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Kavan Smith, who plays Lee on “When Calls the Heart,” sat down for a podcast interview with Suspenders Unbuttoned, where he answered a number of questions about the show. But one of the most intriguing statements during his interview came near the end, when he hinted that the new “When Calls the Heart” showrunner might have saved the show.
‘Maybe We Were Done Telling Stories,’ Smith Said
In a podcast interview with Suspenders Unbuttoned Media, Smith talked about what a big difference the new showrunner, Lindsay Sturman, made when she joined the team for season 10.
About an hour into the interview, when asked what word he would use to describe season 11, the current season of “When Calls the Heart,” Smith suggested “unexpected.”
He then went on to share how different things were before Sturman joined. She replaced former showrunner John Tinker in season 10 and is also the showrunner for season 11.
“Should I say this, am I gonna get into trouble?” he joked, before continuing. “I think there was an expectation when our new showrunner came on that a lot of storylines were tying up. And that maybe we were done telling stories.”
But things have changed a lot since then.
“And now we’ve opened Pandora’s Box again and I think that there is all sorts of new directions,” he said. “So I think this season there’s a lot of things that are happening that are kinda unexpected and I feel like it’s, in a way, sort of a new start for the show. I mean, I hope it is…”
He added that he’s here for the long haul, as long as the fans want the show.
“I wanna be involved with this show as long as it goes,” Smith said. “And if the fans stand by us and continue to enjoy the show that we put out there, then having a new beginning every once in a while is probably really healthy for the show and healthy for all of our characters, and maybe healthy for new fan bases.”
Creator Brian Bird Said the Love Triangle Change Was a Joint Decision
After Sturman joined, season 10 went on a very different direction than the show seemed to be headed when season 9 ended. By the end of the season, Elizabeth had ended her engagement with Lucas and there was a distinct potential for things to develop with Nathan. Now in the first two episodes of season 11, the show is leaning heavily into building Elizabeth and Nathan’s budding relationship. While they’re currently friends, Elizabeth has even already said to Rosemary that she’s not sure if Nathan still has romantic feelings for her or not.
But the shift in the love triangle was a big surprise to fans, who were expecting a marriage storyline with Lucas and Elizabeth.
In an interview with James Lott Jr. of JLJ Media, creator Brian Bird said they made the decision to change the show’s direction about halfway through season 10, and it involved a whole team, not just Sturman.
“It wasn’t a decision made really early in season 10…” Bird said. “It evolved over … at least the first half of the season, until this sort of the light went on for … Lindsay (Sturman) and her team. And then of course we all had to bless that.”
He continued, emphasizing that it wasn’t Sturman’s decision alone.
“The foundation is carefully laid for reasons that I can talk about and some that I can’t…” Bird said. “None of the choices are ever done in a vacuum. There’s a creative committee with a lot of stakeholders and that includes writers, producers, the network, and the cast. Everybody has a voice in these decisions and no one person makes these decisions. Lindsay (Sturman) was … the pilot of the plane in season 10 and season 11 but … she wasn’t making all the decisions. She was executing the decisions that were made sort of by … a collective group, who all have the best interest of the show and the future of the show in mind.”
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