When Calls the Heart is the most popular drama series on the Hallmark Channel. So, it’s no surprise that it wants to follow the success of Yellowstone. There are plans to expand the Hope Valley universe with a new prequel.
Key Takeaways
- When Calls the Heart was already confirmed for a fourteenth season.
- Meanwhile, the Hope Valley universe is expanding with a new prequel called Hope Valley: 1874.
- The new series will be available to stream on Hallmark+.
Production Starts For Hope Valley Prequel
According to a report via Soaps.com, the WCTH prequel series, Hope Valley: 1874, just started production on Friday, December 12, the day it was announced. It will stream on Hallmark+ in 2026.
The eight-episode series follows the early life of Hope Valley. It will star Bethany Joy Lenz (One Tree Hill) and Benjamin Ayres (Saving Hope), both of whom are fixtures on the Hallmark Channel. The cast also includes Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan), Lachlan Quarmby (Providence Falls), and Roan Curtis (Firefly).
In the series, Lenz will play Rebecca Clark, who’s traveling to Chicago with her 11-year-old daughter. Trouble arises when their wagon breaks down. She accepts help from Tom Moore (Ayres), who is a single rancher.
According to the show’s synopsis, “Despite Rebecca’s best intentions to remain unattached, the future she dreams of for her and her daughter, along with the people she meets in this fledgling town — including the guarded Tom and tenacious pioneer woman Hattie Quinn (Hennessy) — ultimately compel her to put down roots and make a fresh start.”
Additionally, Michelle Vicary, Head of Programming for Hallmark Media, shared a statement about the new series. She revealed that Hope Valley: 1884 will “further explore the universe of When Calls the Heart and build a deeper world around this show for our devoted fans.”
More Good News For Hearties
This is good news for Hearties, who can’t get enough of the original series. When Calls the Heart Season 13 will premiere on Sunday, January 4, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET on The Hallmark Channel.
The show has already been renewed for Season 14 and will include returning cast member Lori Loughlin, who will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton. She previously appeared on the spinoff series When Hope Calls, which originally premiered in 2019 on Hallmark Movies Now.
It moved to Great American Family for its second season. The network has renewed the series for Season 3, which is set to premiere sometime in 2026. The series is currently in production, which is why it doesn’t have a release date yet.
