When Calls The Heart Shocker: Lori Loughlin Sets Return — Find Out When Abigail Will First Appear

Huge news out of Hope Valley: Not only has "When Calls the Heart" been renewed for Season 14 — weeks out from its Season 13 premiere — but Hallmark Channel has announced that original cast member Lori Loughlin will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton. 

The "Full House" vet will appear in six out of 12 episodes — half of Season 14 — with her episodes slated to air in 2027.

"Since the series' debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties," Hallmark Media head of programming Michelle Vicary said in a statement Tuesday. "At its core the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of 'When Calls the Heart.' We felt that Season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail's story with her return to this beloved series."

Loughlin's character was jettisoned from "When Calls the Heart" midway through Season 6, after the actress was implicated in the infamous college admissions scandal of 2019. In turn, the Hallmark original went on a brief hiatus and returned three months later, with Loughlin's scenes scrubbed from Season 6's remaining seven episodes. Accounting for Hope Valley's M.I.A. mayor, Elizabeth revealed that Abigail had left town to take care of her sickly mother. With her, Abigail took adopted son Cody. Two years later, they resurfaced for one night only, on the Great American Family spinoff "When Hope Calls."

As previously reported, "When Calls the Heart" Season 13 premieres Sunday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. — and will see the return of another series vet, Brooke Shields, who will resurface as Jack's mother, Charlotte Thornton, as part of a three-episode arc.

Are you looking forward to Lori Loughlin's return to "When Calls the Heart"? Even happier that it has already been renewed for Season 14? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.