When it comes to romance on the small screen, nothing beats When Calls the Heart, Hallmark's long-running period drama starring Erin Krakow as a big-city schoolteacher who takes a job in a small town on the Canadian frontier. Currently airing its tenth season, the beloved series just marked its 100th episode. We decided to celebrate the milestone with a little trip down memory lane. We've ranked all 10 seasons of When Calls the Heart, recording every twist and turn in the long history of Hope Valley. And there are a lot of them: Weddings, crimes, love triangles, shocking character deaths and countless natural disasters abound in the town previously known as Coal Valley. Enemies turn to lovers and major characters unceremoniously exit the series quicker than you can say, "Elizabeth Thatcher-Thornton-Bouchard."
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Whether you're a devout Hearty preparing for a re-watch or a newcomer ready for a trial-by-fire, we've noted standout episodes and key character moments from each installment of the series. Here's every heartbreaking, joyous, insane season of When Calls the Heart, ranked and decoded.
10. Season 9
Hallmark
Why It's #10: Hope Valley goes through some growing pains in Season 9. Secretive plots to reopen the mine threaten the town's tranquility, and Elizabeth and Rosemary expand their families.
What Happened: When Lucas is framed, Nathan sacrifices his own interests to exonerate him. Elizabeth gets everything she ever wanted: Her book is published and she and Lucas decide to get married. For her part, Rosemary learns that she's pregnant after years of believing it wasn't possible for her. Nathan hits it off with secretive newcomer Mei, and old Henry Gowen receives a hero's welcome.
Standout Episode: In Episode 11, "Smoke on the Water," Henry takes a leap of faith and Elizabeth and Lucas' relationship hits a snag.
- Biggest Character Moment: When Henry collapses the mine, ensuring that it will never reopen. All of Hope Valley applauds him as he's hauled off to jail.
- Biggest Villain: Jerome, for angling to reopen the mine that took so many lives back in the town's Coal Valley days.
- Biggest Oopsies: Mike Hickam's short-lived stint as mayor.
- Vibes: Boyd Crowder shouting "Fire in the hole!" in Justified and this $700 picnic basket.
9. Season 10
Hallmark
Why It's #9: We're only 3 episodes into Season 10, so we're ranking it at #9 for now. But between Rosemary's imminent birth and Elizabeth and Lucas' nuptials, it's shaping up to be a knockout installment.
What Happened: In the midst of an economic downturn, Hope Valley attracts some much-needed tourism when a hot spring is discovered. Rosemary is ready to pop, Lucas saves Henry from a prison sentence and Nathan catches feelings for Faith. And the cherry on top? Elizabeth's sister Julie (Charlotte Hegele) is back!
Standout Episode: Episode 3, "Oh, Baby," features Rosemary's surprise baby shower and Lucas' expert bluff.
- Biggest Character Moment: When Lucas tricks Jerome into admitting he tried to cover up safety concerns at the mine.
- Biggest Villain: Until a greater threat comes to town, Jerome is just the worst.
- Biggest Oopsies: Knowing that bandits are afoot, Faith sets out alone to do her rounds...and gets robbed by a bandit. Who knew?
- Vibes: Emma and Iceland's Blue Lagoon.
8. Season 7
Hallmark
Why It's #8: Season 7 ratchets up the tension in Elizabeth's love triangle with Lucas and Nathan. Throw in some natural disasters and corporate conspiracies, and you've got yourself a great binge.
What Happened: Clara and Jesse's nuptials convince Elizabeth to take another shot at love, but who to choose? Lucas helps her score a top-dollar publishing deal and tricks her into a first date. But her connection with Nathan is undeniable. Believing that he's been killed in a shooting, Elizabeth runs into Nathan's arms when he turns up safe and sound. In other corners of Hope Valley, Lee reconciles with his sister Susannah after 20 years of estrangement. And Henry graciously cedes the oil company over to Lucas.
Standout Episode: Episode 8, "Into the Woods," has it all: A vicious windstorm, Elizabeth and Nathan's first lover's quarrel and Lee's near-death experience.
- Biggest Character Moment: Elizabeth's first official date since Jack's death.
- Biggest Villain: Every little coincidence that prevents Nathan from getting to express his love for Elizabeth.
- Biggest Oopsies: When Nathan brings flowers to Elizabeth's door moments after Lucas did the same. Poor guy can't catch a break.
- Vibes: Carrie's Sex and the City writing sessions, when Helen Hunt did that in Twister and the "Pick me" speech from Grey's Anatomy.
7. Season 3
Hallmark
Why It's #7: Season 3 is all about second chances as Elizabeth commits to Hope Valley, Abigail opens her home and Rosemary chooses Lee over her Hollywood dreams.
What Happened: Having rejected Charles' marriage proposal, Elizabeth buys Abigail's old home and settles into her new life in Hope Valley. The sudden arrival of Jack's mother Charlotte (Brooke Shields) throws an awkward wrench into their rekindled romance. Abigail continues to be the town's beating heart: She sticks up for Pastor Frank when his criminal past is dredged up, and she adopts Cody and Becky as her own. Meanwhile, Jack and Bill sniff out a saboteur at the sawmill. And Rosemary gives up her shot at stardom for a life with her one true love, Lee. A mudslide hits a neighboring town, and Hope Valley comes together to nurse Jack back to health after a daring rescue attempt nearly costs him his life.
