'When Calls the Heart' Spinoff Finally Returning

K.L. Connie Wang

20 September 2024 at 10:10 am·11-min read

Back in 2019, When Hope Calls, a spinoff of Hallmark Channel's uber-popular When Calls the Heart original series premiered on Hallmark Movies Now (now rebranded as Hallmark+), the network's streaming service. The fate of the show and a possible second season sat in limbo for more than a year before Great American Family, an upstart network led by former Hallmark Channel CEO Bill Abbott officially picked up Season 2.

“We were fortunate early on to understand that Janette Oke’s faith-filled characters had such rich origins that building entertainment universes from this world would present themselves over and over,” said Bill Abbott, President & CEO, Great American Media.

Season 2 kicked off with a 2-part Christmas special called When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas back in December 2021, but since then fans of the show, known as Hopefuls, have been waiting for the rest of Season 2. It's been three years and counting and some have given up hope but they are called Hopefuls for a reason! So when will Hopefuls get to see the town of Brookfield again?

Here's what we know so far about Season 2 of When Hope Calls.

What is When Hope Calls?

When Hope Calls follows the lives of two sisters, Lillian (Morgan Kohan) and Grace (Jocelyn Hudon), who are reunited as adults after they were separated as children when their parents tragically died. Both went into orphanages, but only Lillian was adopted. When Lillian finds her sister after years of searching, the two move back to Lillian's adopted family's home in Brookfield to start their own orphanage.

Is When Hope Calls based on other material?

When Hope Calls is a spinoff series of When Calls the Heart, the popular period drama that airs on Hallmark Channel. When Calls the Heart is currently in its 11th season and has already been greenlit for Season 12. The original series is based on books by Janette Oke about a teacher who takes a position in a small Canadian town and eventually falls in love with the town's Mountie.

When does production begin on the new season of When Hope Calls?

They're back! Season 2 of When Hope Calls begins filming at the end of September 2024!

Where can I watch Season 2 of When Hope Calls?

The new season of When Hope Calls will premiere in the U.S. on Great American Family.

What is the release date for Season 2 of When Hope Calls?

Season 2 of When Hope Calls premiered with a two-episode holiday special on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 on Great American Family. The rest of season 2 is eyeing a world premiere in January 2025.

How can I watch Season 1 of When Hope Calls?

You can stream all 10 episodes of Season 1 of When Hope Calls on Hallmark+, Hallmark Channel's subscription streaming service. You can also rent/purchase episodes on iTunes, Amazon or other online services.

You can also purchase Season 1 on DVD at Amazon.

What happens in Season 2 of When Hope Calls?

While the opening episodes pay homage to the romance of Lillian (Kohan) and Mountie Gabriel (Ryan-James Hatanaka), new characters are introduced that are seminal to the orphanage and children, the sprawling farms and ranchlands, and to the town of Brookfield who welcome a new Constable from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Mountie Michael (Christopher Russell).

Will Lori Loughlin return for season 2 of When Hope Calls?

While she appeared in the Christmas episodes of When Hope Calls, it's unclear if Lori Loughlin will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton for the remainder of season 2. At this time, she is not listed as a series regular but she may turn up as a guest star! Check back here for updates!

Watch Lori Loughlin's return to When Hope Calls

Meet the cast of When Hope Calls

While we expect Kohan and Hatanaka will return for part of Season 2, both actors are currently attached to other series. Kohan leads Sullivan's Crossing on The CW and Hatanaka was upped to series regular on Criminal Minds: Evolution.

There were hints of a possible romance (#Pardy) between general store owner Joe Moody (Jefferson Brown) and nurse Maggie Parsons (Hanneke Talbot) in the first season of the show, but Brown is currently part of the cast of Hallmark Channel's The Way Home.

The Christmas episodes of When Hope Calls explained the absence of Grace (Hudon) or Chuck (Greg Hovanessian) (#Chace). Viewers learned that Chuck followed Grace to England where they married and decided to open an orphanage in London. Hudon was currently upped to series regular on Chicago Fire and Hovanessian has since appeared in Walker Independence and FBI: International.

That aside, check out who is joining the cast of When Hope Calls!

Morgan Kohan (Lillian Walsh)

Lillian is the eldest of the two sisters and was adopted by a Brookfield family.

Kohan has had guest-starring roles on Batwoman, The Bold Type and Star Trek: Discovery. She has also starred in Love on Harbor Island and A Whirlwind Wedding. She currently stars in Sullivan's Crossing on The CW.

Fun fact: Kohan's favorite musical is Waitress.

Ryan-James (RJ) Hatanaka (Gabriel Kinslow)

The town's constable, Gabriel Kinslow was previously injured in the line of duty and he's sweet on Lillian.

Hatanaka also starred on The CW's Riverdale as Detective Abe Tamura and as Dr. Evan Wallace on NBC's Nurses. He is currently a series regular on Criminal Minds: Evolution.

Fun fact: In his younger years, Hatanaka was a ball boy for the Toronto Blue Jays!

Wendy Crewson (Tess Stewart)

Tess owns the biggest ranch in town, a business she built with her late husband. She believes Lillian's adoptive father caused the accident that killed her husband and their relationship has been strained ever since.

Crewson has had a four-decade-long career acting in television and film. Her recent roles include recurring spots on Titans, Frankie Drake Mysteries and Good Sam.

Hanneke Talbot (Maggie Parsons)

A world traveler, Maggie hails from England and begins to work as a nurse when she finds herself in Brookfield.

Born in the Netherlands, the British-Canadian Talbot has guest-starred on Star Trek: Discovery, iZombie, Supernatural and Titans.

