"‘When Calls the Heart’ Magic Returns with Krakow and Lissing in ‘Santa Tell Me’"





It’s a “When Calls the Heart” reunion Hearties have been waiting for.


Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing, who portrayed Elizabeth Thatcher and Jack Thornton, respectively, in “When Calls the Heart,” will reunite for a new Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, “Santa Tell Me.” The movie will be part of the 2024 “Countdown to Christmas” lineup, the network announced at the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday. The film is now in production.


The actors previously starred in the period drama for five seasons from 2014 to 2018. Lissing’s Jack was killed at the end of Season 5. He later appeared on the Season 2 premiere of the spinoff, “When Hope Calls” in 2021. Both Krakow and Lissing have starred in multiple holiday movies for Hallmark.


During Hallmark’s presentation, the network also announced the rebranding of two of their channels. Hallmark Drama is being rebranded to Hallmark Family on Feb. 28, while Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is changing to Hallmark Mystery on March 6.


The network is keen on reunions; Hallmark staple Alison Sweeney is teaming up with Victor Webster for “One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery,” premiering later this year on Hallmark Mysteries. The actors previously starred together on “Days of Our Lives” and in Hallmark’s “Wedding Veil” films.


Hallmark Channel kicked off the year as the most-watched entertainment cable network of 2023 among key demos, with the “Countdown to Christmas” event continuing to dominate the cable charts. Their standout original holiday movie of the year was “A Merry Scottish Christmas,” reuniting “Party of Five” co-stars Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf; the movie became the most-watched cable movie of the year.