Heavy/Hallmark Erin Krakow of "When Calls The Heart"
With the eleventh season of Hallmark‘s hit series “When Calls The Heart” set to premiere on April 7, 2024, co-creator and executive producer Brian Bird says he thinks the show could survive losing its lead actress, Erin Krakow.
In what TV Insider called a “bombshell” admission, Bird’s comments come at a time when the series’ most devoted fans — Hearties, whom he recently described as “Trekkies on steroids” to CBS This Morning — are fiercely divided over decisions made by Krakow’s character, Hope Valley schoolteacher Elizabeth Thornton, in the last season, with some threatening to boycott the show.
Bird made clear in an interview with Soaps.com, published on February 23, that he doesn’t want to lose the show’s main star, but also said he does not think the future of the show is dependent on Krakow being part of the cast.
Here’s what you need to know:
Brian Bird Says ‘When Calls The Heart’ Could Continue Without Erin Krakow by ‘Morphing’
HallmarkErin Krakow as Elizabeth on season 10 of “When Calls the Heart”
When Soaps.com asked Bird whether he thought the show could go on without Krakow at the helm, he said, “I do.”
“Not that I would ever want to have to do that or that any of us would ever want to have to do that,” he added. “We do think (Erin Krakow) is the absolute source of everything on ‘When Calls the Heart’ and we love her. We hope we don’t wear her out and tire her of this whole thing. She could be there forever as far as I’m concerned.”
But if Krakow does decide to leave the series at some point, Bird thinks it will result in an evolution of the show, rather than the end of it.
“I do believe that the show could continue if we had to by morphing, if necessary,” he said.
As an example, Bird pointed to the season 5 departure of Daniel Lissing, who played Elizabeth’s husband Jack on WCTH. To explain Jack’s absence, the character was killed off in an accident, which created a whole new storyline for Krakow’s character.
“Daniel Lissing wanted to move on after Season 5, and for us, it was hard, but it was a ‘God bless you, Dan. We want you to thrive. We want you to pursue all the dreams of your heart,’” Bird said. “So, we would never hold anybody back if they felt like there were other things they wanted to do and needed to do.”
Bird insisted that more than one individual character, he thinks the “the biggest star of the show” is the devoted viewers. During season 10, according to a Hallmark, WCTH was the “most-watched entertainment cable program every Sunday for 12 straight weeks among Women 18+.”
“People have fallen in love with the (Hope Valley) community and then they have these focal points with specific characters that they’re deeply in love with,” Bird told Soaps.com.
Hearties Are Passionately Divided Over Erin Krakow’s ‘When Calls The Heart’ Character
Hallmark“When Calls the Heart” season 10 cast members
Krakow’s WCTH character created a distinct divide among fans during the show’s last season, who have taken sides in an ongoing love triangle. Since the death of her husband and birth of their only son, little Jack, she’s struggled to find true love again, stuck in the middle of a love triangle. In season 8, she wrestled with her feelings for mountie Nathan Grant, played by Kevin McGarry, before choosing romance with local businessman Lucas Bouchard, played by Chris McNally.
The couple got engaged in season 9, but things began to unravel last season as Lucas ran for governor (and won), with Elizabeth calling off their engagement and gravitating again toward Nathan. The turn of events caused an uproar among fans, with “Team Nathan” delighted by Elizabeth’s bold move, but those on “Team Lucas” up in arms since the season ended in October.
On a February 19 post about the upcoming season via the Heavy on Hallmark Facebook page, numerous fans wrote that they’re either wary of season 11 or not watching altogether.
“Not excited at all except to see Lucas,” one wrote. “Can’t stomach seeing Elizabeth and Nathan together!”
“The show has been wrecked,” another commented.
Despite the backlash, there are plenty of people who also say they’re excited for the future of Hope Valley, including Krakow. Before season 10 aired, she told Southern Living that she cherished the stability of being part of WCTH, which is a rarity for most actors.
“It has been really nice to have this really good job for the past decade,” she said. “And in addition to getting to play a part that I really care about, I get to work with people on set and off who I really care about.”
“It’s kind of like lightning in a bottle because you just want to hold onto it because we know we have something very unique and very special,” she continued. “So personally, I try to wake up every morning and come to set feeling very grateful that I get to continue doing this job that I love so much.”