Heartland (Canadian TV series)

Heartland
Created by	Lauren Brooke
Starring	Amber Marshall Michelle Morgan Shaun Johnston Chris Potter Graham Wardle Nathaniel Arcand Jessica Amlee Alisha Newton
Opening theme	"Dreamer" by Jenn Grant
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	13
No. of episodes	214 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Heather Conkie Tom Cox Jordy Randall Michael Weinberg Tina Grewal
Running time	44 minutes
Production companies	SEVEN24 Films Dynamo Films
Original release
Network	CBC
Release	October 14, 2007 – present

Heartland is a Canadian family drama television series which debuted on CBC on October 14, 2007.

The series is based on the Heartland book series by Lauren Brooke and follows sisters Amy and Lou Fleming, their grandfather Jack Bartlett, and Ty Borden through the highs and lows of life at the ranch.

With the airing of its 139th episode on March 29, 2015, Heartland surpassed Street Legal as the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian television history.

In May 2020, the series was renewed for a fourteenth season.

Cast and characters

• Amber Marshall as Amy Fleming

Marshall

The protagonist of the series, Amy, inherited her mother's gift of being able to intuit the needs of horses and of practicing natural horsemanship. When Amy was fifteen years old, she was seriously injured in a car accident that killed her mother, Marion, while she was attempting to save Spartan, an abused horse. Amy is unable to attend her mother's funeral while recuperating at the hospital, but her estranged father Tim returns to attend Marion's funeral. When Amy returns home, she decides to continue her mother's work of healing abused or damaged horses, including Spartan. However, she must readjust not only to her father re-entering her life, but also the return of her older sister Lou, who has been living in New York City. Over time, Amy develops a close relationship with Ty Borden, a young man invited by Marion before her death to work as a ranch hand at Heartland as part of his probation. Ty begins to assist Amy in healing the horses and their friendship gradually turns to love. Though their relationship is rocky and they break up more than once, they manage to make amends and Ty gives Amy a promise ring in season 3. In the last episode of season 5, Ty secretly makes plans to propose to Amy, but after hearing her say how they should never "tie themselves down", he decides against it, not realizing Amy would later find the ring in his pocket. After they discuss the ring and marriage, Ty later finds the perfect moment to propose to Amy, and she accepts. The change in their relationship results in them breaking up briefly, getting back together when they rescue a herd of horses penned by ranchers who believed the horses to be detrimental to the land required for their cattle. Amy and Ty eventually marry in Jack's house, with Amy escorted by both Tim and Jack, and she rides in on Spartan. After getting married, she and Ty reside in the renovated loft at Jack's house. At the end of season 9, Amy reveals she is pregnant, though she goes through her pregnancy without Ty by her side, as he is away in Mongolia to save Gobi bears, a decision in which Amy supported Ty. They regularly communicate through Skype, though she misses having him nearby. At the end of Season 10, Amy gave birth at home to a baby girl, Lyndy Marion.

• Graham Wardle as Tyler "Ty" Borden

Wardle

When Ty was a child, he was abused by his stepfather Wade, whom he attacked for assaulting Ty's mother. The incident resulted in Ty's arrest and being sent to Juvenile hall; to complete his probation, Marion Fleming offered him a job as a ranch hand at Heartland. He soon begins to enjoy his life there and decides to stay after completing his probation, though he leaves for a short period to live with his biological father in Calgary. Jack treats Ty like a son and is very proud of him, especially after he earns his high school diploma and decides to study to become a vet. Ty at first is known as the "new cute guy" by Amy's friends, and Amy quickly falls for him. Ty dated Kit Bailey, a local cowgirl, for a time before he admitted his feelings for Amy. He and Amy have a tumultuous relationship over the subsequent seasons. In the final episode of Season 5, Ty buys a ring with plans to propose to Amy, but rethinks his proposal after hearing Amy say they should never "tie themselves down." When Amy discovers the ring, Ty and Amy agree to wait, and Ty is accepted to vet school and begins assisting Scott at his clinic. While camping, Ty finds the perfect moment to propose to Amy, who accepts, and they later marry. After Amy tells Ty that he is going to become a father, she supports his decision to go to Mongolia to save the last of the Gobi bears with Veterinarians Without Borders. Though he is unable to be by Amy's side throughout her pregnancy, they communicate frequently through Skype. Near the end of the season, Ty contracts a potentially life-threatening illness from a tick bite and returns to Calgary in critical condition. He is immediately taken to the hospital, where they help him to slowly recover. At the end of the season, Caleb breaks Ty out of the hospital (where he was being kept while the doctors ran additional tests to ensure he was cured) so that Ty can participate in Caleb's wedding to Cass as the best man. However, Amy goes into labor as they arrive at the church and they rush home for the birth of their daughter.

