When Calls the Heart only wrapped filming on Season 13 in October bu,t ahead of its premiere in January on the 2026 TV schedule, Hallmark delivered some very good news. The long-running Western romance drama has been renewed for Season 14 and, on top of that, Lori Loughlin is making her much-anticipated return as Abigail Stanton. Following the announcement, Erin Krakow celebrated by showing her former co-star some love.
Loughlin starred in the first six seasons of When Calls the Heart before being written off due to her role in the 2019 college admissions scandal. It was explained that Abigail had to take care of her sick mother. Since then, Loughlin joined the main cast of spinoff When Hope Calls for its second season, reprising her role as Abigail. It was unknown if she would ever return to WCTH, so the confirmation that she be returning for a multi-episode arc for the upcoming 14th season was a welcome surprise, and Krakow took to Instagram to celebrate:
As can be seen above, Erin Krakow shared a carousel of photos with Loughlin, both series stills and behind-the-scenes photos. While it’s currently unclear what will bring Abigail back to Hope Valley, I think it’s only fair that a lot of her scenes involve Krakow’s Elizabeth. At present, though, I’m liking the notion of Krakow and Loughlin being reunited on the series.
I also love Krakow’s sweet message, in which she also noted that her excitement and “tears of joy” were not due to hormones. That’s a reference to the fact that the actress is currently pregnant with her first child with husband and co-star Ben Rosenbaum. All in all, Krakow’s had more than a few reasons to celebrate as of late.
Abigail’s return to Hope Valley has long been wondered about by fans. She was name-dropped in the Season 10 finale when Martin Cummins’ Henry was seen staring at Abigail’s Café and going to her door. It was clear Henry still loved and missed her. At the time, Krakow said that while Loughlin wouldn’t be returning for Season 11, she would “love it if she could come back.” So fans have not been the only ones hoping for a return.
Not only will it be excellent to see Loughlin back on When Calls the Heart, but it will also be great to see her on screen again in general. Since the college admissions scandal, the Full House star has slowly been getting back into acting, most recently with the short-lived Dick Wolf Prime drama, On Call. Even though she’s only appearing in six episodes of WCTH that won’t air until Season 14 in 2027, the mere confirmation of her return is enough to keep this fan excited in the meantime.
The wait for Season 14 of When Calls the Heart will be excruciating, but, at the very least, Season 13 premieres on Sunday, January 4 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark. There will be much to look forward to, from Elizabeth and Nathan’s continued relationship to something major impacting Hope Valley, there’s no telling what will go down.