When Calls the Heart

Elizabeth Thatcher, a young school teacher from a wealthy Eastern family, migrates from the big city to teach school in a small coal mining town in the west.

When Calls the Heart (2014-present) is an American Hallmark Channel frontier drama series created by Michael Landon Jr. and Brian Bird. Erin Krakow plays Elizabeth Thatcher, a young schoolteacher from a wealthy Eastern family who arrives in a small coal mining town in the American West and must win over townsfolk wary of her city manners. Daniel Lissing plays Jack Thornton, a mountain man whose gruff independence provides the story's central romantic tension, while Pascale Hutton plays Rosemary LeVeaux, a nurse and friend who anchors the community. Jack Wagner's Bill Avery and Kavan Smith's Leland Coulter add further layers of local loyalty and rivalry. The engine of each season is practical: a teacher stretching meager classroom resources, a mining town facing labor disputes, illness, and the ordinary hardships of rural life, all resolved through neighborly faith and perseverance. The show runs as a continuing story across thirteen seasons, with episodes that mix self-contained community problems and long-running romantic arcs. Set in the early twentieth century, it carries a sunlit, sincere, and hopeful tone, with warm domestic scenes and wholesome drama. Fans of Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Heartland will find the same comforting frontier optimism and family-centered storytelling here.

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the warm, inspirational frontier romance and its wholesome tone across its long run.

• Little House on the Prairieshared wholesome frontier romance and gentle inspirational tone with a schoolteacher heroine
• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Womanshared Western period setting with a principled female lead and small-town community drama
• Heartlandshared earnest romance-driven drama set in the American frontier with a warm, uplifting register

Created by

Michael Landon Jr., Brian Bird

Release Date

2014-01-11

Episode runtime

42 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (161)

What is When Calls the Heart about?

A refined Eastern schoolteacher brings learning and hope to a rugged coal mining town in the American West.

What is When Calls the Heart like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of When Calls the Heart as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is When Calls the Heart violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in When Calls the Heart.

What did critics think of When Calls the Heart?

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the warm, inspirational frontier romance and its wholesome tone across its long run.

Which shows are like When Calls the Heart?

Shows with a similar feel include Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Heartland.

How long is When Calls the Heart?

When Calls the Heart: 13 seasons, 139 episodes.

Is When Calls the Heart still running?

Yes, When Calls the Heart is still running.

Where can I watch When Calls the Heart?

In United States, When Calls the Heart streams on fuboTV, Philo, Hallmark+ Amazon Channel, Hallmark+ Apple TV channel, Hallmark TV Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.