• Michelle Morgan as Samantha Louise "Lou" Fleming Morris

At the beginning of the series, Lou moves back home from her job in New York City to help run Heartland. She is initially reluctant to stay in Hudson because she has a long-term boyfriend and a lucrative job in New York. Upon discovering Heartland's poor economic situation, she crafts a financial plan with knowledge from her MBA to pull the ranch out of debt and make it successful. However, she is told by a financial adviser at the bank that her presence at the ranch is essential to secure the loan necessary to implement her plan. Once Lou decides to stay, she runs the business end of Heartland, taking care of appointments and setting rates for stabling patient horses. She later sets her mind to starting a new business venture, a corporate retreat center: The Heartland Equestrian Connection. This idea is met with much resistance, especially from Jack. Family members derisively refer to the business as the "Dude Ranch", and the name sticks, though no longer with its negative connotation. Along the way, Lou breaks up with her boyfriend from New York and tries to re-kindle a romance with the local vet, Scott Cardinal. In season two, Lou's relationship with Scott dissolves. She meets her future husband, Peter, thanks to a setup by Jack's girlfriend Lisa, and starts a secret relationship with him due to Peter's job in the oil industry. Lou had previously rallied the local ranchers against Peter's oil company, and expects Jack would not approve of her choice of boyfriend. Later, Lou's relationship with Peter is more public and they marry at the end of season 3. They move to Dubai, but she soon feels very alone in such a foreign country and grows to miss Heartland and her family. When they move back home, Lou finds out she is pregnant. She later gives birth to a girl named Catherine Marion Minnie Fleming-Morris (often referred to as Katie). After several failed attempts to buy a place of their own and even to build a home somewhere on the 600 acre property at Heartland, Lou and Peter buy Mr. Hanley's ranch from Mrs. Bell and they plan to move into it and refurbish it. However, faulty wiring in the structure causes a fire, and the buildings and stables burn, leaving them no choice but to remain at Heartland. Lou has a positive relationship with her sister Amy, providing a listening ear and timely advice when she needs it, and Amy often plays the same role for Lou. Lou is also close with her father, Tim, and she is the first one to reconnect with him after Marion's death. In Season 6, Lou and Peter decide to adopt an orphan named Georgina Crawley, whom Jack had been fostering after discovering her hiding in the loft. In season 8, Lou and Peter start having relationship problems since Peter is constantly in Vancouver for his job. On Amy's advice, Lou goes to Vancouver to talk things over with him, but they decide to separate. Peter returns to Hudson to try to persuade Lou that they can work things out, but she is not interested, since nothing has changed. Lou later tries online dating, and seems to be falling for the new stable hand, Mitch. Peter visits regularly for his daughters, and interferes with Lou and Mitch's budding romance whenever he is at Heartland. In season 7, Lou buys Maggie's after Maggie moves to be with her daughter, Soraya, in London, England. She runs it with Tim, who acts as her supposedly "silent" business partner. Lou eventually works on bringing Maggie's to New York City and spends much of her time flying back and forth, with the rest of her family taking care of Georgie and Katie.

• Shaun Johnston as Jackson "Jack" Bartlett

Shaun Johnston

The family patriarch, Jack is Amy and Lou's grandfather and was Marion's father. He is a former rodeo star and was once a cattle rancher. When Marion took over, Heartland became a horse ranch. After her death, Jack helps Amy and Ty maintain Heartland and its horses and he is the one who fixes broken equipment, fences, and the like. Early in the series, he was very hostile towards ex-son-in-law Tim. The men have maintained a difficult relationship stemming from Tim's troubled past with alcohol and prescription drug abuse, his acrimonious divorce from Marion, and lack of involvement in Amy and Lou's lives. Jack seems to barely tolerate Tim's presence at times, and they've had numerous arguments over the running of the ranch. Jack was initially very judgmental towards Ty, and he warned the young man to keep ten feet away from his granddaughters at all times or risk losing any part of his body that crossed that line. Over time, Jack comes to accept Ty like a son and shows a great deal of concern and paternal affection for him. When Ty seeks permission from Jack to ask for Amy's hand in marriage, Jack gives him his blessing. In terms of personality, Jack is very stubborn and reluctant to accept change of any kind. This trait sometimes causes friction between him and others, most notably his romantic interest, Lisa Stillman, and with his granddaughter Lou. In season 7, Jack finally asks Lisa to marry him, and she says yes. They elope in the season 7 finale. Jack also suffers from heart problems after having a heart attack. When Jack is missing one episode after collapsing in the fields, Tim is the one to find and save him. Jack dotes on his three great-granddaughters, Katie, Georgie and Lyndy

• Alisha Newton as Georgina "Georgie" Fleming Morris (Crawley)

