News

Landing in Brookfield: Loughlin, Lissing to appear in 'When Hope Calls'

« Back to News

 
Author: 
Michelle Rose / TV Media
Lori Loughlin, seen here in "When Calls the Heart," to star in spinoff series

Lori Loughlin, seen here in "When Calls the Heart," to star in spinoff series

Landing in Brookfield: Actress Lori Loughlin (yes, Aunt Becky from "Full House") made headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2019 and 2020 over her involvement in the college admissions bribery scandal. Amid her legal troubles, Loughlin was dropped from both the Hallmark Channel series "When Calls the Heart" and Netflix's "Fuller House." But after completing her two-month sentence late last year, the actress is now working on her return to the small screen.

The former "When Calls the Heart" star is reprising her role as Abigail Stanton in the spinoff series "When Hope Calls," which is set to return for a second season -- albeit on a new network, GAC Family. Look for Loughlin to appear in the special two-part season premiere titled "When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas," airing Saturday, Dec. 18.

Despite being set in the western prairie town of Brookfield, "When Hope Calls" actually films in the Canadian province of Ontario — that's how the Mercury News broke the story of Loughlin's plans to return to acting: a Boston federal judge granted "expedited" permission for the actress, who is still on probation, to travel to Canada for "a filming production project."

Loughlin isn't the only alum returning to the franchise. Co-star Daniel Lissing, who played Mountie Jack Thornton in the parent series, will also pop up in "When Hope Calls," though his appearance is a bit surprising given his character's death in Season 5 of "When Calls the Heart."

These cast additions will undoubtedly bring attention to "When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas" when it premieres. In the two-parter, the residents of Brookfield are busy organizing a Christmas festival and competing for the title of "America's No. 1 Country Christmas Town." And according to the logline, Abigail Stanton (Loughlin) and her son, Cody (Carter Ryan, "The Man in the High Castle"), enter the picture when they travel by stagecoach to bring a troubled boy to Lillian's (Morgan Kohan, "Ransom") orphanage.

 

Sheeran's 'Voice': Viewers tuning in to "The Voice" this week will be treated to the musical wisdom of an internationally renowned, multiple Grammy winner: singer-songwriter-producer Ed Sheeran.

Known for such songs as "Perfect," Shape of You" and "Thinking Out Loud," Sheeran is joining the NBC competition as a Mega Mentor in the Knockout Rounds, beginning Monday, Oct. 25.

Now that the Battle Round is complete, the remaining competitors on each coach's roster will once again be pitted against each other, except this time, each singer gets to select their own song to perform individually while their teammate/competitor watches and waits. Each coach will then select the winner, who will advance to the Live Playoffs, but coaches Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, John Legend and Blake Shelton do have an opportunity to steal an artist.

Sheeran, of course, brings his considerable songwriting, recording and performing experience to the competition, and it promises to be a treat for fans. Guiding the performers through their song selection, Sheeran will help them adjust their performance to best showcase -- and more importantly, emphasize -- their vocal abilities and music star potential.

This week's appearance coincides with the Oct. 29 release of Sheeran's latest full-length album, titled "=" ("Equals"), which counts lead singles "Bad Habits" and "Shivers" among its tracks.

 

Now recurring: Look for Afghan-born actress Azita Ghanizada ("Good Trouble") to keep popping up in Season 2 of the CBS series "United States of Al."

Ghanizada has already appeared in a few episodes as Ariana, a first-generation Afghan American who, like lead character Al (Adhir Kalyan, "Rules of Engagement"), remains passionate about her homeland. The role is now a recurring one, and the character has been billed as Al's "fiercely independent" love interest -- a description that alludes to their different world views and conflicting opinions.

"United States of Al" centers on the friendship between Marine veteran Riley (Parker Young, "Imposters") and Afghan interpreter Al as they adjust to their old and new lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Back in May, the series was handed a renewal for a second season, which began filming in August. Production is still ongoing -- in fact, only one episode had been completed when the withdrawal from Afghanistan was announced, and the storylines were retooled to address the crisis and fallout.

Ghanizada, whose previous acting credits include HBO's "Ballers" and "Castle," has been a solid addition to the cast of "United States of Al," which was previously criticized for having a South African actor play the Afghan lead.

Ghanizada was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and came to America as an infant when her parents sought political asylum. The founder of MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition, the actress is known for speaking out in support of women's rights and Afghan causes, so perhaps her own, personal perspective will add further complexity to future storylines.