Heartland rides into its 20th season as the Alberta ranch drama keeps its global following

Heartland, the CBC drama about a family ranch in the Alberta Foothills, began its 20th season on Sunday, Oct. 4, extending a run that CBC News describes as the longest for any scripted drama in Canadian television history. The new season premiered on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service, nearly two decades after the series first aired in 2007.

The season picks up after a dramatic Season 19 finale in which neighbouring rancher Nathan Pryce (Spencer Lord) decided to sell his ranch, start over on Salt Spring Island and propose to Amy Fleming, played by Amber Marshall. This year, Amy weighs her future with Nathan and what it would mean for her life at Heartland, according to CBC Gem’s season preview. A new rival, Winn, played by Brynn Godenir, arrives with horse skills to match Amy’s, a flair for fashion and a large online following, and fan favourite Georgie (Alisha Newton) returns.

Marshall told the Calgary Herald that Winn lets the show take on a very current subject. “Social-media culture is becoming so consuming and detracts from a lot of things that we see as wholesome, true and believable,” she said. “Especially with AI, you don’t know what to believe anymore. We experience that through the character of Winn.” Elsewhere, Lou (Michelle Morgan) faces uncertainty after learning that her grandfather Jack (Shaun Johnston) is contemplating retirement, the Herald reported.

For Marshall, the line between actor and character has blurred. She was 19 when she started playing Amy, and the London, Ont., native now lives on her own ranch outside Calgary, surrounded by horses, cows and foster dogs, having moved to Alberta during the show’s second season. “I can never see myself relocating again. This is home for me,” she told CBC’s Ian Hanomansing.

Not everyone expected the show to last. Johnston told the Herald that while shooting the pilot in 2006 he warned his younger co-stars that pilots rarely become series, because Heartland had none of the doctors, cops or reality-TV ingredients that dominated prime time. “Shame on me, maybe, but I thought it didn’t have a hope,” he said. The series, loosely based on Lauren Brooke’s books, is now shown in more than 120 countries, the Herald reported.

That reach has turned the Foothills into a destination. At a fan event in Alberta on Aug. 11, CBC News met viewers who had travelled from Manchester, England, and Brisbane, Australia. “The Heartland vista has become a character of its own,” Marshall said, adding that some fans ask whether the scenery is real or green screen, and that the show has inspired people to visit the province. Cast and crew also invited fans to appear in Season 20 through a series of Heartland Fan Extra Days, according to CBC Gem.

Marshall credits the show’s staying power to its gentle, intergenerational tone at a time when much television leaves viewers anxious. “It makes you feel very complete,” she said. “It makes you feel settled.” She also said working with horses keeps the series realistic and the set calm, because the animals “don’t read the script.”

As for how many more seasons she wants, Marshall did not hesitate. “Oh gosh, another 20,” she told CBC. “I’ll do Heartland till I die.” Still, she told the Herald she is at peace with whatever comes: “If the show does end tomorrow, I feel like we told the stories we need to tell.”

Viewers who want to catch up can stream Heartland free on CBC Gem, which also runs a 24/7 live Heartland channel on the service and on YouTube, according to CBC.

Sources: CBC News; CBC Gem; Calgary Herald.