Newton

Georgie is Lou and Peter's adopted daughter, Jack's adopted great-granddaughter, and Phoenix's owner. She has a best friend named Steven whom she met in the seventh/eighth season. When she first came to Heartland, she was a misbehaving runaway, but because she wanted to stay, she began to improve her behavior. Georgie has a habit of running away from every foster home in which she's been placed. Jack agrees to foster her until Clint was able to find another family to foster her. Not wanting her to leave, Lou and Peter agree to become her long-term foster parents and later adopt her. Georgie adores Katie, her little sister. She also loves Phoenix, a horse who repeatedly ran away from a neglectful home, and through the intervention of the Fleming/Bartlett/Morris family, she found a new home at Heartland. She is a naturally talented show jumper, reminding Ty of Amy on Spartan when Georgie jumps with Phoenix. She met Phoenix when she was escaping from her social worker and rode for the first time, astounding the family. Georgie is a tomboy and shares a lot of Amy's personality; she is fearless, talented, strong-minded, and clever. This makes Mallory very jealous of her when they first meet. In Season 6, she finds an Alsatian dog running wild, whom she is allowed to keep and names Remi. When Georgie was 3, her birth parents were killed in a car accident. She has an older brother named Jeff. Over time, Georgie develops strong bonds with the family. However, she continues to misbehave at times, even running away once. She has a rival named Olivia, with whom she later develops a grudging friendship. In the later seasons, Georgie and Olivia join the Extreme Team, a trick riding group. This replaces show jumping as Georgie's main extracurricular interest. She works hard and is one of the best members of the team, performing stunts such as Roman riding. Georgie has some difficulty balancing schoolwork, life on a ranch, and her interest in trick riding. She struggles in math, to the point that Lou hires a math tutor on the recommendation of Georgie's teacher. While Georgie is very reluctant to have a tutor in math, her grades improve. Georgie later develops romantic feelings for Adam Parker, her tutor. Although he reciprocates her feelings, Adam's father is against their association, feeling that Georgie is a bad influence on his son. Eventually, it all works out and Georgie and Adam date for a few months. They break up over a perceived breach of privacy when Adam sees Georgie's messages exchanged with Clay McMurtry and thinks she has feelings for him. Georgie also develops a strong friendship with Jade Virani, though they were definitely not friends when they met in Season 7.

• Chris Potter as Timothy "Tim" Fleming

Potter

Tim is Amy's and Lou's father who left when they were young (Lou was a teenager, and Amy was five). After a rodeo accident, he struggled with prescription drug (painkiller) abuse and alcoholism. As a result, Jack kicked Tim out and he moved to Fort St. John. After Amy and Lou's mother dies, he comes back into the picture, moving to Big River Ranch (making him "practically a neighbor" to Heartland) and he becomes a regular character. Tim later buys Big River Ranch when its owner, Ray, dies and has a brief relationship with Ray's daughter, who inherited the ranch. He later begins to date a jockey named Janice, and nearly moves to California with her. However, in Season 4 Episode 18 ("Burning Down the House"), it is discovered that Tim has an 11-year-old son named Shane with Miranda Grenier, his ex-girlfriend from Fort St. John. When he reveals this to Janice, she leaves for California without him. At the end of season 5, it is announced that Miranda has feelings for Tim. In seasons 6-8, Tim still thinks he's a big shot. He starts a rodeo school, a horse-selling business, and a new relationship. When he finds out that Miranda is getting married, he tries to crash the wedding, until Jack hides his keys and they have an argument. After he moves on, he has a long-term relationship with Casey McMurtry and later starts his own rodeo school. His star pupils are Jade Virani and Clay McMurtry, who are both teenage bronc riders.

Supporting

• Kerry James as Caleb O'Dell

Caleb is a ranch hand hired by Jack after Ty leaves for 4 months. In the beginning he is rather husky, has feelings for Amy, and develops a strong rivalry with Ty over Amy. He and Amy are a couple for a short period, but Amy soon goes back to Ty. He grows close to and falls in love with Ashley Stanton, eventually getting married. Caleb is a rodeo cowboy, competing in events such as bronc riding. Before his marriage to Ashley, Caleb is severely injured at a rodeo. After a battle with prescription drugs and alcohol, much like Tim's, he comes out okay but much thinner. Caleb and Ashley have a difficult marriage, struggling with financial problems, pressure from Val Stanton (Ashley's mother), and differing life goals. Caleb and Ashley originally elope, but after discovering that their officiator's license had expired, they have a wedding outside Caleb's trailer (where they had been living). They go on honeymoon to Italy and stay with one of Val's friends, but Caleb returns alone. Ashley remains in Italy for a time, then decides she wants to pursue postsecondary education in Vancouver. Caleb moves to be with Ashley there, but they drift apart as she makes new friends and spends more time away from Caleb. They eventually divorce, and Caleb returns to Hudson and resumes working at Heartland as a ranch hand, though he returns to his seasonal occupation at the rodeo. Caleb loves his American Quarter Horse, Shorty, who is his rodeo partner. After Ashley, Caleb pursues Lou's friend Nicole (who had moved from New York to Hudson and works for Lou, running the dude ranch). He eventually winds up in a long-term relationship with Cassandra, who was a vet student a year or two ahead of Ty and works at Scott's clinic. Caleb and Cass have a pregnancy scare, and Caleb finds the pregnancy test. There is quite a bit of dramatic irony during this episode, as the audience knows Cass is the one who might be pregnant, but Caleb and Ty become convinced it is Amy. In the end, this is sorted out. Caleb and Cass almost break up, but he eventually proposes and they are married in a church in Hudson at the end of Season 10. Ty and Amy were to attend, but Amy went into labour just as they arrived, and they had to rush home.

