Is ‘When Calls the Heart’ Canceled? Hallmark Channel Pulls Episode Following the Lori Loughlin Scandal

When Calls the Heart fans who were hoping to tune in on Sunday night for a new episode of their favorite show are going to be disappointed. The Hallmark Channel has decided not to air the March 17 episode of the show, titled “Heart of a Mountie,” in the wake of the scandal involving star Lori Loughlin.

“The series will not air this Sunday March 17 while we are evaluating all creative options around the When Calls the Heart series,” read an announcement on the show’s official Facebook page posted March 14. “#Hearties please keep checking back to our social for all updates related to the beloved When Calls The Heart.”

Lori Loughlin has been fired

The news of the delayed episode came shortly after Hallmark said it had cut all ties with Loughlin. The actress, who also starred in Garage Sale Mysteries on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, has been implicated in a far-reaching college admissions bribery scheme, along with dozens of other parents, athletic coaches, and others.

Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid $500,000 to ensure that their two teenage daughters were admitted to the University of Southern California as crew athletes. Neither girl participates in the sport.  

When Calls the Heart isn’t canceled

Hearties, we assure you that Hallmark Channel has no plans to cancel When Calls the Heart. Hope Valley has many more stories left to share and we will let you know the details soon.

Posted by When Calls the Heart on Friday, March 15, 2019

While the next episode of When Calls the Heart won’t air as scheduled, Hearties can take comfort in the fact that the show is not canceled.

“Hearties, we assure you that Hallmark Channel has no plans to cancel When Calls the Heart,” noted a follow-up post on the show’s Facebook page. “Hope Valley has many more stories left to share and we will let you know the details soon.”

The news that Hallmark is sticking with the show is a relief for fans, some of who had expressed concerns on social media about what the charges against Loughlin could mean for the future of Hope Valley. While Erin Krakow plays the show’s main lead Elizabeth Thatcher, Loughlin had a prominent role as Mayor Abigail Stanton.

But the network has decided it won’t let Loughlin’s troubles torpedo the popular program. Roughly 2.14 million people tuned in for the episode that aired the Sunday before the scandal became public, making it one of the most-watched shows on cable that night in terms of total viewership numbers. The show’s 2018 Christmas special was the most-watched scripted show of the last week of the year, according to MovieGuide.

“[W]e are not cancelling the show,” a spokesperson for Hallmark’s parent company Crown Media, told Variety. “The show is one of our best performers in the Sunday night slot, and were are exploring all sorts of creative options moving forward.”

Has Loughlin also been fired from Fuller House?

Hallmark was swift to cut ties with Loughlin. Now, there are rumors that she will be removed from the cast of Fuller House as well. While Netflix hasn’t made an official announcement about whether the Aunt Becky character will be back for the show’s fifth and final season, it’s not looking good, say insiders.

“She’s toast, it’s over,” a source told Deadline.

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