Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart” got its return date after pausing in March when star Lori Loughlin was charged in the nationwide college admissions scheme.
Hallmark announced on April 10 that the show will return on May 5.
Another new episode will air on May 6.
Producers weighed how to remove Loughlin’s character Abigail Stanton and settled on re-editing the already-shot season 6 episodes to remove any appearances by the actress, despite Stanton being an integral part of the show, a source told Entertainment Weekly.
“When Calls the Heart” is the highest-rated show in Hallmark history, with the three episodes that have already aired for season 6 drawing big numbers for the network. The season 6 premiere, for instance, brought in 3.6 million viewers in Live+3, trailing only longtime cable hit “The Walking Dead” for the week.
BIG NEWS, HEARTIES! When Calls the Heart officially returns to Hallmark Channel with two back-to-back episodes…
Posted by Hallmark Channel USA on Wednesday, April 10, 2019
The removal of Stanton required some highly creative editing and minor reshoots, according to Entertainment Weekly. As a result, season 6 will only have six episodes. The season originally featured seven episodes.
Hallmark cut ties with Loughlin the day after she was charged.
A page hailing Loughlin as a big part of the “iconic series” is still live on the Hallmark website and makes no mention of her removal from the show or her being embroiled in the scandal, nor does an episode guide for season 6, which still includes Loughlin.
Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli were indicted in the nationwide college scheme after prosecutors gathered evidence showing they paid $500,000 to a nonprofit run by William “Rick” Singer in exchange for Singer getting their two daughters designated as recruits for the University of Southern California’s crew team, despite the girls having no competitive experience in rowing.
“We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin”
Posted by NTD Television on Thursday, March 14, 2019
Both Olivia Jade, 19, and Isabella, 20, were admitted to the elite college.
Singer funneled some of the money to a woman working for him inside the school, who helped the girls get designated as recruits.
Later, cooperating with federal investigators, he called Giannulli and Loughlin. In a conversation with Singer, Loughlin told him she would lie to the Internal Revenue Service.
Singer pleaded guilty on March 12 to racketeering and conspiracy charges and is set to be sentenced in June.
Loughlin and Giannulli have not entered a plea, unlike actress Felicity Huffman and some other parents charged in the scheme. As a result, they were hit with a second charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering on top of the first charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and honest services fraud.
They each face up to 40 years in prison and fines into the six figures.