Who's joining the cast for season 2 of When Hope Calls?

Cindy Busby (Nora)

Busby has been acting since childhood with a notable role as Ashley Stanton on Canada's longest running series, Heartland. She has starred in several popular movies for the Hallmark Channel including Unleashing Mr. Darcy, Royal Hearts, and most recently, A Whitewater Romance.

Christopher Russell (Mountie Michael)

Russell is popular among viewers having starred in dozens of rom-coms over the years. His most recent credits include A Costa Rican Wedding and Operation Nutcracker. He'll star in the upcoming Great American Christmas movie, A Vintage Christmas. He and Busby have appeared together in several movies including Love in the Forecast and Chasing Waterfalls.

Nick Bateman (Wyatt)

Nick Bateman joins the cast as a character named "Wyatt". Bateman previously starred in the UPtv movie, A Winter Wedding, and has also appeared in A Christmas Miracle for Daisy, A Brush with Love, and Airplane Mode.

Fun fact: Bateman started karate when he was 4 because he wanted to be a Ninja Turtle, but has since gone on to nab four world titles in the sport! Cowabunga!

Who's not returning for season 2 of When Hope Calls?

Jocelyn Hudon (Grace Bennett)

Grace was reunited with her sister, Lillian, after a long search and the two opened up an orphanage in Brookfield. At the end of Season 1, Grace accompanies one of the orphans to England so that the child can be reunited with her grandfather. In reality, scheduling conflicts was the main reason Hudon was not able to return for the Christmas special. The absence of her character and Chuck Stewart was explained in the special with the two deciding to stay in England and open an orphanage.

Hudon starred in Falling in Love in Niagara and Romance with a Twist earlier this year and was recently upped to series regular on Chicago Fire.

Greg Hovanessian (Chuck Stewart)

Chuck was the town's veterinarian and the son of local rancher, Tess Stewart (Wendy Crewson). It was love at first sight for him when Grace came to town. He confessed how much he liked her in the first season finale when Grace was headed out of town to chaperone an orphan back to England to reunite her with a lost grandparent.

Hovanessian has had recurring roles on Netflix's Another Life and Hulu's Cardinal and most recently appeared in Walker Independence and FBI: International. He's also a fitness buff and likes to restore motorcycles.

**How many episodes will there be in season 2 of When Hope Calls?**

There will be a total of six episodes in season 2 of When Hope Calls, six episodes that will begin filming in September and the two Christmas episodes.

**How did Daniel Lissing's When Calls the Heart character return from the dead for When Hope Calls?**

For five seasons, Lissing played Mountie Jack Thornton on When Calls the Heart and won the adoration of fans worldwide as Jack romanced Elizabeth. After making the difficult decision to leave the show, his character was killed off—the newlywed Jack died in a training exercise.

Lissing returned in the Christmas special as Mountie Jack Thornton in a single scene. In a dream Abigail has, she is visited by the Mountie's spirit.

Have any other When Calls the Heart characters appeared on When Hope Calls?

Several! In the first season, Mountie Nathan (Kevin McGarry) and the Coulters (Pascale Hutton, Kavan Smith) visited the sisters in Brookfield. Abigail (Lori Loughlin) and her son, Cody (Carter Ryan), also visit the town in the Christmas special.

Where is When Hope Calls filmed?

The fictional town of Brookfield in season 1 of When Hope Calls was filmed near the town of Powassan, Ontario, Canada—about a three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Toronto. The entire town of Brookfield and all its buildings were built from scratch specifically for the show.

What is the cast of When Hope Calls doing now?

Many of the cast have gone on to other projects until production dates are solidified or Season 2. Here's what we know about the cast of When Hope Calls.

Morgan Kohan currently leads the cast of Sullivan's Crossing, a series based on books by Robyn Carr (Virgin River, Thunder Point, Grace Valley). The series premiered in the US on The CW and also stars Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill, Write Before Christmas) and Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls, Saw V)

Ryan-James Hatanaka appeared of Criminal Minds and was upped to series regular. He also starred in the live-action version of Fairly OddParents.

Jocelyn Hudon has several projects in the works. She appeared in several episodes of Chicago Fire and was recently upped to series regular. She starred in Hallmark Channel's Love in the Maldives opposite her real-life husband, Jake Manley and also starred in Romance with a Twist for the network. She has also guest-starred on The Rookie: Feds and Acapulco.

Greg Hovanessian was a series regular on Walker Independence, a spinoff of The CW's Walker. Hovanessian also guest starred on FBI: International.

Jefferson Brown currently stars in the Hallmark Channel series, The Way Home, opposite Andie MacDowell. Brown plays Colton, the deceased husband of MacDowell's character, Del Landry.

All About the Janette Oke When Hope Calls Book Series

The show also has its own series of books. Written by When Calls the Heart author Janette Oke and her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, the When Hope Calls book series delves deeper into the sisters’ backstory.

In Unyielding Hope, the first of three books in the series, we learn more about Lillian Walsh (played by Morgan Kohan in the TV series) and her search for her sister, Grace (Jocelyn Hudon), who Lillian had presumed to be dead all these years.

Unyielding Hope is on sale now.

In Sustaining Faith, the second book in the series, an official complaint is lodged against the sisters and their orphanage causing their license to be revoked. You can purchase Sustaining Faith here.

The final book in the series, Unfailing Love, finds the sisters dealing with the aftermath when three children run away from the orphanage. Unfailing Love is available for purchase here.

Next, Where Is When Calls the Heart Filmed?