After seven seasons on “When Calls The Heart,” actor Chris McNally has received an earful from Hallmark Channel fans. Playing Lucas Bouchard on the long-running series, his character has been at the center of multiple controversies. And through it all, Hearties — WCTH’s fervent fandom — have made sure to let the cast and producers know exactly how they feel with every twist and turn.
“It’s a very, you know, supportive fan group,” McNally said during a Facebook Live discussion with many of his WCTH castmates on March 20, 2025. “It’s also a very opinionated fan group.”
Hearties regularly sound off with their opinions on social media, blogs, and even at in-person events with cast members, which is all fine by McNally, who said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chris McNally Says He’d Be ‘Disappointed’ Being Part of a Series Without Passionate Fans
From his character’s mysterious arrival in Hope Valley during season 6 to the hotly debated love triangle between him, teacher Elizabeth Thornton (played by Erin Krakow), and Mountie Nathan Grant (played by Kevin McGarry), McNally has been in the crosshairs of Hearties’ intense debates over WCTH storylines for years.
Things got especially heated among fans during seasons 10 and 11, with fans taking sides when Elizabeth broke off her engagement to Lucas as he dove into political life, and as she eventually wound up in Nathan’s arms. During the Facebook Live discussion before the season 12 finale, McNally described the Hearties as “very, very heartfelt and passionate about the subject.”
“But I think that’s great,” he continued. “They all very much care about the show and about the characters on the show. And I think it’s nice to be a part of something like that.”
Aware that WCTH is appointment viewing for many fans each week, McNally noted that he’d be “a little disappointed” to be on a series that people just happened to watch “here and there,” after they’re “doing whatever around the house.”
“I love that people care so much about it,” he said, “and also that it could be a generational show … something that you sit down as a family together and watch with your kids, yourselves, and maybe your parents, who knows.”
WCTH Cast Was Amazed by Fans’ Passion at Hallmark Christmas Experience in Kansas City
Though the cast of WCTH have had the chance to meet their most diehard fans at the annual Hearties Family Reunion (HFR) held in Vancouver, where the show is filmed, many of them were stunned by the reception they received at December’s Hallmark Christmas Experience in Kansas City, including McNally.
“Kansas City was pretty great,” he said during the Facebook Live discussion. “It’s always nice to see Hearties when have the HFR events, but this was kind of next level in comparison to that, I’d say.”
Viv Leacock, who plays Joseph Canfield on WCTH, chimed in, “It was cool to see, like, people literally come up to take photos with us and I was watching people crying — tears streaming down their faces — when they would meet Erin or Pascale or Chris or Kevin. Like, it blew my mind! And people had to get their pictures redone because they were crying!”
McNally laughed, “That’s true — we did have a couple of repeats!”
Leacock, who joined the series in 2021, continued, “They couldn’t stop crying, just so happy to just even stand beside, you know, the cast that had been there from day one. It was so cool, as a cast member who has been there for, you know, a shorter period of time, to watch that happen and to see the effect that, you know, my castmates have on people. It was crazy. It was crazy! So, so amazing to watch that
happen.”
Hallmark Channel’s season 12 finale of WCTH airs on March 23 at 9 p.m. Eastern time, and will be available to stream on Hallmark+ the following day.
Krakow noted that Hallmark has already announced it will hold its second annual Hallmark Christmas Experience in Kansas City in 2025, which she said “is not to be missed.”
“And hopefully, if we get a season 13, we’ll have another Hearties Family Reunion,” she said. “These are really special events where we get to connect with the fans.”
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Hallmark’s Chris McNally Reveals How He Feels About ‘Very Opinionated’ Hearties