Being the well-oiled machine it is, When Calls the Heart is still going strong on Hallmark with its 12th season on the 2025 TV schedule. It's still keeping fans on the edge of their seats with romance, drama, and new faces in Hope Valley. Among those new faces is Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert, whose two-episode arc could turn into something more. Regardless of how long she’s on the show, though, she has a sweet reason about why working on it is like going home.
Gilbert has been guest starring on the long-running Hallmark Western romance drama as Georgie McGill, who has a previous history with Jack Wagner’s Bill Avery. Evidently, though, that’s not the only history at play.
Gilbert spoke to People about reuniting with When Calls the Heart's co-creator, Michael Landon Jr., whose father, Michael Landon, actually co-starred with the actress on Little House on the Prairie as her father and Ingalls family patriarch Charles. Because of that connection, she admitted being on When Calls the Heart was like she was going home:
It's like going home. Working with Mike Jr. is like going home. I know that whatever he has me doing and saying, I can trust is going to be wonderful and exciting and interesting. We've been friends for 50-some-odd years, and I adore him, I adore his family. I think his wife is just the greatest. It's just so nice to be back in an environment where I feel completely protected, appreciated, and loved.
Gilbert and Landon worked together for Little House on the Prairie’s nine-season run, and now that the Batgirl actress is working with Landon Jr., it seems almost like a full-circle moment. And they’ve been friends for quite a long time, likely going back to the beloved series. The fact that they are still close after all these years is sweet to hear, so being back in that environment was probably a great feeling for the actress.
While Landon Jr. has done some acting, that was before the 21st century, and he’s been spending most of his time these days directing, writing, or producing, which is what he does on When Calls the Heart. It sounds like Gilbert enjoys being able to work with him, and having that extra sense of knowledge that the environment on set is safe with him on it.
As of now, it’s unknown if Melissa Gilbert, who once ran for political office, will be appearing in more than two episodes of When Calls the Heart. However, she is certainly interested in appearing in more episodes and exploring the potential relationship between Georgie and Bill. It also wouldn’t hurt to work alongside Michael Landon Jr. again, either. Plus, with WCTH also being a Western, much like Little House on the Prairie, working with an old friend can’t be the only reason why this show feels like home.
Hopefully, Gilbert will return to When Calls the Heart after her arc ends. At the very least, she and Landon Jr. have a pretty strong friendship, and it wouldn’t be surprising if this isn’t the last time they work together.
New episodes of When Calls the Heart air on Sundays on Hallmark Channel.
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