Crown Media Lori Loughlin on When Calls the Heart.
Lori Loughlin just got permission to travel to Canada, and fans are wondering if this could be a sign that she’s going to return to Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” for season 9.
Loughlin Received Permission to Travel to Canada for a Film Production
Loughlin just received permission from a federal judge to travel to Canada for a film production, The Mercury News reported. A probation official sent in her request, which said that she was “being offered a filming production project” and that “Ms. Loughlin anticipates she will be traveling for about one week.”
She was given expedited permission for the trip, which will take place later in September or early in October. However, the request does not indicate what the project is for or who she will be working with.
Boston Globe reported that the request was sent in by probation officer Chrissy Murphy, who wrote: “[Loughlin seeks to travel to Canada] for work-related purposes in anticipation of being offered a filming production project… The exact dates and location of travel are unknown at this time. However, Ms. Loughlin anticipates that she will be traveling for about one week at the end of September or beginning of October.”
Loughlin served two months in jail and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, served five months. Loughlin is now on supervised release and must get the permission of a probation officer before traveling anywhere outside where she lives in California, The Mercury News reported.
Loughlin already traveled to Mexico in June with her husband for a vacation, after receiving permission to leave the country.
With “Fuller House” now over, the only series Loughlin was part of that’s still ongoing is “When Calls the House.” However, Loughlin might also be traveling for a different project, such as a movie. However, “When Calls the Heart” is currently filming season 9 in Canada, so the location and timing would both work out.
‘When Calls the Heart’ Left the Storyline Open for Her Character’s Return
In season 8, “When Calls the Heart” clearly left the storyline open for Abigail to return any time. Her character was brought up multiple times, including when Henry revealed that he and Abigail were still exchanging letters constantly. Then when Henry left Hope Valley at the end of season 8, the character made a strong hint that he was going in search of Abigail.
In an interview with ET Canada, Erin Krakow — who portrays Abigail’s friend Elizabeth — talked about how much she’d like to see Loughlin return to the series. When asked if there was a chance that Abigail might come back in a future season, Krakow said:
From your lips to God’s ears. I truly, truly hope so. It would make me so happy to see Abigail back in Hope Valley. And I think there are still a lot of really beautiful stories for her character to get to tell. I would welcome her back with open arms. So let’s hope.
She also tweeted that she also still ships an Abigail-Henry romance.
Brian Bird, the show’s co-creator and executive producer, said he would welcome back Loughlin.
In a September 2020 interview with the Hearties Hotline Podcast, Bird said: “You know I’ve been praying for the best outcome possible for her and her family. Not just the most merciful one, but the most just one as well… We all make mistakes.”
He also said they had no choice but to remove her in season 6, but it was painful to do.
“It was painful for us to do this because we love Lori,” he said. “We only want to see the best for her. And Hope Valley is a place of second chances.”
However, in a more recent interview, Bird said it would be difficult to get her back.
In an interview with Charisma Podcast Network’s Greenelines podcast and host Dr. Steve Greene, Bird said:
I personally would love nothing more than that happening in Hope Valley. Whether or not we can do it is another question. There’s a lot of moving parts to that decision. There’s a lot of other stakeholders besides me who would have to say yes to that. So I can’t say with certainty that we can pull that off. I hope we can, but I can’t say that we can actually pull it off.