When Calls the Heart just wrapped up a long and exciting Season 8. Prior to the ep, we saw footage of Elizabeth taking off her wedding ring and a potential resolution to the Nathan and Lucas storyline had been heavily teased, there was another question on many of the fans’ minds: Would When Calls The Heart get renewed by Hallmark for Season 9? Erin Krakow confirmed at the end of the episode the show would be back and now some of the cast, including Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith, have thoughts on the matter.
Often Hallmark has announced renewals for a new season before the previous season has aired, so the fact that Erin Krakow and those involved with the show remained mum until after the finale aired is a bit surprising. Though, it is worth pointing out that nearly everything about this TV season has been weird and it was just good news when the show was able to make it through filming without an outbreak. The good news is the cast seems excited to come back, with Kavan Smith recently revealing he “selfishly” wants the show to “stay on for a long time.” Elizabeth Thornton actress Erin Krakow in particular admitted she wanted Season 9 so that When Calls the Heart could finally move beyond the love triangle.
We’ve been dragging out this triangle for how many years now? I think by the end of this season we’ll have a decision and if we get a Season 9, it will be really nice to be able to play out some of those, sweet romantic scenes and kind of watch that courtship blossom. That’s what I would say for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s storyline is not the only one with a little bit of unresolved conflict, though fans have been waiting for a potential answer regarding her choice of suitors for a long time. Along with Elizabeth's story, there's so much more to explore, with Erin Krakow telling ET in an interview for Hallmark that she wants to see more from newcomers the Canfields, too. As for Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith, Lee and Rosemary are getting along well as a unit and as a couple -- he recently gave her a desk in his office -- but the two still are trying to figure out what “family” will mean moving forward. Pascale Hutton says we’ve seen a lot of their relationship find "focus" but there's more to explore.
I think what we see with Rosemary in this final episode is kind of this renewed excitement, renewed passion and a focus. I think she’s found a focus and she’s really excited about that. That’s going to kind of propel into hopefully Season 9. So that’s where we’re at with Rosemary and I think the two of them as a couple have kind of found a focus. I think there were some time there, seasons, where they were trying to wrap their heads around the loss of a dream that they thought was going to unfold very easily for them and hasn’t, which is having a child. I think when that doesn’t unfold easily a couple has to redefine what their purpose in life is going to be.
When the show does return for Season 9, the family issue is the one they both hope will come up front and center on When Calls The Heart. According to Kavan Smith, Lee and Rosemary's family is another storyline that has seen growth in recent seasons but deserves closure on.
We are both completely on board with wanting to expand the family in one way or another. I think it’s just been a long, ongoing question, and I think if we get the chance to go again, we’ll have some more solid answers for you on that one… I really want that. I think it’s a good, logical destination for these two. It’s just how to get there.
Later in the interview, he expanded on thoughts for where Season 9 should go, noting that adding a kid into the mix could just make things fun from an acting perspective overall.
I love Lee and Rosemary. I’ve come to really love those characters over the years. And Elizabeth too, of course. But I just think that I would love to see them as a family, plain and simple. I know, it’s hard working with kids, I know Pascale will lie about it [being fun], but I’m up for it. So I think it would be really fun. We’ve been kind of steering the ship that way for a while. I know we started this whole kind of road to self-fulfillment and finding things that are meaningful. If you just drop a kid into the middle of all that, their relationship would blossom in a way we just haven’t seen yet and I think that would be really fun to play as an actor.
While we wait for the new episodes, there's plenty of more TV coming our way. For other stuff coming this summer, be sure to look over our summer TV premiere schedule.
