Lori Loughlin to Return to Hallmark Channel in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 14
Lori Loughlin is making her return to Hallmark Channel more than six years after she was fired for her role in the college admissions scandal.
Abigail Stanton to appear in six episodes of ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 14
On Tuesday, the network announced that it had renewed its long-running period drama When Calls the Heart for season 14. The new season will debut in 2027 and feature Loughlin’s fan-favorite Abigail Stanton character in six of the 12 episodes.
“Since the series’ debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties,” Hallmark Media’s head of programming Michelle Vicary said. “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.”
In addition to Loughlin, When Calls the Heart Season 14 will also feature Erin Krakow (Elizabeth Thornton), Kevin McGarry (Nathan Grant), Jack Wagner (Bill Avery), Chris McNally (Lucas Bouchard), Pascale Hutton (Rosemary Coulter), and Kavan Smith (Lee Coulter).
Krakow celebrated When Calls the Heart’s renewal and Loughin’s return in an Instagram post.
“The very best news: Abigail’s returning to @wcth_tv and Season 14 has been greenlit! Tears of joy (not hormones, I think)!” Krakow, who is pregnant with her first child, wrote. “Swipe through to see the 1st photo Lori and I ever took together.”
Hallmark fired Lori Loughlin in 2019
Loughlin was once a regular fixture on Hallmark. In addition to her role in When Calls the Heart, she starred in the Garage Sale Mysteries series and several Hallmark Christmas movies, including Homegrown Christmas and Every Christmas Has a Story. But her relationship with the network ended after she was accused of paying $500,000 to ensure her two daughters were admitted to the University of Southern California. (Loughlin and her now-estranged husband Mossimo Giannulli both eventually pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud charges and served time in prison.)
After news of the Full House alum’s role in the college admissions scheme became public, Hallmark quickly cut ties with the actor. Garage Sale Mysteries was canceled, and When Calls the Heart was briefly pulled off the air so that her character could be edited out of upcoming episodes.
For years, Hallmark kept its distance from Loughlin. In 2021, the network confirmed it had no plans to cast her in any upcoming projects. Meanwhile, Loughlin slowly began to rebuild her career with roles in films for Hallmark competitor Great American Family and the Prime Video series On Call. In 2021, she reprised her role as Abigail in a special Christmas episodes of When Calls the Heart spinoff series When Hope Calls, which aired on Great American Family.
When Calls the Heart Season 13 premieres Sunday, January 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel. Episodes stream the next day on Hallmark+.
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