When Calls the Heart (2014)

Watchseries; FINALLY!!!!!!! This is filled with something for everyone in the family, love, drama, suspense, comedy. My family is hooked! It is safe for littles to watch and that is what I love most, We won't watch a show our children cannot watch, so our viewing is limited a lot. This is an amazing show and our whole family loves it. Our children learn some history in it along the way as well. How many children 7 and under do you hear playing using the term "Constable"????? Oh yes our children use that term regularly now! Our children even desired to write by the light of the lantern only just like Miss Thatcher....they wanted to experience "the old days"! Thank you Hallmark for your family friendly viewing! You have a family of new fans!

FINALLY!!!!!!! This is filled with something for everyone in the family, love, drama, suspense, comedy. My family is hooked! It is safe for littles to watch and that is what I love most, We won't watch a show our children cannot watch, so our viewing is limited a lot. This is an amazing show and our whole family loves it. Our children learn some history in it along the way as well. How many children 7 and under do you hear playing using the term "Constable"????? Oh yes our children use that term regularly now! Our children even desired to write by the light of the lantern only just like Miss Thatcher....they wanted to experience "the old days"! Thank you Hallmark for your family friendly viewing! You have a family of new fans!

When Calls the Heart watchseries. I enjoy the characters and the enjoyable stories. And I look forward to watching it!

But...

Its view of "family values" is a thinly veiled pitch for strong Christian messaging. Lots of prayer vigils and "God has a plan". This has kicked into overdrive in the past 2-3 seasons. I respect people of all faiths but don't like being preached at. Isn't it possible to have family values irrespective of religion?

Although Season 1 talked about challenges of outhouses and presumably lack of plumbing, all the ladies walk around with gorgeous highlighted hair (worn down rather than put up as per ladies of that era). I guess they wash their hair in the pond or spend time every day hauling and heating water for a bath, lol. They also have full modern and overdone makeup, and gorgeous clothes in a presumably small and simple town. Even one of the men who is clearly over 50 has dyed hair. It reminds me of the old Bonanza and Gunsmoke days where the women were dolled up in 60s hairstyles lol.

Lots of staging issues too. For instance, in the small mining cabins of Season 1, today they have a Harry Potter-like magical morph of a large interior in the tiny little exterior. Seems like a 1500 sqft interior in a 400 sqft shell.

Look, it's a sweet storyline and I'm not seeking gritty reality in this show. But SOME attempt at minor realism would be nice.

I used to love Jeanette Oke's books. I love historical fiction. But I hate cheap movies and shallow acting. I got into the series for Season 1, but Season 2 is driving me crazy. Their loose wavy hair and highlights that suddenly everyone wears is inaccurate and awfully inconvenient- you can't cook or do chores with hair in your face. The clothing went wrong as well. The fake eyelashes. The makeup. The shallow stories. All causing me to fast-forward through most of the show to see what happens. Why doesn't Jack ever wear his Mounty uniform anymore? Rosemary is annoying as hell, I do hope she leaves. The fake love interests that are supposed to be conflicting but are not convincing at all just need to go away. As usual, I need to learn to turn off the TV and go back to reading.

I am officially a When Calls the Heart addict! I can't get enough. I watch nearly everything on the Hallmark Channel, so last fall when they showed the movie that starred Stephen Amell and Maggie Grace I, of course, watched it & fell in love! I then got all of the books by Janette Oke & read them practically without putting them down! (Yes, I do work & it really interfered! LOL) I eagerly anticipated the series as they advertised it for what seemed like forever. This is a series that has struck a chord in my heart that's long been unfulfilled. I have always been a fan of Little House on the Prairie, The Walton's and the Love Comes Softly series. I wish I lived in those times when life was much more simple and people really did love their neighbor. This new series, When Calls the Heart, is what I've been wanting for a long time - good family programming that I don't have to censor or watch it when others aren't around because I'm ashamed of it's content. This is a time when men were chivalrous, women were strong and children did as they were told out of respect for their elders. It's such a nice change from what we see on other programs that are on right now. I'm praying that Hallmark & other channels realize that there are people out there longing for this kind of programming. I'll be so heartbroken if this doesn't get a second season. So, for now, I'm loving me some clean romance between the pretty schoolteacher Elizabeth & the handsome gentleman, Jack. Love that smile & the red Mountie jacket! Loving Lori Laughlin too - she's always been great!

I came across this when scrolling through channels and was confused which time period it was set in. Not until I saw the cars did I realise it was set in the early 1900s.

The hair and makeup of the women and even the hair of the men, are not of this period. The women's hairstyles are very much of the current era and their makeup/eyeshadow too.

This series had great potential but I find these basic errors completely off-putting.

Even the language/slang used are too modern.

Poor show!

As I now read that others have had the same problems with the staging of this series as I have, I feel compelled to give it a low rating. I love "family values" programming and I am so disappointed not to be able to get behind this series I've come to very late.... but I can't. Even the dialogue and some action by some characters are too modern so it completely ruins it for me. I'm a costume designer and make-up artist for TV and commercials and it's truly unforgivable in my opinion. The producers need to visit the set of "Murdoch Mysteries" for a bit of "movie" authenticity.