• Gabriel Hogan as Peter Walter Morris

Peter is Lou's ex-husband. He was first introduced as PW, the owner of a small oil company called Bedford Oil, caught doing some drilling on Heartland property. This caused Lou to use her skills to organize a protest against PW's company. In the meantime, one of Lisa's 'horsey' friends finds a 'great catch' for Lou and Lisa gives out Lou's email without her permission. Stage set for a bit of dramatic irony: Lou (using her first name, Sam) and PW (using his first name, Peter) begin a relationship over an instant messaging service. They meet in person not long after, and are shocked to discover each other's full identity. Their relationship is kept secret because both Jack and Tim hate PW for being part of "Big Oil". Peter eventually wins the family's approval and he and Lou are married in the Season 3 Finale because Peter's business is immediately taking them to Dubai. Lou returns from Dubai for a one-week visit that stretches on because she has been living so far from Heartland and her family. Peter begins to commute to and from Dubai because Lou is expecting their first child. Peter ends up bankrupt in Dubai, which cause them to move into Jack's house. Peter ends up back on his feet, but is only home on weekends due to his new job's location in Vancouver. In Season 6, Lou and Peter decide to try to adopt Georgie when Jack isn't approved as her legal guardian, and they are ultimately successful. Peter and his first ex-wife have joint custody of a friendly St. Bernard named Max. Lou and Peter separate because Peter is always away in Vancouver. Peter is discovered to have a girlfriend in Vancouver, which causes Lou to end the relationship. Peter continues to visit Heartland to spend time with his daughters.

• Nathaniel Arcand as Scott Cardinal

A good Native Canadian friend of the Bartlett/Fleming household who is also Heartland's vet. Scott had a troubled background, but Marion helped him to turn his life around, and he was the original "boy in the loft". Scott has a relationship with Lou for part of seasons 1 and 2, and later regrets the fact that he lost her and did not try harder to win her back. In season 2, Ty mentions to Amy that Scott had agreed to let Ty be his apprentice and that Scott would mentor him until he could possibly work with him after veterinary school. Ty is eventually accepted into veterinary school at the University of Calgary, and begins working part-time at Scott's clinic in later seasons. He is also joined by Cassandra, another U of C vet student who is a year or two ahead of Ty. Scott later offers Ty a position as his partner in the clinic.

• Jessica Steen as Elizabeth "Lisa" Stillman Bartlett

Steen

Lisa is the charismatic owner of Fairfield Stables, and a well-known horse breeder. She is introduced when she comes to Amy for help with a horse in the first few episodes of the series. Jack and Lisa seem to have chemistry in that episode, and begin a romantic relationship a few episodes later. Lisa is often in the south of France seasonally for work, and her jet-setting lifestyle becomes a difficulty in her relationship with Jack. He visits France with her several seasons into their relationship, but does not enjoy himself, feeling out of place in the fancy places they visit. After a lengthy break, Lisa returns to Heartland and reunites with Jack. At the end of season 7, they elope but decide to continue living separately, as they are most comfortable this way. Lisa is also the godmother to Lou and Peter's daughter, Katie.

• Julia Maren Baker as Katie Fleming Morris

Catherine "Katie" Marion Minnie Fleming Morris is Lou and Peter's only biological daughter, born in episode 67, "Passages". As an infant, the family took a large amount of time getting her to sleep through the night, and an episode featured this difficulty. Mallory is often brought in to babysit, since she's often at Heartland anyway, and interested in earning extra cash. In Season 7, Katie often cries at night for Lou, who is in the Atlantic provinces on a tour for her book, Mom's the Word. Katie also starts bed-wetting, presumably for the same reason. As a result, Peter and Katie eventually join Lou on her book tour. Later in the series, Lou worries that Katie is not progressing as she should, taking her to see a pediatrician to check for abnormalities. This causes friction between Lou and Peter, as he believes that Katie is fine, which turns out to be the case. As of Season 10, Katie is a young, energetic girl who enjoys spending time with her family, especially her adoptive older sister Georgie and her great-grandfather. She has a favorite stuffed toy pony, called "Pogy". As a baby, Katie was played by twin sisters Keira and Jordan.

Heartland Cast in 2015

Recurring

• Sara Rodrigues actress
• Kevin McGarry as Mitch Cutty

Mitch is hired as a ranch hand at Heartland and works hard to earn the family's respect, especially with Jack and Tim. After much hostility, Tim nicknames Mitch "Trooper" after a tenacious but respectable bronc on the circuit. Following an awkward first "date," Mitch and Lou enter into an off-and-on relationship. Mitch is troubled by guilt due to the loss of his cousin to PTSD but confides in Lou and they earn each other's trust. Following a breakup with Lou, Mitch begins dating "new age" yoga instructor Maya which forces Lou to confront her true feelings for him.

• Roger LeBlanc as Bob Grainger

Bob runs a wildlife reserve.

