‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 9 Premiere Date Revealed (Exclusive)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: When Calls the Heart is back on television!

ET can exclusively reveal that season 9 of the beloved Hallmark Channel drama will premiere Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Plus -- there’s an extra cherry on top: once again, hearties will be treated to 12 all-new episodes. It’s a precedent that was set in season 8, when the long-running series was upped from their previous 10-episode order in seasons past.

This next chapter in Hope Valley, which Hallmark promises will be full of “romance, drama and friendship,” will pick up where things left off in the season 8 finale. Some of the most memorable moments include Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) choosing to pursue a courtship with Lucas (Chris McNally) over Nathan (Kevin McGarry), Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) and Lee (Kavan Smith) finding new career passions and Angela Canfield (Vienna Leacock) gaining the support of her schoolmates to successfully enroll in Mrs. Thornton’s class. 

ET has learned, “Hope Valley is in a state of growth, with the foundry’s progress and the evolution of key relationships.  The Mayoral race has the town buzzing with a few members of the town running against one another. Elizabeth and Lucas focus on their relationship beyond courtship, and as she gets to know Lucas better, she learns about his past which gives Elizabeth pause about their future.”

In the exclusive image from season 9 below, it appears as though some major excitement is trickling into town. Faith, Nathan, Elizabeth, Little Jack and a few on-lookers appear stunned by something that occurs in the town center. Faith and Elizabeth especially look surprised -- perhaps Mr. Bouchard has some tricks up his sleeve? 

There’s also some new faces in town, like the striking Mei Suo. ET spoke exclusively with the actress behind the role, Amanda Wong, who describes her character as “strong and intelligent, loves animals and is super passionate.” Plus, after watching this preview clip, it seems there’s potential for a romance with Nathan. 

Also joining the folks in Hope Valley this season is Hyland Goodrich, a young Vancouver-based actor taking over the role of Little Jack (Elizabeth’s son), previously played by twins Lincoln and Gunnar Taylor. Last month, ET exclusively revealed the news of Goodrich’s casting and the first photo of him on set with Lucas and his on-screen mom. Krakow, who’s also an executive producer on the long-running series, told ET at the time, “Hyland has brought so much joy and laughter to Hope Valley. He’s a natural in front of the camera and his improvisations had us all grinning! We can’t wait for the Hearties to fall in love with Hyland’s performance, as we have.” 

Rest assured that ET will continue covering WCTH every step of the way throughout season 9 with many exclusives, clips and interviews to look forward to! But truthfully, we got a head start right after the season 8 finale, when we spoke with Krakow, McNally and McGarry about the resolution of the love triangle and what’s next for our favorite school teacher, saloon owner and town Mountie. Watch the video below to find out!

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