Corus Entertainment on Monday announced Hope Valley: 1874, a new prequel series to Hallmark’s beloved When Calls the Heart, will premiere Sunday, March 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on W Network and will be available to stream on StackTV.
Filmed in Vancouver, this eight-episode series explores the early days of the frontier settlement that later became Hope Valley, “chronicling the courage, resilience and relationships that laid the foundation for the close-knit town viewers have come to love,” says a Corus press release.
Featuring several Canadian cast members, Hope Valley: 1874 stars Bethany Joy Lenz (A Biltmore Christmas), Canadian Benjamin Ayres (The Santa Class), Canadian Jill Hennessy (City on a Hill), Canadian Roan Curtis (Firefly Lane) and Lachlan Quarmby (Providence Falls). Joining the ensemble cast are Canadians Jedidiah Goodacre (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Chelsea Hobbs (Deck the Halls on Cherry Lane), as well as Brad Abramenko (A Splash of Love) and Mila Morgan (The Holiday Sitter).
Lenz portrays Rebecca Clarke, who travels from her home city of Chicago to the western Canadian frontier with her 11-year-old daughter, Sarah (played by Morgan). When her wagon breaks down and she realizes the boarding house is not as advertised, Rebecca has no choice but to accept help from local rancher and confirmed bachelor Tom Moore (Ayres). Despite Rebecca’s best intentions to remain unattached, she slowly falls for Tom and develops a friendship with tenacious pioneer woman Hattie Quinn (Hennessy). Hattie’s daughter, Olivia (Curtis), helps run their trading post and catches the eye of Constable Alexander Vaughn (Quarmby), much to the dismay of ruggedly handsome blacksmith Clayton Cooley (Goodacre), who harbours feelings for her. Rounding out the show’s characters are Tom’s foreman, Nash McCabe (Abramenko), and Nash’s wife, Peggy (Hobbs).
Produced for Hallmark, Hope Valley: 1874 is from production company All Canadian Entertainment. Executive producers of the series include Brad Krevoy, Brian Bird, Michael Landon Jr., Amy Hartwick, Olivia Krevoy, Vicki Sotheran, Greg Malcolm, Alfonso Moreno and Susie Belzberg. Mike Rohl and Elizabeth Stewart are co-executive producers, and Jennifer Siddle and Melody Fox serve as consulting producers.
Hope Valley: 1874, When Calls the Heart and W Network’s hit series can be streamed on StackTV, available on Amazon Prime Video, Bell Fibe TV app, Fubo, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming.
Image courtesy of Corus
