Former When Calls the Heart star Daniel Lissing is donning his red serge again in the season 2 premiere of the spinoff series When Hope Calls. The actor says he couldn’t be happier to revisit the role of Mountie Jack Thornton. And he’s promising fans that his character’s return will happen in a way that fits with the storylines on When Calls the Heart.
Daniel Lissing credits Lori Loughlin for his ‘When Hope Calls’ appearance
Lissing played Jack on When Calls the Heart from 2014 to 2018. But he decided to leave the show at the end of season 5. His character was killed off in an off-screen accident, leaving his pregnant wife Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) a widow.
Loyal fans took Jack’s death hard, with many wishing his character would return to the show in some fashion, even after Elizabeth moved on with saloon owner Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally). They’ll get their wish, in a way, when Lissing makes a cameo appearance as Jack in the upcoming When Hope Calls Christmas special. He credits his former When Calls the Heart co-star Lori Loughlin for making it happen.
“There was definitely a lot of messages and hope from the fans that this character would come back, in some capacity. And so, I got to give credit to Lori. It was her idea essentially,” he recently told ET. “[Loughlin] called me and asked if I’d be down for it. And I was like, ‘Working with you again? Of course!’”
Loughlin played Hope Valley mayor Abigail Stanton until she was fired in 2019 due to her involvement in the college admissions scandal. Her character will also appear in the When Hope Calls Christmas special.
Daniel Lissing says his character’s return will fit with Elizabeth’s ‘When Calls the Heart’ storyline
Jack’s return has some fans wondering how When Hope Calls new season will fit in with When Calls the Heart, especially now that the two shows are airing on different networks. (When Hope Calls has moved from Hallmark Channel to GAC Family for its second season.)
While Lissing wasn’t giving away any spoilers, it doesn’t sound like his When Hope Calls appearance will rewrite anything that’s happened on the other show.
“The most important thing for me was, you have to honor the fans, you have to honor the character and you have to honor Elizabeth’s storyline on [When Calls the Heart],” he said.
Still, Lissing said that fans will appreciate his character’s brief return.
“It just had to make sense, so when we spoke about it and when this scene came to me, I read the scene, and I was like, ‘Great, that works for me in a great way,’” he added. “What you’ll find is that it’s a beautiful scene done in the right way, in my opinion. And I just know the fans are going to really, really get a kick out of seeing that character back on their screens. For sure.”
‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 9 teaser highlights Elizabeth’s romance with Lucas
We are SO sure and SO ready for #WCTH to return! Only ET has the exclusive first footage with @ErinKrakow @ChrisMcNally_ from season 9! #Hearties pic.twitter.com/S0Z9gtcvqw
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) December 14, 2021
While Jack is making a brief return to the When Calls the Heart universe, a teaser for the show’s upcoming ninth season makes it clear Elizabeth has moved on to the next phase of her life. After spending several seasons mourning her late husband, she finally opened her heart to Lucas in the season 8 finale.
A just-released clip from season 9 (which premieres in 2022) shows Elizabeth and Lucas on a romantic hot air balloon ride. “Are you sure?” she asks him. “I have never been more sure,” he replies. “Trust me,” he adds.
When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas airs Saturday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on GAC Family
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