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Kelsey Lentz
Monday, June 10th, 2024
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The mystery of who shot Lucas is about to be solved on Season 11 of When Calls the Heart, but fans are worried that Elizabeth might not make it to the season finale. Does Elizabeth die on When Calls the Heart? We have the answer below.
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Does Elizabeth die on When Calls the Heart?
Hallmark’s hit Western drama is turning up the heat with Season 11’s penultimate episode, and things are not looking good for Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) and Rosemary Coulter (Pascale Hutton). The synopsis for the episode, titled “Run to You,” forewarns that “a notorious gangster threatens the town.”
In Episode 10, fans learned that Casimir Shaw, one of the world’s most wanted criminals, was behind Lucas’ shooting and is also behind Jeanette’s (Cecilia Deacon) bid for the resort. The promo for the upcoming episode shows Shaw coming back into town and seemingly holding Rosemary hostage.
As the editor of The Valley Voice, Rosemary has been investigating Lucas’ shooting and is convinced that it had to do with the resort he is planning on building in Hope Valley. It appears that she may have gotten a little too close to the truth, as the promo shows her trapped in a room with an armed Shaw. Elizabeth also finds herself in danger when she enters the room to talk to Rosemary, who yells at her: “Elizabeth, run!” Rosemary’s warning is too late, however, as Shaw quickly closes the door and turns his gun on Elizabeth.
More: The When Calls the Heart cast’s real-life partners
While both women appear to be in danger, fans are the most concerned with WCTH‘s protagonist. It’s nearly impossible to picture the show without Elizabeth, but the writers have killed off a main character before — Elizabeth’s husband Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing), who tragically died in a landslide during Season 5.
Although the idea of reuniting Elizabeth and Jack in the afterlife is romantic, in a sense, we don’t see the show writing off its main character anytime soon. Additionally, Krakow has shown no indication that she plans on leaving the series.
That being said, co-creator and executive producer Brian Bird is prepared to make the show work without her should she ever choose to exit. During a February 2024 interview with Soaps, Bird told us that “the biggest star of the show is the community.” He added: “People have fallen in love with the community and then they havethese focal points with specific characters that they’re deeply in love with. And I do believe that the show could continue if we had to by morphing, if necessary.” The EP noted of Krakow’s future: “Not that I would ever want to have to do that, or that any of us would ever want to have to do that. We do think [Erin] is the absolute source of everything on When Calls the Heartand we love her. We hope we don’t wear her out and tire her of this whole thing. She could be there forever as far as I’m concerned.”
More: Who is Pascale Hutton’s husband in real life?
As for Rosemary’s fate, Hutton previewed during an interview with TV Insider: “It does end up culminating in a mess for Rosemary … She’s not in a good situation by the end of the season, and I think it really catches her off guard, her circ*mstances that she ends up in.”
When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Peaco*ck.
For more on When Calls the Heart, check out this gallery on the biggest cast exits.
