Erin Krakow Teases ‘Huge’ Season Ahead as ‘When Calls the Heart’ Wraps Filming

Heavy/Hallmark Erin Krakow of "When Calls The Heart"

One day after wrapping filming on the 12th season of “When Calls The Heart,” the hit series’ lead actress, Erin Krakow, has promised Hallmark fans a “huge” season ahead.

Krakow and many of her castmates celebrated the last day of filming in social media posts on November 8, 2024, including one from Krakow that told fans, “We are so grateful and proud and exhausted! Can’t wait to share this special season with all of you!”

In an interview published the following day, Krakow told Swooon that “it has been such a roller coaster of a season, and I mean that in the best possible way.”

Hours later, Hallmark Channel announced that the 12th season will premiere on January 5 and posted the first trailer on social media.

Erin Krakow Says ‘When Calls The Heart’ 12th Season Includes ‘Frisky Fun’

“I can’t speak for every actor or every character on our show,” Krakow told Swooon, “but I can say that for my character, there has been so much variety: high highs, low lows, some real frisky fun, some comedy, and some serious drama. That’s just scratching the surface. It’s going to be a huge season.”

The finale of season 11, which aired in June, saw Krakow’s character, schoolteacher Elizabeth Thornton, and mountie Nathan Grant finally cementing their relationship, and many fans are eager to see what happens next.

She told Swooon, “Well, we spend a lot more time together this season, and I think you get to see some real romantic moments between us, as well as some really heartfelt co-parenting in this blended family. Those scenes are some of my favorites. They’re really special this season.”

Many of her fellow castmates posted about the final day of filming, including Jack Wagner, who shared a video of himself singing his “wrap” song with Pascale Hutton, Chris McNally and Kevin McGarry popping in to sing along.

Hallmark revealed in September that one of the unexpected twists in season 12 is that “Little House on the Prairie” alum Melissa Gilbert will join the cast. She’ll play the role of Georgie McGill, a character who shares a “surprising past” with one of the residents of Hope Valley, per Hallmark’s press announcement.

Hearties Get a Special WCTH Reunion in Erin Krakow’s Latest Hallmark Channel Movie

HallmarkChristopher Russell, Daniel Lissing, Erin Krakow, Benjamin Ayres, and Kurt Szarka in Hallmark’s “Santa Tell Me”

To tide fans over until the January 5 premiere, Krakow’s newest movie features a very special reunion with the actor who played her first love on the show, Daniel Lissing.

The former WCTH couple star in the highly-anticipated “Santa Tell Me,” premiering on November 9. Krakow and Lissing haven’t acted together since he left the series after five seasons, when his character Jack Thornton was killed in a mining accident, leaving Krakow’s lead character, Elizabeth, a widow.

“We had talked about it years ago, trying to find a project or create an opportunity that would bring us together again,” Krakow told Swooon. “I think that I just became very focused on ‘When Calls the Heart,’ and Dan has other projects that he’s been working on, so it kind of took a backseat for a while, and then this was just a really fun surprise when the opportunity to reunite came about.”

During a Facebook Live session promoting the new movie, Lissing said that he was thrilled but also “so nervous” for their reunion before they started filming.

“Obviously we have this amazing history together, we started ‘When Calls The Heart’ together,” he said. “We did four and a half, five seasons together, and when you work with someone that long, you build a bond, we built this beautiful fan base together, the Hearties. Love you, Hearties!”

Lissing said he agreed to do the movie before he knew Krakow was involved, and that when she signed on, “the excitement factor was through the roof!”

“I gotta be honest, though, I was a little nervous stepping on set,” he admitted, “for like, the first ‘Here we go again!’ And I felt a little bit of responsibility to deliver with you. But it was just like riding a bike. We got right back into that rhythm and it was so fun, and Erin’s the best to work with.”