Erin Krakow Signals Trouble Ahead for Elizabeth & Lucas on ‘When Calls The Heart’

Hallmark Chris McNally as Lucas, Erin Krakow as Elizabeth and Hyland Goodrich as Little Jack on season 9 of "When Calls The Heart"

Will Elizabeth and Lucas find their happily ever after? Fans of Hallmark‘s “When Calls The Heart” have been waiting for over a year to see how the characters — played by Erin Krakow and Chris McNally — move forward after getting engaged in the season 9 finale last May.

With the tenth season just around the corner — premiering on July 30, 2023 — newly published interviews with the stars, conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, reveal that there may be trouble ahead for the couple.

Erin Krakow Warns Fans That Elizabeth & Lucas’ Relationship ‘Isn’t Perfect’

As widow and single mom Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton looks ahead to spending the rest of her life with Lucas Bouchard, things won’t always be smooth sailing, Krakow told TV Insider.

“Their relationship is real, is I guess how I’d put it, in that it isn’t perfect,” she said. “With each new chapter in their relationship, they’re learning new things about each other. There are interesting challenges both from outside the relationship and within the relationship, individual challenges for each of them. And don’t get me wrong, there are still very romantic tender moments between them and plenty of them, but it is a real relationship and we’re seeing them navigate those challenges together.”

When she was asked to share the biggest challenge the couple faces in the new season, Krakow laughed, “Oh, I don’t think I can share that.”

She continued, “I will just say that really being true to themselves and how that kind of manifests within their relationship is important to both of them in Season 10. And as we all know, that’s not always easy.”

One possible outside influence could come from new characters that Krakow told Media Village will join the series this year.

“We do have some really exciting new characters,” she said. “Oftentimes when we meet new characters in Hope Valley, they’re there to shake things up a little bit, stir up trouble, and sometimes have an effect on characters that you already know and love. This season is no exception, and I will leave it at that.”

Back in March, McNally told Entertainment Tonight, “I don’t want to give anything away but I will say that Lucas has not faced an obstacle this large, this drastic since he’s joined the show. So, we have some pretty epic, pivotal conflict to overcome and it’s sort of all-encompassing.”

Erin Krakow & Chris McNally Refuse to Say Anything About ‘When Calls The Heart’ Wedding

HallmarkErin Krakow and Chris McNally in “When Calls The Heart” season 9

The big question now is whether there’s even going to be a wedding in Hope Valley. When McNally talked with Entertainment Tonight, he stammered a bit when asked about Elizabeth and Lucas’ wedding.

“Well, uh, weddings do usually follow engagements,” he said coyly, “but again, I don’t want to give away any spoilers.”

Krakow has said that viewers will get to see wedding planning scenes, from cake tastings to dress fittings, but she, too, has avoided any talk of wedding scenes.

“I can say nothing about the wedding itself,” Krakow laughed to TV Insider. “Some things need to be kept secret.”

“I don’t want to give anything away because we like to have some surprises,” she continued. “But I will say that they cake tasting sure is delicious. I could have done a ton of takes of that scene. Our props department delivers some really good cake.”

She reiterated that point to “Entertainment Tonight” in early July.

“There is cake tasting and invitations and, you know, talk of dress designs,” she said. “All the good stuff. We will see them on that journey.”