HallmarkWe’ve come a long way since When Calls the Heart first debuted on Hallmark in 2014. If you haven’t kept up with the Hope Valley timeline, here’s when Hallmark’s hit show now takes place.
If there’s one thing that bodes well with small-town drama, it’s a classic historical period. Dress your characters in corsets and petticoats, and chances are you’ve got a hot hit on your hands.
That’s exactly what Hallmark has found with When Calls the Heart. It’s been on screens for over 10 years, yet the drama just keeps on coming. Unlike Virgin River, which still hasn’t gone through an entire calendar year across its 6 seasons, Hope Valley is whipping through the years at a timely pace.
But with another season just weeks away from drawing to a close, when does the binge-worthy TV show take place? We’ve broken down the entire Hope Valley timeline to date.
When does When Calls the Heart take place?
When Calls the Heart currently takes place in 1921, but when the show first started, it was 1910. Roughly speaking, this means the show moves at just under a year per series.
HallmarkThankfully, there are a few ways we can tell when a year merges into another. The first is the town paper – if we get a good shot of it on camera, we can see the dates of the articles included. This is how we can work out whole years don’t always pass when a season ends. Season 10 newspapers told us we were in 1920, but 1921 wasn’t officially introduced until Season 12.
There’s another, much more obvious, method too. Hope Valley’s fashion is looking a lot more casual than it did in the literal olden days, signaling a change to more modern times even if you aren’t a hardcore fan.
Let’s use Elizabeth as our marker. She’s the person who brings us into 1910 Hope Valley in Season 1, sporting long locks, some serious petticoats, and enough modesty to keep any Church faction happy. Fast-forward to now and her hair’s been cut into a lean bob, she’s shed some layers, and – dare we say it – is even showing a bit of skin. All of this would not have been acceptable in the 1910s.
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Obviously, we also have to keep in mind we’re following an original book series here. Whatever storylines are playing out, the timelines need to match up.
The Roaring Twenties is the best thing to happen to Hope Valley
Thankfully for When Calls the Heart, the Roaring Twenties is well and truly here – and that can only be a good thing for Hope Valley.
HallmarkWhy? We’re really able to see the personalities of our cast shine through. Now social conventions have loosened a bit, we can clearly follow how they handle love, life, and loss… and there’s a lotta that.
Arguably, Nathan and Elizabeth’s blossoming romance is really helped by the time period. Given this is her third serious love interest on the show, Elizabeth historically should have been hung out to dry for essentially being a harlot. Instead, she can just enjoy the third time being the charm.
More importantly, they can have a bit more fun. Sure, it’s all well and good finding out your husband died in an off-screen landslide accident or merely help your neighbors put up signs, but Season 12 injects a party atmosphere into proceedings. The Charleston craze takes over the town, with Elizabeth and Nathan nearly nailing a criminal at a lavish party.
We’re set to see a more “intense” tone play out over the second half of Season 12, but who doesn’t love a spot of dramatic historical accuracy alongside their good times?
When Calls the Heart Season 12 is airing weekly on the Hallmark channel. Catch up with its episode release schedule and how to watch outside of the US.
