Heartland is a well-known Canadian family comedy-drama television series based on Lauren Brooke’s Heartland book series. The show centres on Amy Fleming and her older sister Louise “Lou” Fleming, as they live on the Heartland family ranch in Alberta with their father, Tim Fleming, their widowed grandfather Jack Bartlett, and hired farmhand Ty Borden.
Premiered on October 14, 2007, Heartland is the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian television history. The show currently has 16 seasons, with the latest one concluding on CBC on Feb 5, 2023. Over the years, this heartwarming show has captivated viewers with its storylines and the bonds the characters form.
Since the last season concluded airing on CBC, fans speculated if the show would get a renewal for more seasons. And now that we know that Heartland Season 17 is on the way, one thing that is still bothering fans is which characters will be back in the upcoming seasons and who we will be bidding goodbye to. If you are wondering the same, you have come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know!
Will Ashley return in Season 17?
Ashley, played by Cindy Busby, was Amy’s rival in previous seasons. She initially appears on Heartland as a villain but develops throughout the seasons into a character we regret bidding goodbye to.
Well, Amy’s story revolves around her romance with Caleb Odell, a hand working at Heartland, and the two eventually get married. Unfortunately, Amy and Caleb don’t live happily ever after. As the show progressed, we see less of her and she no longer appears in the show’s most recent seasons since her plot has been wrapped up. Therefore, she is unlikely to return in Season 17. Though some may still hope for Amy and Caleb’s reconciliation, it does not appear likely. And neither does Amy’s return in Heartland season 17.
Will we see Mallory and Jake in Heartland season 17?
Mallory, played by Jessica Amlee, appeared in earlier seasons as a recurring character. Once she moved to Nashville, Tennessee when her dad wants to pursue his music career, and her appearance on the show is on and off after that. She returned for the sixth season, but once her romantic storyline with Jake is solidified, her story was wrapped up in the show.
After seven seasons on the show, actress Jessica Amlee decided she was ready to move on. ‘When you play a character for so long… at the time I had played Mallory for 10 years… you do lose the border of where you are the character and where you are yourself,” Amlee told Entertainment Tonight on her departure. “I lost that boundary. I started thinking, ‘Who am I?’ I did have to go off and discover who I am.”
And the same goes for Jake. Mallory returns to Heartland in the sixth season, but once her love story with Jake is established, the two relocate to Paris and become secondary characters.
Although Mallory and Jake return to the series for their wedding in season 10 and again in season 16 to say farewell to Cooper, their appearances on the show have been very few, and they are unlikely to return for the seventeenth season. Therefore, we shouldn’t expect them to be back.
Will Finn be in Heartland season 17?
Robert Cormier (Finn) cannot resume his part because he recently died from fatal injuries. Following his passing, season 16 was dedicated to him. While it’s likely that archival footage of Finn will be shown in flashbacks in Heartland season 17, we shouldn’t anticipate him to appear in the current upcoming season since production began after his death.
Will Casey be in Heartland season 17?
In Heartland season 8, we meet Casey McMurtry for the first time. She becomes Tim’s love interest and fans were excited to see their relationship develop. Casey and Tim bring out the best in each other, and she even convinces him to start his rodeo school. It seemed like they were meant to be together for a while.
But then something shocking happens. Tim decides to end his relationship with Casey and tells her that he no longer loves her. However, it doesn’t take long for the truth to come out. Tim confesses that his decision was influenced by his scare of brain cancer. He doesn’t want Casey to experience another heartbreaking tragedy. As a result, they break up. Although Casey briefly returns in one episode of season 13, it doesn’t seem likely that she will make a comeback in the upcoming season.
Which characters are coming back in Season 17?
Following is the star cast who are most likely to reprise their roles in Heartland Season 17. Check it out:
- Amber Marshall as Amy Fleming
- Ruby and Emanuella Spencer as Lyndy Fleming
- Michelle Morgan as Lou Fleming Morris
- Gabriel Hogan as Peter Morris
- Shaun Johnston as Jack Bartlett
- Jessica Steen as Lisa Stillman
- Chris Potter as Tim Fleming
- Michelle Nolden as Jessica Cook
- Kerry James as Caleb Odell
- Baye McPherson as Katie Fleming-Morris
- Ava Tran as Parker Yang
Are you excited for Heartland Season 17? Which is your favourite character? Let us know in the comments section.
