There’s going to be a mini Little House on the Prairie reunion during When Calls the Heart‘s twelfth season! Hallmark Channel announced this weekend that Melissa Gilbert will guest-star on the long-running Hallmark Channel series in a two-episode arc. Gilbert played Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie for its run and will now be joining Erin Krakow‘s Elizabeth Thatcher in Hope Valley in the upcoming season.
The new season of When Calls the Heart is slated to return in 2025. Hallmark Channel revealed at this year’s Hearties Family Reunion, that Gilbert will be playing Georgie McGill, someone “who shares a surprising past with one special Hope Valley resident.” The connection between When Calls the Heart and Little House on the Prairie (which originally aired on NBC) runs deep. Michael Landon Jr. is the executive producer on the Hallmark Channel series and is son of Michael Landon, who played Gilbert’s father on Little House on the Prairie. Landon Jr. also did a small guest star role on the American frontier series.
‘When Calls the Heart’ – The ‘Little House on the Prairie’ of the 21st Century?
“When Calls the Heart has long drawn comparisons to Little House on the Prairie,” Kelly Garrett, VP of Programming for Hallmark Media explains. Garrett says the reason for that is “for its charming and compelling stories of hope, human connection and frontier survival.” When Calls the Heart follows the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, who traveled to the Canadian West in the 19th Century to pursue a teaching position. Over its 11 seasons, the series has seen a large cast of characters phase in and out, including Daniel Lissing, who played Elizabeth’s original love interest.
Lissing played Canadian Mountie Jack Thorton, who died when Lissing left the show. Other cast over the years have included Pascale Hutton (Once Upon a Time), Kavan Smith, Martin Cummins, and Jack Wagner. Gilbert will now be joining a long list of guest stars including Brooke Shields and James Brolin. Both shows also share similar origins. Little House on the Prairie was based on the book series written by the real-life Laura Ingalls Wilder and When Calls the Heart was a book series penned by Janette Oke. Before, When Calls the Heart was adapted, Oke’s Love Comes Softly book series, which also featured the American Western Frontier, was made into films by Hallmark Channel.
“It was only fitting that the first people to hear this special news were the Hearties – devoted fans who have celebrated the show year after year and made it such a success.” Garrett concludes, explaining why the news was dropped at the annual Hearties Family Reunion. “The energy being here with them to share this news is electric and we cannot wait for them to meet Georgie next year.”
When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Hallmark+ in the U.S. Season 12 returns to Hallmark Channel next year. You can watch Little House on the Prairie on Peacock.
Watch on Peacock
