"When Calls the Heart"'s Erin Krakow Teases 'Renewed Hope' and Elizabeth's 'Triumphant Return to Hope Valley' in Season 13 (Exclusive) Breanne L. HeldmanJanuary 5, 2026 at 1:29 AM 0 Hallmark Media/David Dolsen Erin Krakow and Kevin McGarry in When Calls the Heart season 13 When Calls the Heart returns for season 13 on Sunday, Jan. 4 on Hallmark Channel. Star Erin Krakow shares with PEOPLE a few hints at what's to come.
- - "When Calls the Heart"'s Erin Krakow Teases 'Renewed Hope' and Elizabeth's 'Triumphant Return to Hope Valley' in Season 13 (Exclusive)
Breanne L. HeldmanJanuary 5, 2026 at 1:29 AM
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Hallmark Media/David Dolsen
Erin Krakow and Kevin McGarry in When Calls the Heart season 13 -
When Calls the Heart returns for season 13 on Sunday, Jan. 4 on Hallmark Channel.
Star Erin Krakow shares with PEOPLE a few hints at what's to come.
The actress speaks about what's new in Hope Valley — including a stoplight! — and how Nathan (Kevin McGarry) and Charlotte (Brooke Shields) are getting along
Expect even more hope in Hope Valley in season 13 of When Calls the Heart.
At the end of season 12, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), her son Little Jack (Hyland Goodrich), her boyfriend Nathan (Kevin McGarry) and his niece / adoptive daughter Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller) left the town they call home and headed to Cape Fullerton to be closer to an insulin clinic for Jack's diabetes treatment.
"The end of season 12 was pretty fraught for Elizabeth, and it was a really dramatic way to end the season," Krakow, 41, admits to PEOPLE. "But luckily, we start season 13 with some very renewed hope, and we're seeing Elizabeth, Nathan, Little Jack and Allie preparing for their triumphant return to Hope Valley."
But what new challenges might they face? And how is Charlotte Thornton (Brooke Shields), the mother of Elizabeth's late husband, going to react to meeting Nathan, who may even propose this season? Read on for more hints from Krakow.
Jeff Weddell/Hallmark
Jaeda Lily Miller, Kevin McGarry, Erin Krakow and Hyland Goodrich in When Calls the Heart season 13
PEOPLE: After everything that happened in the season 12 finale, how is little Jack doing now?
ERIN KRAKOW: Little Jack is doing very well. I think they've settled into a new normal. Not to get into too much of the history of it, but at the time in 1921, diabetes was a very, very scary diagnosis. Luckily, insulin was created in that same year — we were able to have this magical treatment — and getting to include some of that history, I think, is very meaningful. It's fun to get to include some real-life history in the stories we're telling.
It's now the early 1920s. Are there other historical things to look forward to?
There's a few. We've got a stoplight. There's not that much traffic in Hope Valley, so I don't know how much use it's going to get, or if it'll even stick around, but we've got a stoplight. And a motion picture is coming to town. We're inching our way into the future. But I think one of the things that people really like about watching When Calls the Heart is it's a rural community that, even though the world is continuing to progress in time and development, Hope Valley is still staying true to its roots.
Another thing that's new, at least at the beginning of the season, is Nathan's mustache.
Yes. Kevin can't get enough of that thing.
What does Elizabeth think of it?
Well, Elizabeth is very supportive of whatever choice Nathan wants to make about his facial hair. I think we know how Allie feels about it: She thinks it hides his smile. I support Kevin. If he wants a mustache, let him have a mustache. It's meaningful to him. And, truly, I think he looks good either way, so whatever he needs.
Hallmark Media/Sven Boecker
Kevin McGarry and Erin Krakow in When Calls the Heart season 13
The whole crew going to Cape Fullerton means Nathan's been living with Charlotte. That's got to be kind of awkward. How are they getting along?
They're getting along pretty well, actually. We kind of skip over any of the truly awkward bits of like, "Hi, mother-in-law. This is my new boyfriend." We're not really seeing that part. But we see that Nathan is working overtime to impress Charlotte. She has him doing this to-do list around the boarding house at the beginning of the first episode, and he's trying his best to impress her.
It's a really nice dynamic, and we see that play out, not just in the season premiere, but in an episode later this season, when Charlotte returns to Hope Valley. It's an episode that is going to be so meaningful to the fans. It's full of stories and memories of Jack, Sr, and there are a lot of Easter eggs in that episode.
Hallmark Media/David Dolsen
Kevin McGarry and Brooke Shields in When Calls the Heart season 13
How did it feel having Brooke back on set?
It was the best. I love working with Brooke. I loved it back in season 3, and I've wanted her to come back for many years, both because I enjoy her personally, but also she is such a pro. She takes the work so seriously. She elevates any material she's given.
And especially now, years after Jack Sr. has passed away in our story, her presence keeps his memory alive in a more tangible way. And especially as little Jack is reaching a point where he's getting older and having more questions about his father, getting to see the two of them interact, it's sort of irreplaceable. It's necessary, and I'm glad that we were able to get her back this season.
What does it mean to you to be coming back for a 13th season — and with a 14th already greenlit? That's a wild number, especially in the TV landscape today.
Yeah, it is a wild number. I am just so grateful. I mean, this set and this community of people is such a happy place for me. I show up to work every season feeling a lot of joy and gratitude in my heart. It's just, we don't have egos in this cast or crew. Everyone is truly happy to be here. And I'm just very grateful to Hallmark and to the Hearties, our loyal fans, for continuing to rally behind us and be so engaged in this show.
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When Calls the Heart season 13 premieres Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel and will stream the next day on Hallmark+.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 04, 2026 at 10:36PM on Source: ANDY MAG
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