Standout Episode: Rosemary brings high drama to her engagement scene in Episode 7, "Heartbreak."
- Biggest Character Moment: Gotta be the reveal that Pastor Frank is actually Matt Landry, a former high-ranking member of the notorious Garrison Gang.
- Biggest Villain: Barrett and Tommy Northridge take the cake for their plot to destroy Lee's sawmill.
- Biggest Oopsies: When Bill and Jack mistakenly arrest the usual suspect Henry Gowen for the sawmill conspiracy.
- Vibes: Brooke Shields' other iconic cameo as Miley's mother in Hannah Montana, the proposal scene from Monster-in-Law and Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide."
6. Season 6
Hallmark
Why It's #6: Progress comes to Hope Valley in Season 6, and so do Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) and Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally).
What Happened: Raising baby Jack on her own, Elizabeth finds herself sizing up two handsome newcomers: The heroic new Mountie Nathan and the charming saloon owner Lucas. Meanwhile, Abigail brings the first telephone to a modernizing Hope Valley, Jesse and Clara get engaged and Faith and Carson try to keep their blossoming romance a secret from the town. Elsewhere, the discovery of oil proves that, yet again, all fingers should always be pointing at Henry Gowen.
Standout Episode: Episode 7, "Disputing Hearts," when Rosemary heartbreakingly tells Lee she can't have children.
- Biggest Character Moment: When a pair of Lucas' old enemies hold Elizabeth hostage at the saloon, Nathan saves the day.
- Biggest Villain: Elizabeth may believe there's hope for Henry Gowen's reform, but the guy is a villain even when he's not trying to be.
- Biggest Oopsies: When Elizabeth stumbles into a wild west standoff for the umpteenth time.
- Vibes: John Wayne westerns, Daniel Day-Lewis shouting "I drink your milkshake!" in There Will Be Blood, Faith Hill's magnificent braid in 1883 and this Pottery Barn rotary phone.
5. Season 4
Hallmark
Why It's #5: Season 4 is When Calls the Heart's girl power manifesto, capped by Jack's proposal. After some serious setbacks, Elizabeth and Abigail come into their own as leaders of Hope Valley.
What Happened: Hell hath no fury like a man scorned, apparently. Elizabeth is fired from her teaching job when Thomas Higgins, bitter after she rejected his advances, writes a sharply-worded letter to Mayor Gowen. Elizabeth and Abigail go on a girl-power crusade to debunk his accusations. When Jack's friend Doug is killed in the line of duty, he struggles with survivor's guilt and takes a temporary assignment in the Northern Territories. Before heading north, he (finally) proposes to Elizabeth. In the gut-wrenching finale, Carson saves Cody's life when his appendicitis goes untreated. And when Gowen's crimes land him in prison, Abigail becomes the new mayor of Hope Valley.
Standout Episode: It's a three-way tie between the Christmas-themed season premiere (if you're into holiday episodes, this one's a gem), Jack's Episode 7 proposal and the touch-and-go season finale.
- Biggest Character Moment: Lee's emotional reveal that his brother died tragically in childhood will leave you in tatters.
- Biggest Villain: That lowlife Thomas Higgins.
- Biggest Oopsies: When said lowlife Thomas Higgins thinks he can blackmail Elizabeth into liking him. Excuse you?
- Vibes: Frontier feminism, when the Von Trapp kids plead for Maria to come back, Celtic women singing "Danny Boy," that time Meredith had an appendectomy in Grey's Anatomy and the moment the bad guy is stuffed into the back of a cop car.
4. Season 2
Hallmark
Why It's #4: The shortest season of When Calls the Heart is also the most chaotic, with everyone on their messiest behavior. There are love triangles, jealousy schemes and secret affairs everywhere you turn. And Elizabeth's domineering family almost destroys her chance at happiness with Jack.
What Happened: The season begins as a courtroom drama and devolves into the most delicious romantic war zone. When Abigail's daughter-in-law Clara provides proof that the mining company knowingly endangered its men, the mine is permanently closed and Coal Valley is renamed Hope Valley to signal the town's bright new day. Jack adorably builds a schoolhouse for Elizabeth, but their budding romance is battered by all sides when she's called back to her lavish family estate in Hamilton. Charles (Marcus Rosner) wants Elizabeth, the lovely Faith Carter (Andrea Brooks) wants Jack and, to top it all off, Elizabeth's sister Julie strikes up a disastrous romance with Jack's ne'er-do-well brother Tom. Things aren't much better for Abigail, who must contend with the reappearance of Bill's estranged wife Nora. On the bright side, Season 2 is the introduction of fan-favorite Lee Coulter (Kavan Smith).
Standout Episode: In the heart-pounding season finale, "With All My Heart," Jack strides into the schoolhouse ready to propose to Elizabeth only to find that Charles has beat him to it.
