Is Lucas returning to When Calls the Heart?

He’s the small-town lothario who has had an incredible string of bad luck, but is Lucas returning to When Calls the Heart?

When a cozy, small-town drama is done well, it’ll likely be one of the most popular TV shows around. This can absolutely be said for When Calls the Heart, which has just wrapped up its eleventh season.

That’s no small feat for any program, but it’s not been without its challenges. Most recently, the binge worthy TV show has been called out by fans for a decline in its writing, resulting in a divisive Season 11 finale.

This particularly leaves one character – Lucas Bouchard – in the lurch for future episodes. But will he return to When Calls the Heart?

Is Lucas returning to When Calls the Heart?

Lucas will be returning to When Calls the Heart Season 12, as confirmed by showrunner Lindsay Sterman.

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She explained to TV Guide “he’s growing into this leader, Season 12 is a new chapter of him facing these challenges while trying to always do good for all the people that he represents and for Hope Valley.”

However, apart from the fact it will exist – which was confirmed in June 2024 – we know next to nothing about what Season 12 will hold.

While we can make logical guesses based on the Season 11 finale, no cast has been confirmed for new episodes, meaning anything could happen.

Given that the main storyline for When Calls the Heart Season 12 is likely to center on Elizabeth and Nathan’s romance, there is a key part for Lucas to play, due to his dating history with her.

From the fan perspective, viewers are desperate to keep him but are unsure what could be next in store for Lucas now he seems to have lost everything, including interest, in the Season 11 finale.

“It seems like they keep sabotaging his character – whether intentionally or unintentionally I have no idea, but it’s kind of disappointing. He had so much potential this season, but after all the resort drama, it’s sort of fallen flat for me now,” one fan posted on Reddit.

A second agreed “I would have loved to see Lucas with Fiona – they both had a fun flair, and she would have had NO problem moving to Capital City. I just don’t see anyone left for him in Hope Valley, which makes me sad for him.

“Plus, the whole thing of him spending most of the season in a little country backwater of a town when he has a whole province to govern is ridiculous.”

Where did we last see Lucas?

In Season 11, Lucas was shot, went through a huge heartbreak, and saw the collapse of his long-term project – the resort – as a result of a lack of funding.

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The breakup came first at the end of Season 10. He ended up in hospital with a gunshot wound, a head injury, and a lot of blood loss by the time we pick up with him in Season 11. Fans then see him recoup enough strength to continue working, with the help of Edwin, over a period of months.

It soon transpired that Lucas couldn’t remember who shot him, leading to local, Clayton Pike, being arrested for the charge.

While fans did find out who actually shot in (we’ll come back to that later), Lucas still had plenty of plates left spinning in Hope Valley. As of Season 10, Lucas is now a Governor-Elect, with big plans to build a resort in order to attract more tourists to the Valley.

He was advised to sell his saloon, The Queen of Hearts, in order to make the resort project viable and avoid any conflict of interest. He eventually sells it to Lee and Rosemary Coulter, who agree that Mike Hickam should be left in charge of running it.

However, the resort ultimately falls through due to lack of funds, leaving Lucas will little else left other than his Governor-Elect title.

Why did Elizabeth break up with Lucas?

Elizabeth broke up with Lucas in the Season 10 finale of When Calls the Heart, which came down to wanting different things out of life. Elizabeth is now dating fellow town resident, Nathan.

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The pair were engaged to be married in 1920, which ultimately changed because of Elizabeth’s change of heart. When Lucas was first introduced to the show in Season 6, he quickly fell in love with the small-town teacher, making their separation all the more heartbreaking.

The biggest change came when Lucas was elected Governor, prompting their priorities to be in two different places.

Showrunner Lindsay Sturman explained to Entertainment Tonight “The love between Elizabeth and Lucas was always real and authentic. But as the wedding drew closer, Elizabeth started to face down what this momentous step would mean for her, and as the threat to Hope Valley became more and more real, what it would mean for Little Jack?

