Hearties will soon be able to catch up on every season of Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart in one place. Starting in February, Seasons 1 through 8 of the series will be available on the network’s streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now.
Fans can currently watch Seasons 7 and 8 on the streaming service. Amazon Prime Video has episodes available to stream at a price. Frdly TV has episodes available, but only with a package that includes Hallmark Movies Now.
Hallmark Movies Now made the announcement with a post on Instagram that read, “Calling all #Hearties! For the FIRST time ever all #WhenCallsTheHeart seasons 1-8 will be available for streaming only on @hallmarkmoviesnow this Feb! Share the love.”
When Calls the Heart is Hallmark’s longest-running original program. Produced and directed by Michael Landon Jr., the show is based on a series of books by Canadian author Janette Oke. It follows the residents of a small mining town at the turn of the 20th century.
The final episode of Season 8 aired in May 2021 to some controversy. In the finale, the show’s main character, a widow named Elizabeth Thornton (played by Erin Krakow), finally chose between two suitors who had been pursuing her since Season 6.
Elizabeth picked businessman Lucas Bouchard (played by Chris McNally) over Mountie Nathan Grant (played by Kevin McGarry). The decision did not sit well with some fans.
Upset Hearties
“Team Nathan” fans, as they called themselves, felt that Elizabeth had made the wrong choice. They also alleged that the show’s writers had misled them into believing that Elizabeth would end up with Nathan, in part because her first husband was also a Mountie (short for Royal Mounted Canadian Police).
But the show’s co-creator defended the decision in a June appearance on the Greenelines podcast.
“We believed this choice of Lucas Bouchard would give us more seasons because we have not gone down that road before,” Brian Bird told podcast host Steve Greene. “We wanted to find a new way to do a love story for Elizabeth, so we didn’t just repeat the same storylines. I feel a big responsibility to give the Hearties Hope Valley for as many seasons as possible.”
Season 9
The network has released a few previews for the upcoming season that show new faces among the cast and a few missing favorites.
Actor Hyland Goodrich has taken over the role of Elizabeth’s son, Jack, who was previously portrayed by twins Lincoln and Gunnar Taylor. In an interview with ET Online, series star Erin Krakow said they were thrilled to welcome the newcomer to the cast.
“Hyland has brought so much joy and laughter to Hope Valley,” she said. “He’s a natural in front of the camera and his improvisations had us all grinning! We can’t wait for the Hearties to fall in love with Hyland’s performance, as we have.”
Though the Canfield family will be back, Clara and Jesse Flynn appear to be absent, at least in the first episode. In a trailer released by Hallmark, Bill Avery (played by Jack Wagner) reads aloud a letter from the couple, who have moved to Montana to try homesteading.
And finally, it looks like there will be a new love interest for the heartbroken Nathan. In a scene released by the network, Nathan meets a young woman named Mei Suo (played by Amanda Wong) and sparks fly.
Seasons 1 through 8 of When Calls the Heart will be available to stream Hallmark Movies Now on February 1. Season 9 of the series will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, March 6 at 8/7c.