• Kataem O'Connor as Adam Parker

Adam is Georgie's math tutor and becomes her first serious boyfriend.

• Helen Colliander as Olivia Wheaton

Olivia is Georgie's rival throughout the series but later becomes her friend.

• Victoria Pratt as Casey McMurtry

Casey, formerly a pro barrel racer, is in a relationship with Tim and convinces him to start a rodeo school.

• Madison Cheeatow as Jade Verani

Jade is Georgie's friend and Dr. Verani's daughter. She is a bronc rider and lives in Caleb's old trailer for a time to assert her independence. Tim is doubtful of Jade at first but grows to respect her tenacity and talent.

• Kaitlyn Leeb as Cassandra

Introduced as one of Ty's classmates at veterinarian school, Cassandra ends up working at the vet clinic with Ty. She initially appears to be an ambitious and arrogant know-it-all, which makes Amy uncomfortable. She is romantically involved with Jeremy Hughes until he sabotages Heartland, after which she is fired from the vet clinic and forced to take a job at the dude ranch, to which she is ill-suited. Scott convinces a reluctant Ty to give Cass another chance at their understaffed clinic, where she eventually becomes a good friend to Amy and Ty. She and Caleb wind up in a long-term relationship and are married in the final episode of season 10.

• Greta Onieogou as Soraya Duval

Amy's best friend who works at Maggie's, her mom's diner. Soraya always supports Amy and becomes friends with Ashley around the same time as Amy. She later visits London, England and meets a new boyfriend. In Season 5, Soraya moves to London permanently. She briefly returns at the end of season 8 to attend Amy and Ty's wedding at the Heartland Ranch.

• Wanda Cannon as Valerie "Val" Stanton

Ashley and Jesse's widowed mother, and the main antagonist throughout much of the series. Val is the proud owner of Briar Ridge Stables and uses more traditional methods of horse training compared to Heartland. Val puts too much pressure on Ashley to win horse shows, but loves and spoils her daughter. She is also friends with Jack, particularly when Jack helps her to work on her relationship with her daughter, after Ashley becomes more independent and rebellious. It is revealed in season 7 that she now lives in Florida.

• Anna Ferguson as Sally Bell

A long time family friend of the Fleming/Bartlett family who owns Sugarfoot, a cute Shetland pony whom Lou learned to ride on. Mrs. Bell keeps Sugarfoot in her house as a companion, and prefers using her herbal remedies on him rather than having him cared for by Scott or the farrier. Mrs. Bell made Marion's and Amy's wedding dresses. In the books Mrs. Bell dies from a heart attack and Sugarfoot comes to live at Heartland.

• Ruby & Emmanuella Spencer as Lyndy Marion Borden

Amy and Ty's daughter, born in Episode 175, "Greater Expectations". Her guardians (godparents), should anything happen to Amy and Ty, are Caleb and Cassandra.

Former cast

Main

• Jessica Amlee as Mallory Wells Anderson

A friend of the family who visited frequently and often stayed overnight, Mallory is the daughter of a Canadian country music artist (real-life Canadian country music artist George Canyon), whose music she finds annoying, and is hired by Lou to babysit Katie on a regular basis. She was mostly known for talking too much and prying into everyone's personal lives, which often got her into trouble. Mallory rides the horses at Heartland and participates in jumping competitions. She is easily infatuated with boys, and has a crush on Ty early in the series, though her main love interests wind up being Jake Anderson and Badger. Mallory leaves Heartland several times, most significantly to attend an all-girls boarding school to which she is sent by her parents when her father goes on tour the first time. Jake helps her buy a bus ticket and return to Heartland. At the end of Season 5, she announced with dismay that she was moving to Nashville, Tennessee for her father's music career, though she and her family returned to Canada in season 6. In season 7, she finally confessed her feelings for Jake and went with him to Paris, France. In season 10, episode 14, Mallory came back to Heartland and married him.

• Cindy Busby as Ashley Stanton

In season 1, she fulfilled the archetype of the high-school mean girl, but after Amy helps Ashley improve her show-jumping and later saves her horse Apollo, Ashley warms up to Amy and her best friend Soraya. Ashley's character develops substantially from this point, and she is shown to struggle in her relationship with her mother. As a result, she lives at Heartland for a short period of time and later stays with Caleb, in his rented trailer. Ashley gradually falls for Caleb in Season 2 and starts a serious relationship with him, and they marry in the season 3 finale. It took Ashley a while to come back from their honeymoon in Italy, resulting in Caleb coming home alone. Later in the series, Ashley and Caleb moved away so she could attend college. Caleb returned alone again, and they eventually got a divorce. In season 7 & episode nine, she comes back to see her friends. She's now coming a lawyer.

Recurring

• Jade Hassouné as Prince Ahmed Al Saeed

A wealthy prince, the initially rude Ahmed asks Amy for help with his father's horse. After working with the horse, Ahmed becomes more friendly towards her, eventually falling for her and showering her with expensive gifts. He offers Amy the opportunity to accompany him on a European tour; however, when he displays his affection for her she does not return the sentiment. Ahmed appears in eight episodes, culminating in a physical exchange with Ty in Season 8.