“All this is happening as Hope Valley is in peril and the world is crashing down around Lucas, Elizabeth and the rest of the town, forcing Lucas to step up to save the town. Elizabeth always knew deep down that Lucas had the capacity to be a hero, even before he saw it in himself,” she continues.

“Their paths start to diverge as he is forced to step up onto a bigger stage to save Hope Valley, and Elizabeth realizes that the life she wants is very different. Her whole world has been, and perhaps always will be, Hope Valley.”

Before she met Lucas in Season 6, Elizabeth was married to Jack, who was seemingly killed by a landslide during Season 5. However, some fans believe that he might return for Season 12.

The bad news for Lucas is that Elizabeth actor Erin Krakow believes that she and Nathan are “soulmates” after Season 11. She explained to US Weekly “They’ve always had a special connection. I do think Elizabeth and Nathan are soulmates. We can use that word.”

Who shot Lucas?

Lucas’ ex-fiancée, Jeanette Aucoin, was responsible for pulling the gun on Lucas in Season 11 after it was revealed that she falsely claimed she was being coerced by gangster Casimir Shaw to strike a deal that would have let Shaw run a criminal ring in the town.

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When Lucas is asked about his attack – which happened in Capital City at the end of Season 10 – he cannot remember who shot him. However, he later did have a recollection of seeing Jeanette, which is where the lies begin.

We learn that Jeanette claimed she was with Shaw, who held a gun at Lucas. After a tussle, Lucas was believed to have grabbed the gun, firing to injure himself. But here’s the twist: Shaw wasn’t actually real at all, but was an alias for Jeanette herself.

When Jeanette suddenly arrived back on the scene in Season 10, no one was less impressed than Lucas. She claimed to bid on the resort that he wanted to build, allegedly representing a group of wealthy investors.

In Season 11, Jeanette says she is being coerced by Shaw, even going as far as to tell Lucas “If you don’t cooperate with him, he’ll destroy this town you care so much about.”

According to her, Shaw wanted Jeanette to broker a deal with Lucas that would allow him to run a rum supply through Lucas’ land, and then use the resort for money laundering activities.

But none of this turns out to be true, as Shaw is Jeanette’s criminal alter ego. The “Shaw” we saw shoot him was one of her errand boys who worked for her.

Who plays Lucas?

Lucas is played by Chris McNally in When Calls the Heart.

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Chris McNally has been in the Hallmark series since 2019 and is known for previous appearances in Altered Carbon, Supernatural, and Falling Skies.

McNally said of his Season 11 plot to TV Insider “As we progress through this Season 11 storyline, the amount of weight and pressure and stress that’s added on him and sort of chipping him away, you just get to see sides of Lucas that you haven’t seen before — some for the better and some for the worse. It’s an interesting perspective that we get to see for the first time.”

As of writing, he hasn’t publicly commented on whether he’d be keen to return for Season 12, or where he’d like to see Lucas head next.

Are Lucas and Jeanette dating?

After trying to kill him, it’s safe to say that Jeanette and Lucas definitely aren’t dating. However, the pair appear to be former flames.

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We first meet Jeanette in Season 6 as she calls Lucas claiming that she was being followed by Amos Dixon. Lucas was stopped by Nathan on his way to rescuing her, with Nathan advising that the Mounties were better off handling things.

From there, we don’t see her again until Season 9. They run a sting on Wyman Walden to try and bring him to justice, but left him in the lurch and disappeared. The next time we see her… well, we know what happened after that.

When the pair lived together in New Orleans prior to the events of When Calls the Heart, they shared a fleeting relationship. They talked about getting married, but Lucas ended their relationship when he left the city.

It appears that Jeanette still has feelings for him, which she uses to her own advantage. When we are introduced to her is actually the first moment that Lucas doesn’t give into her wants.

When Calls the Heart Season 11 is available to watch on Hallmark’s streaming service. Get more small-town drama with Ginny and Georgia Season 3, Sullivan’s Crossing Season 3, and Virgin River Season 6.