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<p>Since its debut in 2014, <em>When Calls the Heart</em> has become one of the Hallmark Channel’s most cherished series. Hope Valley has lost a few main characters over the show’s 11 seasons, including ones that Hearties will never forget. Read on to discover <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/726537/when-calls-the-heart-cast-where-are-they-now/" target="_blank">who’s left W<em>hen Calls the Heart</em></a> and why they exited the drama.</p><p><a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/693880/when-calls-the-heart-cancelled/" target="_blank"><em>When Calls the Heart</em></a> is Hallmark’s historical drama series following the residents of Hope Valley (previously known as Coal Valley), a small town in Western Canada. The series is based on the <a href=https://clicks.trx-hub.com/xid/pmc_0aaa4_soaps?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FWhen-Calls-Heart-Canadian-West%2Fdp%2F076421229X%2F%3Ftag%3Dsoaps0f6-20%26asc_source%3Dweb%26asc_campaign%3Dweb%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fsoaps.sheknows.com%252Fsoaps%252Fnews%252F726537%252Fwhen-calls-the-heart-cast-where-are-they-now%252F&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsoaps.sheknows.com%2Fsoaps%2Fnews%2F733645%2Fwhen-calls-the-heart-season-12-release-date%2F&ref=pmcTrackonomicsReferrer&event_type=click target="_blank">Janette Oke book</a> and the original 2013 Hallmark movie by the same name. It centers around Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow), a young teacher accustomed to high-society life who moves to Hope Valley to teach her first classroom.</p><p>The beloved series returned for its 11th season in April 2024 with a bang (literally). In the Season 11 premiere, it was revealed that Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) was shot but survived his wound. After the incident, Hearties were worried that the show was writing Lucas off, especially after Elizabeth called off their wedding and relationship in the Season 10 finale.</p><p>“We can assure everyone that Lucas is back for season 11. He’s a huge part of Hope Valley and always will be,” showrunner Lindsay Sturman clarified to <a href="https://www.etonline.com/wcth-boss-weighs-in-on-season-10-finale-lucas-and-elizabeths-split-possible-nathan-romance" target="_blank"><em>Entertainment Tonight</em></a> in October 2023. “But there’s definitely a cliffhanger and a few mysteries packed in there, and it will all be revealed next season.”</p><p>While Lucas is safe, one fan-favorite <em>When Calls the Heart</em> character might not be: Kayla Wallace’s character Fiona Miller. In Season 11, it’s revealed that Fiona is away working with her sister and the other Suffragettes, but with much work still to be done securing women’s rights, she will not be returning to Hope Valley right now. It’s unknown when and if Fiona will return.</p><p>Erin Krakow told <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/1130450/when-calls-the-heart-season-11-premiere-recap-elizabeth-nathan-erin-krakow/" target="_blank"><em>TV Insider</em></a> in April 2024 that Wallace had a scheduling conflict with another project. The actress was recently cast in Taylor Sheridan’s new Paramount+ series Landman.</p><p>“We love Kayla Wallace. We would love for her to be in every episode. Kayla had a really incredible opportunity on another TV series that films out of town. We’re excited for her,” she explained. While she said, “We are hoping that we’ll be able to have Fiona back for some episodes,” Krakow didn’t know for sure. “Who knows? But yeah, we truly, truly over the moon thrilled for Kayla.”</p><p>As we wait to learn Fiona’s fate in Season 11, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the biggest cast exits on <em>When Calls the Heart</em> that Hearties are still not over.</p>
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<p>Paul Greene portrayed Dr. Carson Shepherd, Hope Valley’s new town doctor, from Seasons 4 to 8 of <em>When Calls the Heart</em>. He left the Hallmark series at the end of Season 8 after debating whether to accept the fellowship at Johns Hopkins and become a surgeon or propose to Faith (Andrea Brooks). Ultimately, he decided to take the fellowship and left Hope Valley.</p><p>Greene left the series in Season 8 to pursue new opportunities and focus on his family. At the time, he was expecting his first child with fiancée Kate Austin. “I also had a baby and was able to be there for the whole pregnancy,” the actor told <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/1071398/paul-greene-christmas-movies-when-calls-the-heart-candace-cameron-bure/?mibextid=Zxz2cZ" target="_blank"><em>TV Insider</em></a> in 2022.</p><p>He continued, “I would never give up any of that for extra seasons. I have my gift…I make music, I have a podcast. I’m writing a parenting book. I try to be as present for all the little things. There is the whole fitness side. My wife and I coach people through a transformation process and a program called Freedom Alchemist. I have to tell myself enough to slow down and think about what my main priority is and go from there.”</p>