• Maxim Roy as Miranda Grenier

Shane's overprotective mother and Tim's ex-girlfriend. Miranda only wants what's best for her son, but moves frequently to prevent Shane learning who is father is as she is scared of losing him. Her strained relationship with Tim results in a custody battle over Shane, though they manage to work things out.

• Sam Duke as Shane Grenier Fleming

Tim's long lost, 11-year-old son and Lou and Amy's half brother, who was conceived during a casual relationship between Tim and Miranda while Tim lived in Fort St. John, during the years after his rodeo accident, before he returned to Hudson. When Miranda reveals to Tim that Shane is his son (in "Burning Down the House"), the relationship is confirmed with a paternity test and upsets Tim's family and friends when they discover the truth. Shane tends to run away and hitchhike to visit Heartland to visit his family and his horse, Pal, and wishes that Miranda and Tim would reconcile and become friends.

• Rhys Ward as Jeremy Hughes

A professional show jumper who refused Ty and Scott's treatment for his horse Buckingham, as it would prevent him from continuing his jumping career during the season. He quickly captures Mallory's attention, though she is disappointed to discover his interest in her was to find a way to gain access to Phoenix, who he saw as a suitable replacement for Buckingham and that he is already in a casual relationship with Ty's classmate Cassandra. Jeremy attempts to trick Amy into giving him Phoenix in order to save Buckingham from a risky surgery by getting her drunk to agree, though she turns against his deal for Georgie's sake. He later re-appears, ostensibly offering to train Mallory for a show-jumping competition, but had actually being using her to get closer to Phoenix. He tries to frame Ty for the death of Buckingham, using his relationship with Cassandra in the process, but is found guilty of killing his horse.

• Vinessa Antoine as Nicole

Lou's friend from New York. She first had one guest appearance in season two, joining Lou and her other friends on a trip, before returning in Season 7 as a recurring character.

• Lisa Langlois as Marion Bartlett Fleming

Lou and Amy's mother, Tim's ex-wife, Jack's daughter. Marion became interested in being a Horse whisperer after Tim left her, although Amy always describes this simply as listening to horses. At the beginning of the show, Marion is killed in a car accident when she and Amy rescue Spartan from his abusive former owner, Mr. Mallen. Marion is seen in only two of the early episodes.

• Jake Church as Jacob "Jake" Anderson

A young cowboy who is always trying to catch Mallory's eye. In season 7, he asks Mallory to go with him to Paris, France and she agrees. The two eventually get married in season 10, episode 14.

• Jack Knight as Badger

A Juvenile delinquent who is introduced in "Do or Die" with his best friend Tara. He is often quiet, but eventually becomes comfortable enough to talk, and he has shown to be a talented artist. He is another one of Mallory's love interests and kisses her. He has a troubled family life and feels as though he does not belong anywhere, resulting in his leaving and returning to Heartland erratically without letting others know. After "A Heartland Christmas", Badger isn't seen or mentioned again.

• Siobhan Williams as Jamie Lewis

Mallory's ex-Pony Club friend who is introduced in Season 3 when she invites Mallory to try out for the club's pole bending competition. She reappears in Season 4 as Jake's new love interest.

• Wesley MacInnes as Austin Mars

An aspiring country musician introduced in Season 5. He is torn between his feelings for Mallory and the chance to get to her famous musician father.

• Greg Lawson as Clinton "Clint" Riley

Ty's former probation officer and Georgie's former Social Worker. Clint is Tara and Badger's probation officer. Clint keeps his clients on a tight schedule. Clint is allergic to peanuts.

• Kristin Fairlie as Tara

Badger's goth juvenile delinquent best friend. She is introduced in Season 2. At first Tara bullies Mallory and judges her, calling her names based on her appearance (blonde hair and pink clothes) and bubbly personality. The girls eventually become friends. Tara agrees to give horseback riding a try if Mallory will go goth to freak her parents out. After "Do or Die", Tara isn't seen again, although she is mentioned in the episode "The Haunting of Hanley Barn".

• Tatiana Maslany as Katherine "Kit" Bailey

Ty's punk cowgirl ex-girlfriend. Kit enjoys barrel racing on her horse Daisy. Kit's methods for breaking a horse are very different from Amy's. Amy is jealous of Kit at first, but the girls eventually become friends.

• Jeff Roop as Constable Marcus "Mark" Rodriguez

An RCMP officer who initially comes to Heartland because his horse, Venture, developed a fear of water after Const. Rodriguez saved a drowning boy. At first, he seemed to care no more for his horse than as a mode of transportation. Amy saw how he secretly cared deeply for him. On his first visit to the ranch, Lou makes a fool of herself in front of him, and he is later revealed to have a crush on her. They dated briefly after Lou and Scott broke up. Lou eventually caught Constable Rodriguez cheating on her and broke up with him.

