‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 6: When Does the Show Return?

Crown Media When Calls the Heart

Hallmark fans have adored Season 5 of When Calls the Heart. And although all good seasons must end and make room for more Hallmark originals, fans are already wondering when this beloved series is going to be back. Is it renewed? And how long will we have to wait until it returns? Find all the details below and then, when you finish this article, take the poll at the end and let us know if you’d like a sixth season of When Calls the Heart. 

At the time of publication, we have some great news. When Calls the Heart has indeed been renewed for a sixth season! This news was announced in late March by Hallmark. The only detail we don’t know yet is exactly when the show is returning, but it will likely be sometime in February 2019.

When Calls the Heart is a western family drama starring Erin Krakow, Daniel Lissing, Lori Loughlin, Jack Wagner, Martin Cummins, Pascale Hutton, and Kavan Smith. It was inspired by a novel by Janette Oke. Season 5 ratings averaged .26 in the 18-49 demographic, with 2.33 million viewers. That’s down 6 percent from Season 4. However, that’s not a big deal for Hallmark. When announcing the renewal, Hallmark said: “Currently in its fifth season, When Calls the Heart’s ratings momentum has carried over from season four. Thriving on a highly competitive Sunday night, the sweeping, frontier drama continues to build its audience.”

So just when will the season return. Although Hallmark hasn’t announced, we can make some guesses based on the previous seasons’ schedules. Season 1, which was 12 episodes long, debuted on January 11, 2014. Season 2, which was seven episodes long, debuted on April 25, 2015, which was a departure from Hallmark’s typical schedule for this series. Then things got back to normal for Season 3, which was eight episodes long and debuted on February 21, 2016. Season 4, which was 10 episodes long, debuted on February 19, 2017. And this past season, which was also 10 episodes long, debuted on February 18, 2018.

So based on the past pattern, Season 6 of When Calls the Heart will likely debut in February 2019, sometime after Valentine’s Day. however, we’ll probably also see a Christmas episode on December 25 or 26, since When Calls the Heart has had a Christmas special in 2015, 2016, and 2017. It’s not likely that Hallmark will break this tradition for such a popular show.

If you’ve seen the finale, then you know the tragedy that happened in the narrative. (Spoilers below if you haven’t seen the Season 5 finale yet.) 

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at why that happened, according to ET. Daniel Lissing chose to move on from the show when contracts were being renegotiated, which meant that Canadian Mountie Jack Thornton had to leave too. But deciding how to do that was tough. There was no behind-the-scenes drama, the actors said, but Lissing simply was ready to leave. The producers decided they couldn’t recast the role because of the two actors’ chemistry. They thought about sending Jack off to the Northern Territories, but they didn’t want Elizabeth just pining at home through the rest of the series. They thought about having Jack’s job force him to relocate and have him break up with her. But they said that just wouldn’t be in Jack’s character. So they realized the only solution was to have Jack die.

Lissing said he had to leave the show because of “reasons that are very personal to me.” He did not want to elaborate further, but said Hallmark was nothing but supportive.

Now let us know what you think. Do you think When Calls the Heart should have been renewed? Take our poll below and let us know.

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