Lori Loughlin Is Returning to ‘When Calls the Heart’

Hallmark made an unexpected announcement on December 2 about Hope Valley’s future. Lori Loughlin is finally returning to “When Calls the Heart,” People first reported.

Lori Loughlin Will Be Returning for Season 14 in 2027
Loughlin won’t be back for season 13, which premieres in January 2026. But she will return to Hope Valley for the fourteenth season in 2027, People reported. She’ll appear in half of the season’s episodes: six in total.

Of course, this also means that Hallmark has decided to renew “When Calls the Heart” for a fourteenth season, even before season 13 premieres.

Loughlin was last in the series for season 6. Her final episode aired in 2019. Hallmark removed her character, Abigail, from the series after Loughlin was implicated in the University of Southern California admissions scandal and later served a two-month prison sentence. Hallmark removed her projects from all its networks after news broke, and even re-edited some episodes of “When Calls the Heart” to remove her before they aired.

But now she’s back.

Michelle Vicary, Hallmark Media’s head of programming, told People in a statement: “Since the series’ debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties. At its core the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of When Calls the Heart. We felt that season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail’s story with her return to this beloved series.”

Loughlin’s character already returned to the franchise for a special appearance in the spinoff “When Hope Calls,” which aired on Great American Family.

And “When Calls the Heart” has been mentioning Abigail, even though she’s been off-screen. In the series’ season 10 finale, which aired on October 15, 2023, the character was brought up in dialogue numerous times. In one scene, Henry (played by Martin Cummins) talked to Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) in about how he thought about Abigail every time he looked at her cafe. At the end of the episode, he was shown arriving at Abigail’s house and the door opening.

The Cast & Creator Have Wanted Loughlin Back for Years

For years, cast members and the co-creator of the series, Brian Bird, have lobbied for Loughlin’s return.

In an interview with Navigating Hollywood three years ago, Bird said he tried to get Loughlin back on “When Calls the Heart” before her special appearance on the “When Hope Calls” spinoff.

“Our first choice would have been to bring her [Loughlin] back to Hope Valley and to When Calls the Heart. We had those conversations with the network…” he said. “In their judgment it just wasn’t the right time… But Lori had done her time… The spinoff show … is a derivative show… it’s a neighboring town, a day’s ride away… We said OK, well we believe it’s time to offer Lori her second chance here, and so we decided to bring her there to Brookfield… She has indicated she would love to continue on that show if we’re able to do it.”

Two years ago, Bird shared those sentiments again in an October 16 post-show interview with JLJ Media.

“Hope Valley is a town of second chances,” he said about 47 minutes into the interview. “This is where art and life kind of commingle. … It is an ongoing conversation. I can’t promise anything; I can’t spoil anything right now. But all I can say is for Hearties who follow me from the beginning, you know what my views are on second chances so … I have a lot of hope.”

When Erin Krakow (Elizabeth) was asked in an Us Weekly interview if she’d like to see Loughlin return, she said: “A thousand percent.”

Krakow added: “She’s an incredible person and a very dear friend. She’s got a real good heart. People don’t even know how special a person she is.”

Kevin McGarry (Nathan) agreed in that same interview.

“There’s been lots of people who’ve said we’d love to have her back,” he said. “It’s not our decision of course.”

In an interview with TV Insider before season 11 started, Krakow admitted that Loughlin’s return was still looking unlikely.

But now, just before season 13, everything’s changed and Loughlin is on her way back.