• Tom Carey as Wes

Wes is a very shady man and an enemy of Amy's family introduced in "Born to Run". He's a cruel cowboy who was helping some local ranchers round up wild mustangs to DNA test and release. However, it turned out that he had plans to sell them to a meat truck. Mallory discovered the feed lot where the mustangs were being kept, and Amy released them, preventing Wes from trucking them away, effectively saving the mustangs. Wes took revenge one night when Amy, Ty, Lou, and Scott were away at parties (a semi-formal and a college reunion). He started a fire in the barn using a match and plenty of gasoline as an accelerant. Jack was injured while rescuing the horses and lost his memory of the incident, but later remembered and had Wes arrested. In a later season, he steals Spartan in the middle of the night and legally buys him at an auction. Wes's plan was to sell Spartan for more money so that Amy would never see her horse again. After beating Wes up, Tim and Jack rescue Spartan and return him home to Amy. After "The Ties That Bind" Wes isn't seen or mentioned again.

• Aedan Tomney (Season 1) and Jon McLaren (Season 8) as Jesse Stanton

Val's son, Ashley's brother, and Amy's boyfriend when her mother died. Ashley and Jesse threw a pool party while Val was out of town. Amy broke up with Jesse after he became drunk, tried to kiss her, and then was planning to drive her home while under the influence. Seeing Jesse trying to wrest his keys back from Amy, Ty thought she was being hurt and beat Jesse up. Jesse returns in Season 8 to take over his mother's stables, become Amy's rival, and threaten Amy and Ty's marriage.

• Craig Arnold as Jeffery "Jeff" Crawley

Georgie's biological older brother. His parents died in a car accident. Jeff lives somewhere else, but he keeps in touch with his little sister. Jeff looks up to Ty. Even though Jeff doesn't spend time with Georgie when he comes to visit, he does care about her. After "Written in Stone" Jeff isn't seen again.

• Jill Alexander as Patricia "Smiley" Smothers

Patricia is the local librarian who helps Amy find books on horses and truth serum. It is never revealed where Patricia lives, but its assumed she resides in a dumpster behind the "Old Maggie's Depot". Her rivalry with Sugarfoot is well known in the town. She often gets mad at people who drive silver cars and often hurls macaroni and cheese at them. Her character did not return after season 3.

• Meaghan Rath as Jennifer "Jen"'

Jen is a Black Canadian friend of Amy's, who appears only in the pilot episode, "Coming Home". Jen went to school with Amy, and tried to comfort her after Marion died. Jen's the one who talked Amy into going to Ashley and Jesse's pool party while Val was out of town.

• Graham Abbey as Steven "Steve"

Steve is one of Lou's high school friends, who got a job at the bank at some point after graduation. Steve helps Lou get her business plan for Heartland approved, in order for her to get a loan and save the ranch. The bank approves on the condition that Lou stays at Heartland to run the business side. After the pilot, Steve isn't seen or mentioned again.

• Carson Pound as Stephan
• Miranda Frigon as Janice Wayne

Janice is a previous girlfriend of Tim's, with a personality much like his. She is a jockey and races his horses. Tim and Janice almost move to California together.

Others

• Suzanne Coy as Margaret "Maggie" Duval

Soraya's smart aleck mother and Marion's best friend who was the original owner of the tack and feed store "Maggie's Diner". Maggie leaves early Season 7 to live in London, England to be near Soraya.

• Keegan Connor Tracy as Crystal

Georgie's biological aunt who has intentions that are not initially seen. After Georgie breaks her arm, Crystal visits Heartland and files child abuse claims against Lou and Peter to extort money from them in exchange for dropping the charges. Georgie and the social worker overhear this and Crystal leaves empty handed facing possible arrest.

• Ben Cardinal as Victor Whitetail

Marion's good friend who fixes horses and people. Victor enjoys golf and once had an affair with Marion after Tim left her. Victor's horse style is different from Amy's, and he helps her a couple times during the series.

• Torrance Coombs as Chase Powers

Amy's rival in "The Ring of Fire". Following a clinic they did together, he kisses her. Later, Ty confronts him about it and hits him twice. One for running Mrs. Bell off the road and one for kissing Amy. While getting ice for the bruises, Chase and Soraya become friends. He is later invited to Amy and Soraya's graduation party as Soraya's date. There he kisses Soraya and they begin dating. In "Leap of Faith", he asks Amy to come along with him and Soraya to a movie. He tells Amy when she arrives that Soraya had to study. After the movie it is shown that he still likes Amy. During "The River", Soraya ends the relationship.

• Raoul Trujillo as Renard

Amy's new friend who runs "Dark Horse", a popular traveling horse show.

• Emma Lahana as Blair Conner

A friend of Ty's, who spent time with him working at a ranch in Montana. She came with him to Heartland when he returned to Amy in season 4. She was the source of considerable friction between Amy and Ty, when she pursued Ty during her first appearance, and later when she told her boyfriend, Grant, that she and Ty had "hooked up".

• Beau Mirchoff as Benjamin "Ben" Stillman

Lisa's arrogant nephew. Ben competes in show jumping competitions with his horse Red. He worked at Heartland for part of a season, but then he goes to work for Nick Harwell. He later fires Nick Harwell and goes back to his aunt's stables. Later in season 2, he leaves Briar Ridge and attends a university.