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<p>Lori Loughlin starred as Abigail Stanton from Seasons 1 to 6 of <em>When Calls the Heart</em>. As one of the first widows introduced on the show, she moved to Hope Valley several years before her husband Noah and son Peter died in a mine explosion. Loughlin’s last episode was in Season 6 when <em>When Calls the Heart</em> wrote Abigail out by having her leave Hope Valley to take care of a sick family member.</p><p>Hallmark cut ties with Loughlin in March 2019 after she was arrested for her participation in Operation Varsity Blues, a criminal conspiracy aimed at getting students undergraduate admissions into elite universities in the U.S. According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lori-loughlin-returns-television-after-prison-time-college-admissions-scandal-n1280280" target="_blank"><em>NBC News</em></a>, “Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, admitted having paid $500,000 to Rick Singer and Key Worldwide Foundation to falsely designate her daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli, 20, and Isabella Rose Giannulli, 21, as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team.”</p><p>Brian Bird, the co-creator of <em>WhenCalls the Heart</em>, said that he would welcome Abigail back to the show in the future. “Some of the fans have asked what will happen to Abigail’s character, and shared their opinion that Hope Valley should be an example of forgiveness and grace,” he told <a href="https://www.fromthedesk.org/wcth-returns-creative-hiatus/" target="_blank"><em>From the Desk</em></a> in 2019. “As Lori’s friend, I could not agree more, and Hope Valley will always be a place of second chances. However, in the real world, having a heart of forgiveness does not mean that justice can be ignored.”</p>
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<p>Daniel Lissing portrayed Jack Thornton, Elizabeth’s main love interest, for Seasons 1 to 5 of <em>When Calls The Heart</em>. The couple tied the knot in Season 5, but a few days after their wedding, Jack is killed in a landslide while away on a training mission in Fort Clay. After his death, Elizabeth reveals she is pregnant and gives birth to a baby boy, whom she named after her late husband.</p><p>Lissing explained in a Facebook Live that he exited <em>When Calls the Heart</em> for personal reasons. “Circ*mstances arose for me where I needed to leave When Calls the Heart for reasons that are very personal to me,” he said. “I went to Hallmark and they were nothing but supportive of me. I went to the girls and they were nothing but supportive of me.”</p><p>The actor told <a href="https://www.etonline.com/daniel-lissing-has-no-regrets-leaving-when-calls-the-heart-because-of-this-heartwarming-reason" target="_blank"><em>Entertainment Tonight</em></a> in 2020 that he has “no regrets” about leaving. “It’s funny the way the world works. If I had stayed on the show, and been there during season 6 and shot and all that kind of stuff, then I wouldn’t have met [my fiancee] Nadia, you know? And I wouldn’t be getting married and I wouldn’t be at this place in my life where I feel really in line with what I’m meant to be doing personally and professionally, so no regrets at all,” he explained.</p>
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<p>Eva Bourne starred as Clara Stanon, Abigail Stanton’s daughter-in-law, from seasons 2 to 8 of <em>When Calls the Heart</em>. Clara lost her husband Peter to a coal mining accident just two days after their wedding, along with his father and 46 other men. Eva eventually marries Jesse Flynn, but they leave Hope Valley unexpectedly in Season 8 and don’t return.</p><p>“They’re homesteading,” Erin Krakow told the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MHXVRbDSp0"><em>Hallmarkies Podcast</em></a> when asked about their whereabouts. “Their characters are homesteading somewhere as newlyweds, but they’re not in Hope Valley with us this season. We miss them.”</p><p>It’s currently unknown why Eva Bourne left <em>When Calls the Heart,</em> other than she was written off for creative reasons. The actress went on to star in projects like CW’s <em>Arrow</em>, Netflix’s<em> Firefly Lane</em>, Prime Video’s <em>The Man in the High Castle</em>, and Paramount+’s <em>Star Trek: Discovery.</em></p>
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<p>Aren Buchholz played Jesse Flynn, someone who knew Frank during his sketchy past and arrived in Hope Valley to persuade the now-Pastor to rejoin the gang. Like Clara Stanton, Buchholz was likely written off for creative reasons after Jesse and Clara married and moved out of Hope Valley.</p><p>Since leaving <em>When Calls the Heart</em>, Aren hasn’t opened up about his exit and hasn’t appeared in other projects for the network. He’s appeared on the TV series <em>Reginald the Vampire</em> and had a guest role on the series <em>Family Law</em>.</p>
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