The cast of “When Calls The Heart” isn’t due to start filming season 13 of Hallmark Channel’s hit show until July, but one star’s already teasing plenty of drama ahead.
Jack Wagner, who has played Mountie Bill Avery since the series premiered in 2014, spilled some juicy details about the upcoming season in an interview with TV Insider published on June 16, 2025. Note: If you don’t want to know any spoilers for season 13, stop reading here.
Details on What’s Ahead for ‘When Calls The Heart’ Season 13
HallmarkIn the final scene of the season 12 finale of “When Calls the Heart,” main characters Elizabeth (played by Erin Krakow) and Nathan (played by Kevin McGarry) were seen in the back of a taxi, being rushed off with their kids to the train station. They were heading to Cape Fullerton in search of insulin for Elizabeth’s son, little Jack (played by Hyland Goodrich), diagnosed with diabetes earlier in the season.
Hearties were left to worry and wonder when — and if — the evolving, blended family would return to Hope Valley. According to Wagner, they return right away.
“We’ve got to get Nathan and Elizabeth back, because they leave at the end of season 12,” he told TV Insider. “They come back in the first episode, and it’s about their return and what life looks like for Little Jack now being (insulin) dependent, and how that’s going to evolve into town. How are we going to upgrade the medical situation, etcetera?”
Wagner also teased a new “disaster” in Hope Valley, explaining, “There’s going to be an event that happens, and I’ll just tease you a little bit, that’s going to be life-changing for everyone, and it’s reminiscent of what’s happened in L.A. recently.”
Los Angeles faced devastating wildfires in January that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, which may be what Wagner was referring to.
“So that’s going to be the disaster and obstacle that we face this year as a community in Hope Valley,” he continued, “and it starts rather quickly. I don’t think we’ve had one of those for a while where the entire community was threatened, but that looks like the story we’re going to tell and the obstacle we’re going to face this year.”
Jack Wagner Says He’s Tapping Back Into His Heartthrob Days on ‘When Calls The Heart’
As EntertainmentNow previously reported, Melissa Gilbert has confirmed she will return to “When Calls The Heart” in season 13 after appearing as a guest star on two seasons of season 12. Her character, Georgie McGill, rekindled a romance with Wagner’s character — a storyline that will continue in the next season.
During a Facebook Live session with the cast in March, Wagner cracked up his castmates by admitting he had a “good time” preparing for his passionate kissing scene with Gilbert.
“I haven’t had a chance to kiss somebody on this show for a long time,” Wagner reminded them, to which McGarry quipped, “We could tell!”
Although Wagner still makes cameos on soaps like “The Bold & The Beautiful,” which he’s appearing on in June 2025, being part of a romantic storyline on “When Calls The Heart” reminds him of his heartthrob days years ago on primetime shows like “Melrose Place,” he told TV Insider.
“I haven’t been playing that at all on ‘When Calls the Heart,’ so for me, it’s like plugging into Jack Wagner from the ’80s or ’90s,” he said. “I realized that’s why I’m having so much fun. It’s like, ‘Wow, I’m dusting off my old charming romance guy. Let’s dust this guy off.'”
Wagner, who married Michelle Wolf in a surprise wedding on May 18, also told the outlet he loves how the show continues to be an escape for people year after year, especially as the world seems to become a harder place to live in.
He explained, “I just think it’s fantastic because with the temperature in our country for the last almost 10 years, politically, etcetera, and all of the conflicts around the world, it’s so great that there’s this little pioneer town that people can embrace and find hope and a message of heartwarming joy and romance and community.”
“Not to sound corny, but how do we support and love one another, as opposed to constantly want to tear each other apart?” Wagner added. “I think this show offers that. When people watch the show, they’re touched. That’s how I would sum it up. It touches them, and that’s why they become ‘Hearties.'”
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‘When Calls The Heart’ Star Spills Season 13 Details & ‘Life-Changing’ Plot Twist