• Stephen Amell as Nicholas "Nick" Harwell

A champion rider. Amy helps Nick's horse in "Born to Run".

Series overview

Main article: List of Heartland episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	13		October 14, 2007 (2007-10-14)	February 24, 2008 (2008-02-24)
2	18		October 5, 2008 (2008-10-05)	March 22, 2009 (2009-03-22)
3	18		October 4, 2009 (2009-10-04)	March 28, 2010 (2010-03-28)
4	18		September 26, 2010 (2010-09-26)	March 27, 2011 (2011-03-27)
Film			December 12, 2010 (2010-12-12)
5	18		September 18, 2011 (2011-09-18)	March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25)
6	18		September 16, 2012 (2012-09-16)	April 7, 2013 (2013-04-07)
7	18		October 6, 2013 (2013-10-06)	April 13, 2014 (2014-04-13)
8	18		September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)	March 29, 2015 (2015-03-29)
9	18		October 4, 2015 (2015-10-04)	March 20, 2016 (2016-03-20)
10	18		October 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)	March 26, 2017 (2017-03-26)
11	18		September 24, 2017 (2017-09-24)	April 8, 2018 (2018-04-08)
12	11		January 6, 2019 (2019-01-06)	April 7, 2019 (2019-04-07)
13	10		September 22, 2019 (2019-09-22)	November 24, 2019 (2019-11-24)
14	10		January 10, 2021 (2021-01-10)	March 21, 2021 (2021-03-21)
15	10		October 17, 2021 (2021-10-17)	December 19, 2021 (2021-12-19)
16	15		October 2, 2022 (2022-10-02)	February 5, 2023 (2023-02-05)
17	10		October 1, 2023 (2023-10-01)	December 3, 2023 (2023-12-03)
18	10		October 6, 2024 (2024-10-06)	December 8, 2024 (2024-12-08)

Filming locations

Much of the series is filmed on location in and around High River, Alberta, with additional filming in studio and on location in nearby Calgary. A June 2013 flood in High River swamped the standing set for Maggie's Diner. The main Heartland sets escaped damage, and seventh season scripts were rewritten to move shooting locations for the fictional town of Hudson to Inglewood, a historic neighborhood in downtown Calgary. A month after the flood, the show's Calgary studios offered behind-the-scenes tours to paying fans for a one-day "Heartlanders for High River" fundraiser, providing $80,000 to help the town recover.

Heartland filmed some of its interiors at an abandoned military base, Currie Barracks, scheduled for redevelopment.

Home media

Entertainment One has released the first seven seasons of Heartland on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only). The standalone TV movie A Heartland Christmas was released on DVD in Canada on November 1, 2011 and in the USA on October 29, 2013. Season 8 was released in Canada on October 6, 2015.

In Region 2, 4Digital Media has released the first 6 seasons on DVD in the UK.

In Region 4, Season 1 and Season 2 Parts 1 and 2 have been released by Roadshow Home Video.

Season	Ep#	Release dates
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Season 1, Part 1	7	September 15, 2009	—	—
Season 1, Part 2	6	November 10, 2009	—	—
The Complete First Season	13	May 4, 2010	April 26, 2010	August 31, 2010
Season 2, Part 1		—	—	December 2, 2010
Season 2, Part 2		—	—	March 3, 2011
The Complete Second Season	18	May 4, 2010	June 13, 2011	—
The Complete Third Season	18	March 22, 2011	13/02-12	—
The Complete Fourth Season	18	November 1, 2011	27/02-12	—
The Complete Fifth Season	18	September 18, 2012	November 19, 2012	—
The Complete Sixth Season	18	October 15, 2013	August 12, 2013	—
The Complete Seventh Season	18	September 28, 2014	unknown	—
The Complete Eighth Season	18	October 6, 2015	unknown	—
The Complete Ninth Season	18	2016	unknown	—
The Complete Tenth Season	18	2017	unknown	—
The Complete Eleventh Season	18	November 12, 2018	unknown	unknown
The Complete Twelfth Season	11	2019	unknown	N/A

Other releases	Release dates
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
A Heartland Christmas	November 1, 2011

Ratings

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Heartland

In its series premiere, Heartland beat out Global's comedy Da Kink in My Hair with 513,000 viewers in a battle of two new series. After four episodes, Heartland had an average viewership of 464,000. In its first-season finale, Heartland attracted 625,000 viewers. The third-season premiere brought in over 1 million viewers, a new record for the show. The 100th episode "After All We've Been Through" was watched by 945,000 viewers.

Spin-off web series

A 6-part spin-off web series titled Hudson with Jade Verani as the protagonist was released on CBC Gem on March 31, 2019. It won the Best Web Series award at the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers's 2nd annual Stinger Awards.

External links

• Official website
• Heartland at IMDb
• Heartland at UP TV Network
• Heartland at TV.com
• Heartland at epguides.com