Welcome to Hope Valley: Little House on the Prairie Star Joining When Calls the Heart Next Season
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While fans eagerly await the return of When Calls the Heart in 2025, there is some amazing WCTH news – a television icon will be joining Season 12 as a guest star. Find out what role Melissa Gilbert will play in the upcoming season.
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When Calls the Heart is welcoming Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert as a Season 12 guest star.
On September 14, executive producer Michael Landon Jr. made the announcement during the Hearties Family Reunion fan event. Gilbert starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, which ran for nine seasons. Michael Landon was the producer and star of the series, based on Wilder’s books about her pioneer life.
While they didn’t reveal too much, Gilbert will guest star on two episodes of When Calls the Heart, playing Georgie McGill. Georgie “shares a surprising past with one special Hope Valley resident,” according to the announcement description. During her appearance at the event, Gilbert hinted, “The majority of my scenes are with Jack [Wagner, who plays Bill Avery].”
More: Meet the When Calls the Heart cast’s real-life partners
Landon Jr. spoke about the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival held in March this year. He called it “incredibly moving” to hear how the show touched people’s lives. “My sister and I were both there — we were moved to tears,” Landon Jr. noted.
He continued, “While we were meeting the fans of Little House, about one out of every five fans would mention When Calls the Heart to me. I was like, ‘That is pretty darn cool.’ I started thinking, what can we do that could bring those Little House fans to When Calls the Heart? And I thought, well, maybe what we need to do is bring one of the stars of Little House on the Prairie to When Calls the Heart.”
Landon Jr. added, “And we just happen to have one that’s joined our show, Season 12. I’d like to introduce you to Melissa Gilbert.”
Gilbert joined him on stage and waved as the crowd went wild. “This is so great. It’s so wonderful to see all of your beautiful faces today and I’m so excited to be here and to have been invited to spend some time in Hope Valley,” she told the fans.
In a statement, Kelly Garrett, VP, Programming, Hallmark Media, explained, “When Calls the Heart has long drawn comparisons to Little House on the Prairie, for its charming and compelling stories of hope, human connection and frontier survival. It was only fitting that the first people to hear this special news were the Hearties – devoted fans who have celebrated the show year after year and made it such a success. The energy being here with them to share this news is electric and we cannot wait for them to meet Georgie next year.”
The When Calls the Heart Instagram account shared video of the announcement and fans are fully onboard with Gilbert joining the show. “This is amazing! SO excited to meet her character in Season 12!,” one said. Another commented, “This is soooo amazing!! LOVE Melissa Gilbert! ???? Welcome to the #Hearties family.”
One Heartie noted, “This is SO. MAJOR. Can’t wait to see this prairie ROYALTY on S12!!! ??”
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 of the most heartbreaking cast exits from Season 1 to now.
