in spring or summer. Fans were expecting Season 12 to follow the same pattern and were beyond thrilled about the news of a January premiere.
Krakow took to Instagram on November 9 to share the Season 12 preview, writing, “Hi! Hey! Have you heard the good news? Season 12 of @wcth_tv premieres January 5th 2025 on @hallmarkchannel! ?? #Hearties.”
More: Meet the When Calls the Heart cast’s children in real life
Fans responded, “Yes! We don’t have to wait until spring?!??,” YAY!!! So happy we won’t have to wait as long for it to air! What a nice Christmas present for the #Hearties!!!,” and “Sooo excited for the new season. I can’t believe WCTH will be back in January! Such a great surprise ????.”
In addition to the major changeup in the premiere date for the upcoming season, the show will also have a new character joining the series. TV legend Melissa Gilbert, of Little House on the Prairie fame, will appear as Georgie McGill — and it looks like the show is setting up a love interest for Jack Wagner’s Bill Avery.
At the Hearties Family Reunion fan event in September, Gilbert was announced as an upcoming guest star on When Calls the Heart. Her character, who will appear in two episodes, was teased as someone who “shares a surprising past with one special Hope Valley resident.”
During her appearance at the event, Gilbert hinted, “The majority of my scenes are with Jack [Wagner, who plays Bill Avery].”
More: Where former When Calls the Heart stars are now
In a November 9 interview with Swooon, Krakow teased just a bit of what fans can expect in When Calls the Heart Season 12. While she couldn’t get into many specific details about the new season, she promised a “roller coaster” ride, which should definitely appeal to fans.
“I can just tell you it has been such a roller coaster of a season, and I mean that in the best possible way,” she noted. “I can’t speak for every actor or every character on our show, but I can say that for my character, there has been so much variety: high highs, low lows, some real frisky fun, some comedy, and some serious drama. That’s just scratching the surface. It’s going to be a huge season.”
With Elizabeth and Nathan (Kevin McGarry) now a couple, the show will explore their relationship more. “Well, we spend a lot more time together this season, and I think you get to see some real romantic moments between us, as well as some really heartfelt co-parenting in this blended family,” Krakow said. “Those scenes are some of my favorites. They’re really special this season.”
As for her reunion with former WCTH co-star Lissing in Santa Tell Me, Krakow shared, “We had talked about it years ago, trying to find a project or create an opportunity that would bring us together again.”
She added, “I think that I just became very focused on When Calls the Heart, and Dan has other projects that he’s been working on, so it kind of took a backseat for a while, and then this was just a really fun surprise when the opportunity to reunite came about.”
When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Peacock.
Watch ‘When Calls the Heart’ on Peacock
For more on When Calls the Heart, check out who the cast is dating and married to in real-life.
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