Is Chris McNally Leaving When Calls the Heart? Here’s Whether Lucas Is *Actually* Moving
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Hope Valley is a never-ending revolving door of residents, and this time, Lucas could be the next townie to make his exit — which begs the question: Is Chris McNally leaving When Calls the Heart as Lucas? We have the answer below.
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When Calls the Heart is Hallmark’s drama series following the residents of Hope Valley (previously known as Coal Valley), a small town in Western Canada where life is simple but still fraught with challenges. The series, which was based on Janette Oke’s book of the same name and started as a Hallmark original movie in October 2013, centers around Elizabeth Thatcher, a young teacher accustomed to high-society life who moves to Hope Valley after she receives her first classroom assignment there.
‘When Calls the Heart’ by Janette Oke
McNally plays Lucas Bouchard, a businessman who owns the Queen of Hearts saloon and Gowen Petroleum in Hope Valley. He was introduced in Season 6. Lucas and Elizabeth start dating in Season 8 and got engaged in Season 9 after Elizabeth’s breakup with Nathan Grant, a Mountie whom Elizabeth also has a romantic storyline with following the death of her late husband, Jack Thornton.
Everything was going well for Lucas, but that all changed in Season 10. In the penultimate episode, Elizabeth called off her and Lucas’ engagement after realizing her true feelings. Lucas was then elected governor and shot by a mystery assailant on the very same night. While he did survive the shooting, fans wonder if, after all that, Lucas would stick around in Hope Valley. We have everything there is to know about Chris McNally’s future on the Hallmark show below.
Is Chris McNally leaving When Calls the Heart?
We don’t know for sure, but he might have a reduced role in Season 12. The mystery of who shot Lucas on election night was at the forefront of Season 11. It was later resolved when Lucas remembered that his other ex-fiancée, Jeanette Aucoin, was there that night. As it turns out, Jeanette is now a criminal who wanted to run rum through the territory and use the resort Lucas was planning on building for money laundering activities.
After she was escorted out of town and sent to jail, Lucas had to scrap the plans for the resort, as there was too much controversy surrounding it. This move led voters and the press to question his ability as governor and demand he resign. In the Season 11 finale, Hope Valley Mayor Lee Coulter (Kavan Smith) suggested Lucas use the resort money to build a national park. “I’m talking about something very special … a place where wildlife and trees are undisturbed with trails for hikers and campsites for families,” Lee told Lucas. He noted that while a national park might not be as profitable as the resort, the local towns “will still benefit.” He explained: “We will be preserving something important.”
Lucas loved the idea and agreed to it, but he also realized that in order to be a successful governor, he needs to move to Capital City, where the governor’s office is located. “If I’m going to turn this ship around, I need to be in Capital City,” he told his friends at Mei and Hickam’s weddding.
Elsewhere in the finale, Elizabeth got back together with Nathan (Kevin McGarry). With Lucas’ relationship officially over and the mystery of who shot him solved, we suspect he won’t be around as much when WCTH returns for Season 12.
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However, McNally has not indicated that he plans on leaving the show nor has he been bumped to a recurring character. Season 12 is set to begin filming next month in Vancouver, and there are have not been any reported changes to the cast. That said, there will have to be new storylines for Lucas in order for him to stick around — perhaps a new romantic interest. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight in March 2024, McNally said Season 11 was too soon for Lucas to get involved with someone else, but noted that it’s a possibility in the future. “I think it would be too soon and I’m really happy that from a writing standpoint, we haven’t tried to shove that in and … explore it right now,” he told the outlet, adding: “And in future seasons if there becomes someone else who maybe he’ll be even happier with … that’s great. But the time being, I really enjoyed this current trajectory.”
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 our gallery on who the cast is dating and married to in real life below.
