By Lori Perkins
Image from Getty Images
After serving her prison term for fraud in the college admissions scandal involving her daughter, once-beloved Hallmark actress Lori Loughlin will not be returning to When Calls the Heart. However, she will be coming back to When Hope Calls for Season Two, on a new network.
When Hope Calls went on the air in in 2019 on Hallmark's streaming service, and is a spin off of When Calls the Heart. It is centered on Hope Valley's neighboring town of Brookfield, so it isn't creative that Laughlin’s When Calls the Heart character Abigail is taking a trip down the road just like the character’s Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) and Lee (Kavan Smith) , who made appearances during the show's first season.
Hallmark released a statement reiterating their commitment to NOT work with Laughlin again via Showbiz Cheat Sheet. "Hallmark Channel has not cast Lori Loughlin in any current projects, including When Calls the Heart, nor do we have any plans to cast her in the future. She was cast by GAC Family, a wholly separate cable network not affiliated with Hallmark Channel or Crown Media Family Networks."
We think they are trying to have it both ways, but we’ll see how their audience feels.