Season 13 of When the heart calls has officially started, so when will fans see it Lori Loughlin return as Abigail Stanton?
Erin Krakowwho plays Elizabeth Thornton in the Hallmark series, explained exclusively Us Weekly ahead of the Season 13 premiere on Sunday, January 4, viewers won’t see Loughlin return this year.
“Lori Loughlin is coming back for season 14,” Krakow, 41, confirmed, noting that she is “so excited” and “so happy” about Loughlin’s return.
The actress confessed: “I can’t tell you anything because I don’t know anything about it. We haven’t written the season yet.”
Although WCTH Season 14 remains a mystery, Krakow said we she “can’t wait” to see Loughlin’s character Abigail “reunite with her friends and especially with Henry,” who is played by Martin Cummins.
“I’m so excited for the moment when Elizabeth and Abigail finally hug each other ‘hello’ after so many years apart,” Krakow continued. “But there’s always been something between Henry Gowen and Abigail, and I can’t wait to see how it develops.”
Loughlin, 61, and Krakow were part of the original cast of When the heart calls when it was released in 2014.
Before Kevin McGarry booked his role in When Calls the Heart, Lori Loughlin took him to a chemistry reading. “There was a problem at the studio, and the chemistry reading I was supposed to have with (co-star) Erin (Krakow) was delayed. And they said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re figuring this out, we’ll send someone over.'” (…)
After six seasons on the show, Seal cut ties with Loughlin in March 2019 amid his connection to the college admissions scandal.
Loughlin and her now separated husband Mossi Giannulli initially denied involvement in allegedly paying for her daughters, beautiful27 i Olivia Jade26, to be admitted to the University of Southern California. They later changed their guilty pleas to wire and mail fraud charges and served two and five monthsrespectively, in prison. (we confirmed in October 2025 that Loughlin and Giannulli had it separated after 27 years together.)
Hallmark explained Loughlin’s absence during season 6 of the seriesrevealing during a May 2019 episode that Abigail had left Hope Valley he helps his sick mother in the east.
When the heart calls has continued to tell the story of its residents in Hope Valley, but Loughlin and her character, Abigail, have never been far from the minds of the cast.
Erin Krakow, Lori Loughlin.
Eike Schroter/Crown Media“I think there’s been a lot of people who (have) said we’d like to have her back,” Kevin McGarrywho plays Mountie Nathan Grant on the show, explained exclusively we from Loughlin in June 2024. “It’s not our decision, of course.”
Meanwhile, Krakow has remained friends with Loughlin during her six-year hiatus from the show, teasing on more than one occasion how much he wanted the actress to return.
“I love Lori Loughlin and I love the character she created, Abigail Stanton,” Krakow explained exclusively we in November 2025, saying that he certainly hoped they were “closer” to bringing her back to the hit series.
Weeks later, it was announced that Loughlin will return to the show for six of the 12 episodes of the upcoming season.
“Since the series’ debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton has been a fan favorite and beloved by Hearties,” said Hallmark Media’s head of programming. Michelle Vicary, he said in a statement in December 2025. “At its core, the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of When the heart calls. We felt season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail’s story with her return to this beloved series.”
Krakow was delighted with the announcement, explaining we the same month that Loughlin’s story is being kept under wraps at the moment.
“I have no idea what they are going to write for usbut I hope we get to learn more about what Abigail has been doing, where she’s been,” Krakow reflected in December 2025. “We know she went off to take care of her sick mother, but we don’t really know much beyond that, what’s become of Cody (Carter Evancic) and Becky (Ali Skovbye), their adopted children. There’s a lot to learn.”
Krakow noted, “It’s going to be really exciting for Abigail to be able to see all the ways that Hope Valley has changed since she’s been away, the different relationships, the new characters, a lot of things have changed.”
When the heart calls airs on Hallmark Channel Sundays at 8 pm ET.