When Calls The Heart Abigail Stanton Returns! Lori Loughlin Rejoins WCTH Season 14 In Major Twist

Hallmark Channel When Calls The Heart spoilers and updates have some good news for Hearties! WCTH has been renewed for a fourteenth season, and Lori Loughlin is returning as Abigail Stanton!

Fan Favorites Returning Has Become Quite A Theme

Fan favorites are coming back to Hope Valley often. Before Loughlin, Brooke Shields will return for the first time in 10 years as Charlotte Thornton, Elizabeth Thornton’s (Erin Krakow)  late husband’s mother, in three episodes.

At the end of season 12, Elizabeth, her boyfriend Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry), Nathan’s niece/adoptive daughter Allie Grant (Jaeda Lily Miller), and Elizabeth’s son Little Jack Thornton (Hyland Goodrich) went to Cape Fullerton.

They planned to stay with Charlotte, so Little Jack could be closer to an insulin lab for his diabetes. It was an important milestone in the treatment of diabetes, never having used insulin for someone so young.

A Familiar Face Returns To Hope Valley

Hope Valley will soon welcome back a familiar face; this news arrives before the season 13 premiere, nearly seven years after Loughlin’s last episode in season 6. Loughlin, 61, will feature in six of the 12 episodes for the season, which starts filming next year and will air in 2027.

The main cast, including Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry, Jack Wagner, Chris McNally, Pascale Hutton, and Kavan Smith, will also return for season 14.

“Since the show started in 2014, Abigail Stanton has been a fan favorite among the Hearties,” says Michelle Vicary, Hallmark Media’s programming head, to PEOPLE.

“The Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity, and connection, which aligns with the theme of WCTH-we believe season 14 is the perfect time to bring back Abigail’s story in this cherished series.

Abigail Was Elizabeth’s First Friend In Hope Valley

Abigail, a widow, is cherished as Elizabeth Thornton’s (Erin Krakow)  first friend in Hope Valley. She was written off the show in 2019 due to the college admissions scandal, serving two months in jail.

Loughlin’s last episode aired on March 10, 2019, followed by a short break as the show adjusted without her.

When it returned in May, it began with Elizabeth’s voiceover, stating, “We never know how life will turn. It’s been a week since Abigail learned her mother was ill back East; true to form, Abigail hurried off to care for her.”

Lori Loughlin Returned To Acting After The Scandal

Since after the scandal, Loughlin has successfully returned to acting, featuring in Curb Your Enthusiasm and playing a cop in Dick Wolf’s Prime Video drama On Call. She also reprised her role as Abigail in two episodes of When Hope Calls on Great American Family in 2021.

In 2023, When Calls the Heart co-creator Brian Bird suggested Loughlin might return to Hope Valley.

“What I can say is that there are good conversations happening,” he mentioned on the Heart to Hearties podcast; “We can’t guarantee anything, but there are good conversations happening around this topic.”

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