When Calls the Heart” is more than a hit series on the Hallmark Channel.

The drama, set in the rugged Northwest Territory community of Hope Valley, has made its home on the Hallmark Channel since 2014. Since then, millions of faithful fans have fallen in love with show’s characters and the values derived from the book series written by Janette Oke and produced by Michael Landon Jr. and Brian Bird for the network.

Many fans have shown devotion to the series by creating beautiful, period-appropriate crafts and gifts honoring the cast and crew of the production.

Many groups have Bible studies or regular discussions based on the themes and story arcs of “When Calls the Heart” episodes. For any network, the true test of a long-running series’ success is not only in rating numbers but in spawning other successful TV Shows based on the original.

At this week's Television Critics Association summer press tour, it was announced that “When Calls the Heart” would have its own new spinoff series starting in 2019 as part of the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) on Hallmark Movies Now. The news was reported July 27 by MSN entertainment via Deadline and other sources. Fans now have even more places to find hope and heart in their viewing options, thanks to the new Hallmark Channel venture.

Still keeping hope

The working title of the new series is “When Hope Calls.” It will be the first original series to stream on Hallmark Movies Now, which streams almost 1000 hours of family-friendly content not available on linear channels from Crown Media. With mobile devices becoming the preferred means of viewing for many millennial viewers, “When Hope Calls” may develop a strong following from fans who have cut the cable TV cord.

No details about the spinoff series were provided, but Michelle Vicary, the Executive Vice President for Programming and Network Publicity at Crown Media Family Networks, praised the “passionate community of loyal viewers” that remains steadfast for “When Calls the Heart,” and her statement solidified that the new series is fully intended to meet the “increased appetite” for programming of similar ilk.

“When Calls the Heart” is already in full production for Season 6 in Vancouver, and the new year for the drama, which also premieres in early 2019, already has its share of new arrivals coming.

Fruitful in many ways

Loving anticipation is already fervent for the arrival of Elizabeth Thornton’s child in the new year, and fans will have of first peek at Erin Krakow’s portrayal of the soon to give birth mother in the “When Calls the Heart” Christmas movie for 2018 is broadcast as part of Hallmark Channel’s annual Yuletide celebration. New cast members, Chris McNally and Kevin McGarry will join the clan of close-knit residents of Hope Valley, too, with McGarry portraying the new Mountie, Nathan Grant.

Cast favorites, Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith, who play Rosemary and Leland Coulter, have indicated that expanding the family, or at least family-planning, will be a possibility in the offing for their characters.

Many veteran actors have come to the “When Calls the Heart” cast, including Lori Loughlin, Brooke Shields, and Jack Wagner. At the same TCA announcement for “When Hope Calls,” news came that Susan Lucci, famous for her decades as Erica Kane on “All My Children,” has closed a deal with Hallmark Movies & Mysteries for her own mystery movie based on the novel “Charley’s Web” by Joy Fielding. Lucci will produce, star in, and develop the project. Lori Loughlin, Candace Cameron Bure, and most recently, Holly Robinson Peete and Rick Fox have launched successful mystery movies for the network.

Like Lucci, Jack Wagner became famous in the daytime drama world and found a warm welcome in the Hallmark Channel family.

There can never be too much hope in the world, and now “When Calls the Heart” fans can look forward to another place to find it once “When Hope Calls” debuts.