Hearties’ hearts are all aflutter this week as the “When Calls the Heart” (WCTH) cast begins filming Season 14 of Hallmark Channel’s beloved series.
Several cast members have posted their first updates from the Vancouver set, including series leads Erin Krakow and Kevin McGarry, who shared posts from fictional Hope Valley on August 4, 2026. But while it’s exciting to see so many familiar faces popping up there, not everyone will return for the new season.
Erin Krakow Kicks Off ‘When Calls the Heart’ Filming With Birthday Catch-Up
Krakow, who plays series lead Elizabeth Thornton, has returned to the Hope Valley set as a new mom, after welcoming a daughter with her husband and WCTH co-star Ben Rosenbaum this spring.
On July 29, Krakow posted adorable “plane selfies” of their little family, including their beloved rescue pup Willoughby, as they headed to Vancouver. The foursome will settle down there for several months, with filming expected to last into November.
On August 4, Krakow got caught up on all the birthday greetings she missed during her maternity leave. She posted on-set photos with fellow cast members, including her WCTH son Hyland Goodrich, who turned 8 on June 2, and some of his fellow young actors in the cast — Chloe McKinnon (now 9), Ellie Weiss (4), Vienna Leacock (20), Gracyn Shinyei (20), Billy Christos, Jr. (15), Jacob Shoemay, and Elias Leacock (16).
Krakow didn’t forget her WCTH peers who’ve celebrated birthdays in the off-season. She included pics of Pacale Hutton, Kavan Smith, Loretta Walsh, Viv Leacock, and Amanda Wong. Krakow also included a short video of Lori Loughlin, who turned 62 on July 28, revealing her long-hidden talent of playing piano to Krakow, who was clearly shocked.
Kevin McGarry Nearly Gags in His ‘When Calls the Heart’ Trailer
While Krakow’s post on the first day back to filming was sentimental, McGarry’s was fittingly sarcastic. The beloved actor, who plays Hope Valley Mountie and Elizabeth’s new fiancé, Nathan Grant, shared a funny selfie video to his Instagram Stories on August 4, filmed in his trailer on set.
“Day One, Season 14” he began and then, looking comically perplexed, he continued, “Uhh, it said — scratched out — ‘Ben A’ on my door. That was different.”
Jokingly referring to Benjamin Ayres, whose WCTH spinoff “Hope Valley: 1874” filmed its first season over the winter, McGarry sniffed the air in his trailer and deadpanned, “Smells like prequel in here,” and then amusingly pretended to gag.
Ayers shared McGarry’s post and quipped in text over the video, “It’s probably breakfast burrito.”
Which ‘When Calls the Heart’ Cast Members Are & Aren’t Returning for Season 14?
HallmarkMost of the WCTH cast is expected to return for Season 14, which will premiere in early 2027. That includes Loughlin, who hasn’t appeared on the show since 2019, but teased her return with a season-ending cameo as Abigail Stanton, arriving back in Hope Valley.
In the days leading up to filming, costume designer Barbara Gregusova has posted photos from her wardrobe fittings with multiple returning WCTH cast members, including Hutton, Smith, Andrew Brooks, Jaeda Lily Miller, Miranda MacDougall, and Ava Cooper.
But not everyone is returning for Season 14. In mid-July, Melissa Gilbert revealed that she would not be returning to WCTH after two seasons as Georgie McGill, who had rekindled a romance with Jack Wagner’s character, Bill Avery.
“I am told this is due to ‘Budget issues,'” Rivers wrote in an Instagram post on July 16. “That said, I wish all my sweet friends in Hope Valley a wonderful and successful Season 14.”
Two days later, longtime Hallmark supporting actress Samantha Ferris shared that she received similar news after spending two seasons (11 and 13) as the sister of Rosenbaum’s primary character, Mike Hickam, and mayor of the neighboring, fire-ravaged town of Benson Hills.
Sharing an Instagram pic of herself on the WCTH set, she wrote, “Sad news (for me, anyway). I won’t be back as the fabulous Maisie Hickam on When Calls the Heart this coming season😭. I don’t really have a reason as sometimes they just don’t tell you, but I LOVED my time on the show and grateful for the two seasons I had. Such a fabulous group of people. Keep on rollin, Hearties! Be well❤️”
Whether or not Brooke Shields returns as the mom of Jack Thornton, Elizabeth’s late husband, remains up in the air. She returned to the show in 2025 as Charlotte Thornton, giving her blessing to Elizabeth and Nathan’s relationship and pending engagement. Neither Shields nor WCTH producers have said whether she’ll return for the couple’s wedding, which most Hearties are hoping will happen in Season 14.
HallmarkMeanwhile, it’s unlikely that McGarry’s wife, Kayla Wallace, will return as Fiona Miller in Season 14. A regular on WCTH beginning in season six, Wallace left that role for another, playing lawyer Rebecca Falcone on the Paramount+ series “Landman.” The show’s third season is expected to film in Fort Worth, Texas, from mid-September through early 2027.
Wallace did make surprise appearances on WCTH in seasons 11 and 12, but didn’t return for season 13. While juggling her filming schedule, she is also navigating life as a new mom, given that she and McGarry welcomed their first child, a baby boy, within weeks of Krakow and Rosenbaum.
That doesn’t mean Wallace will never return to WCTH, though. In December 2024, she told People, “It’s never a goodbye. It’s just always like—can it work out with whatever’s going on in my life that year?”