- Biggest Character Moment: With a little nudge from a shared near-death experience, Elizabeth and Jack finally make up.
- Biggest Villain: Elizabeth's robber baron father William (Garwin Sanford), who can't stomach his daughter marrying a low-born Mountie like Jack.
- Biggest Oopsies: Mayor Gowen bets his land and railroad route in a game of poker, and Lee wins.
- Vibes: "You can't handle the truth!", when Jack renovates Mel's cabin in Virgin River, this Monet painting, Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, Lydia and Wickham's elopement in Pride & Prejudice and the Clue mansion.
3. Season 5
Hallmark
Why It's #3: Every Hearty remembers where they were when Jack Thornton died. In Season 5, When Calls the Heart pulls off one of the most shocking main character deaths in TV history. For that, the show gets its flowers.
What Happened: After a couple momentary setbacks (a church fire and Bill's near-catastrophic prisoner transfer), Jack and Elizabeth tie the knot in Hope Valley's wedding of the century. In one of the most shocking twists in TV history, Jack dies in a landslide offscreen shortly after their honeymoon. The remainder of the season is the most devastating, uplifting rollercoaster of emotions. In a letter he wrote before his death, Jack asks Elizabeth not to give up on love should anything happen to him. As if that's not enough of a heart-twister, Elizabeth learns that she's pregnant in the season finale.
Standout Episode: It's a tie. For a happy cry, the Episode 5 wedding is a must-see. For a sad-happy cry, the season finale is an operatic drama of love and loss.
- Biggest Character Moment: Elizabeth relives her entire life in Hope Valley while reading Jack's letter.
- Biggest Villain: Eleanor, who tries to steal trade secrets from Lee's sawmill.
- Biggest Oopsies: When Cody accidentally sets the church on fire, destroying Elizabeth's wedding dress days before she ties the knot.
- Vibes: The Notebook, Steel Magnolias, The Lake House, Million Dollar Baby, heck, we'll throw in Old Yeller, too. You get the gist. Now get the tissues.
2. Season 1
Hallmark
Why It's #2: There's nothing quite like your first. Season 1 of When Calls the Heart mixes a classic enemies-to-lovers romance with a compelling mining drama. It's genre-defining period romance with real teeth.
What Happened: Elizabeth Thatcher takes a teaching job in the tiny Canadian town of Coal Valley, where a recent mining disaster has made widows of most of the women. She meets handsome Mountie Jack Thornton, but their romance is cut short by Jack's transfer out of Coal Valley. Meanwhile, Lori Loughlin's unflappable Abigail Stanton is in her Rosie the Riveter era as she leads the women into the mines in order to save their homes. In the blowout season finale, Jack rides back into town to rescue Elizabeth from the clutches of the Toliver gang, and their reunion is just about the most romantic thing ever.
Standout Episode: Jack and Elizabeth's fairytale first kiss in the season finale, "Prelude to a Kiss."
- Biggest Character Moment: It's revealed that Jack's dashing rival Billy Hamilton (Andrew Walker) is only after Elizabeth's money.
- Biggest Villain: It's a tie between the mustachioed mine owner Henry Gowen, who tries to seduce Abigail, and Jack's meddlesome ex-fiancé Rosemary.
- Biggest Oopsies: Not 24 hours into her new life in Coal Valley, Elizabeth accidentally sets her house on fire. And Abigail just, like, laughs it off?
- Vibes: Loretta Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter, Sissy Spacek's Oscar-winning portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter and any number of city-girl-meets-country-boy stories. Oh, and Lori Loughlin in mining overalls with coal smeared on her face? It's giving Oliver Twist.
1. Season 8
Why It's #1: Season 8 is a watershed moment in When Calls the Heart lore, elegantly turning the page on characters and storylines we'd followed since the first season. At the heart of the change in Hope Valley is Elizabeth's realization that there can be love after loss.
What Happened: For starters, Nathan comes clean about the real reason he came to town: He was supposed to lead the mission that took Jack's life at Fort Gray. Racked with guilt, he came to Hope Valley to look after Elizabeth and little Jack. After three seasons of waffling on the matter, Elizabeth chooses Lucas over Nathan in the most dramatic way possible. Elsewhere, Rosemary and Lee take in Susannah's daughter Rachel. Carson heads off to Baltimore to be a surgeon, leaving Faith distraught. Henry also departs with a glance toward Abigail's cafe.
Standout Episode: When it comes to romance on the small screen, you can't beat Episode 12, "The Kiss." Elizabeth finally commits to a lifetime with Lucas...on a bridge...strewn with Autumn leaves. Perfection.
- Biggest Character Moment: Elizabeth removes her wedding ring, making good on Jack's wish that she never give up on love.
- Biggest Villain: Wyman Walden, the man who stole Clara and Jesse's money and just kinda got away with it?
- Biggest Oopsies: When Clara accidentally burns off a clump of Molly's hair with a hot comb.
- Vibes: Lindsay Lohan's reaction to The Notebook's MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, Cher's "Believe" and any and all romance films set in the fall.
New episodes of When Calls the Heart Season 10 premiere Sundays at 9/8c on the Hallmark Channel.
