When Calls the Heart fans can expect to see a Little House on the Prairie reunion of sorts in Season 12!
During the annual Hearties Family Reunion in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday, Hallmark announced that Melissa Gilbert will appear in When Calls the Heart‘s forthcoming season.
According to a press release, the 60-year-old actress will guest star in a two-episode arc in the upcoming season, slated to premiere in 2025. She will portray a character named Georgie McGill, who will share “a surprising past with one special Hope Valley resident.”
The addition of Gilbert likely came about since When Calls the Heart‘s executive producer Michael Landon Jr.’s father, Michael Landon, portrayed the beloved Pa (Charles Ingalls) on Little House on the Prairie, which aired from 1974 to 1983.
Gilbert — who portrayed Laura Ingalls Wilder in the show — reunited with Landon Jr. back in March at the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival, and that is where the idea for her Hallmark cameo came about.
Landon Jr. had appeared in two Little House on the Prairie episodes himself in 1977.
Kelly Garrett, vice president of programming at Hallmark Media, pointed out in a statement that both shows have “charming and compelling stories of hope, human connection and frontier survival.”
“It was only fitting that the first people to hear this special news were the Hearties — devoted fans who have celebrated the show year after year and made it such a success,” Garrett continued. “The energy being here with them to share this news is electric, and we cannot wait for them to meet Georgie next year.”
Landon died in 1991 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and Gilbert recently reflected on his impact on Little House on the Prairie. “Michael was the quarterback, right? So he set the tone of what we were doing,” she told PEOPLE earlier this month.
She also recalled being close with him, saying she “was the only cast member who regularly socialized with him and his family.”
“We all vacationed together during spring break to Hawaii — the same hotel every year,” she added. “Mike’s kids went to the same school I went to. I slept over at their house all the time. They slept over at my house.”
When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Hallmark+ and Little House on the Prairie is available on Amazon Prime.