Take heart, Hearties. The executive producer of When Calls the Heart has issued an important message to fans in the wake of recent events. Brian Bird took to social media to share an update on the future of the show with fans. Here is what he had to say:
When Calls the Heart is not going anywhere. It will just be different when it comes back to the airwaves. When Season 6 returns, it will do so without Lori Loughlin's Abigail Stanton. Hallmark Channel cut ties with Loughlin regarding all professional endeavors following the college admissions scandal.
The situation has led to When Calls the Heart having to retool the remainder of Season 6 completely. Brian Bird reassured fans via Instagram that the show is in no danger of being cancelled. At the time word of the scandal broke, the series had aired three episodes of its sixth season. There are set to be ten episodes in Season 6 total.
Hence, this all broke loose close to the midway point of the season. Hearties are going to have to wait an undetermined amount of time to see how the rest of it unfolds. As the creative team behind When Calls the Heart tries to figure out their next move out, the show will be on hiatus.
How long that hiatus will last and how When Calls the Heart plans to deal with the exit of Lori Loughlin's character remains to be seen. Loughlin's Abigail was far from a background presence. She was a prominent player. There are seemingly endless possibilities that could explain Abigail's sudden absence. It will be a tricky task that the Hallmark series will need time to work on though.
Executive producer Brian Bird's words undoubtedly offer a wealth of relief to fans concerned about the show's future. In his message, he reveals that work on "retooling" the current season is already underway. Suffice it to say, the When Calls the Heart team is hard at work on getting Season 6 back up and running to air.
How it is planning to retool its seven remaining episodes is the question on many Hearties' minds. It seems an arduous task to completely edit Lori Loughlin's Abigail out of the series.
The message does a lot to assuage any concerns regarding the show's future on Hallmark. However, it did not address how the show plans to manage the storyline implications of Lori Loughlin's departure. For now, there is speculation.
When will When Calls the Heart be back? That is currently unknown. "Soon" sounds like encouraging, at least. The transition to an Abigail-less When Calls the Heart has begun. Hearties will have to tune in to see how it works.
When Calls the Heart will continue Season 6 on Hallmark Channel.
