HallmarkHallmark Channel is ready to return to Hope Valley with the return of When Calls the Heart season six on Sunday, May 5 with a bonus episode following on Monday, May 6. The fan-favorite show was put on hiatus following series star Lori Loughlin's arrest.
"We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations," Crown Media Family Networks said in a statement on Thursday, March 14. "We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin including Garage Sale Mysteries, an independent third-party production."
In a video message, When Calls the Heart start Erin Krakow announced the show's return to air and noted more information regarding the show will be revealed on Saturday, April 13 during an airing of Bottled With Love.
The video message, above, also features a sneak peek of the new episodes. According to EW, Loughlin will be edited out of the series.
After pulling When Calls the Heart, Hallmark said it was evaluating creative options. Series executive producer Brian Bird took to Instagram to address the show's fans, known as Hearties.
"#Hearties, thank you for your love, support and patience these last several days as we have all been preoccupied with the news about Lori Loughlin and her family, and the decisions our colleagues at the Hallmark Channel USA needed to make. As you can imagine, everyone involved with When Calls the Heart was surprised by these developments, so we hope you can forgive us for initially staying silent while we sorted through how to respond," Bird wrote.
"As for the show itself, we know millions of fans are on pins and needles wondering what will happen now. Let us assure you, When Calls the Heart has always been bigger than the sum of its parts, and it HAS NOT BEEN CANCELED. With the full support of the network, we have gone on a creative hiatus to do more retooling on the remaining season six episodes. That process has already begun. Hope Valley will return to your TV screens as soon as we can bring the episodes to you," he said.
When Calls the Heart returns Sunday, May 5 at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel.