Hallmark Channel has set a return date for the Lori Loughlin-free sixth season of “When Calls the Heart.”
The Western period drama was put on hiatus last month after the network cut ties with Loughlin amid her ongoing college admissions scandal. Producers said at the time that the show had not been canceled but would undergo some “retooling” to remove her involvement. The series is now set to return with two new episodes on Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6.
The news was announced by “When Calls the Heart” star Erin Krakow in a video on Wednesday. The network said at the time that it would have further news about the show on Saturday.
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were one of dozens of parents arrested last month after federal investigators said they paid thousands of dollars in bribes to get their children into top universities like Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC. Loughlin has since been charged with a number of crimes, including money laundering and wire fraud.
In a statement last month, Hallmark parent company Crown Media said it was “saddened” by the news of Loughlin’s alleged involvement in the scheme and had decided to cut ties with the actress.
“We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin including ‘Garage Sale Mysteries,’ an independent third party production,” the company said.
“Let us reassure you, ‘When Calls the Heart’ has always been bigger than the sum of its parts, and it has not been canceled,” the show’s producers said in their own statement. “With the full support of the network, we have gone on a creative hiatus to do some retooling on the remaining Season 6 episodes.”
The sixth season had wrapped production last October, with Loughlin still on board as a series regular. It remains unclear how much rewriting and re-shooting the show had to undergo in order to remove Loughlin’s involvement.
#Hearties, we’re excited to announce When Calls the Heart returns with a special 2-night back-to-back premiere event beginning May 5 at 8pm/7c and continuing May 6 at 8pm/7c! ❤️ Tune in during the premiere of #BottledWithLove Saturday at 8pm/7c for another BIG WCTH announcement! pic.twitter.com/5IWNqk3kT0
— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) April 10, 2019