‘When Hope Calls’: Why You Should Watch the ‘When Calls the Heart’ Spinoff

Eric Andersson August 25, 2019, 9:00 am

Hallmark, which is debuting dozens and dozens of movies this year on its flagship channel, seems determined to make sure you never leave your sofa. And why would you? Its streaming service is launching its first-ever original series, When Hope Calls — a spinoff of the popular network show When Calls the Heart.

The drama follows fun-loving Grace (Jocelyn Hudon) and pragmatic Lillian (Morgan Kohan, above right, with Hudon and Elizabeth Saunders), siblings who were separated as children, reunite as adults, and open an orphanage together in a small town in early-20th-century Canada.

Explains Kohan, “They’re relearning who each other is.”

Executive producer Alfonso Moreno aimed to make a show that stood out from the brand’s tried-and-true romantic content. “This series [features] a different type of relationship: sisters,” he says. “It’s an emotional experience.”