Lori Loughlin made a surprise return as Abigail Stanton in the season 13 finale of When Calls the Heart
NEED TO KNOW
Abigail, a fan-favorite character, last appeared in 2019
Loughlin is set to appear in at least six episodes of season 14, airing in 2027
Abigail Stanton is back in Hope Valley earlier than expected.
Lori Loughlinmakes a surprise appearance at the tail end ofWhen Calls the Heart's season 13 finale. As PEOPLE first reported in December last year,Loughlin will be returningto the hit Hallmark Channel series for season 14, but fans (we see you, Hearties) were treated to an early tease.
In the episode, after Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Nathan's (Kevin McGarry) engagement and after Elizabeth's thoughtful voice-over monologue, a car rolls down the main street of Hope Valley, past Yost's Mercantile, and pulls over in front of the Visitor's Center.
The camera focuses in on a woman's foot stepping out of the car and pans up: It's Abigail. Smiling, she looks around and says, "It's good to be home."
Loughlin was an original cast member when the Western drama first premiered in 2014. Her character, Abigail, is a widow and is beloved as Elizabeth's first friend in Hope Valley. She last appeared in March 2019, and it was laterexplainedthrough one of Elizabeth's voice-overs that Abigail had gone "back East" to take care of her mother, who had fallen ill.
"I'm so happy," Krakow told PEOPLE in December. "Lori is one of my best friends. She has such a good heart and is so kind and generous and loving. And getting to spend time with her is a real gift."
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"I really feel like her character has been missed in Hope Valley," Krakow continued. "The fact that we're getting to bring back Abigail and learn about where she's been and see her reconnect with all of these characters that we know and love, it's just going to be so special for the fans, certainly. But it's also so special for our whole cast and crew because we've been missing her, and I just can't wait for that reunion."
Loughlin, 61, has since shared her own excitement at returning to the long-running show during appearances at theHallmark Christmas Experience in Kansas City in December and a celebration ofWhen Calls the Heartand its new prequel series,Hope Valley: 1874, on March 18.
"Since the series' debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties," Michelle Vicary, Hallmark Media's head of programming, said in a statement in December. "At its core, the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme ofWhen Calls the Heart. We felt that season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail's story with her return to this beloved series."
The new season — in which Loughlin is expected to appear in at least six of the 12 episodes — will film later this year and air in 2027.
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When Calls the Heartis available to stream on Hallmark+.
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