Heartland Renewed for Season 16

Finally, the news all Heartland fans have been waiting for since the last episode of Heartland season 15 aired this January.

So, yes, Heartland was just officially renewed for season 16!

To some, this might not come as a surprise, since speculation about the renewal has run rampant for a long while now.

From Amber Marshall (who plays Amy Fleming on the show) alluding to a possible new season in the comments of her Instagram posts and Heartland being listed among the shows shooting in Alberta this summer to Heartland’s Assistant Art Directing Simon Daykin (in a since-deleted post) sharing the official logo for season 16 of Heartland (that’s used internally to mark the new season) two weeks ago.

But now it’s officially official, with the information included in a CBC press release on their 2022-23 programming slate and everything.

So, now that we know for sure that there will be another season of Heartland, here’s everything we know so far about season 16!

Heartland season 16 renewal announcement

The announcement was posted on Heartland’s official social media channels telling us that “Heartland will return for season 16″.

 

On top of that, the series star Amber Marshall also posted a video on her Instagram account announcing the good news.

In the video, Amber not only announced that season 16 of Heartland is a go but also told us that they start shooting the upcoming season as soon as next week so we can enjoy new episodes of Heartland this fall.

This means that starting next week we will start seeing production updates from the show’s stars as well as its official social media accounts.

These updates are always exciting because we not only get to see a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the filming of the show but also can start to gleam little tidbits of what stories might be told during the new season!

How many episodes will there be in Heartland season 16?

According to the announcement made by CBC, Heartland season 16 will have 15 episodes.

That’s five more episodes than the last three seasons of Heartland have had, which is significant for two seasons.

Not only we will be getting more stories and more character development but it also means that the show is here to stay since CBC decided to up the episode count this season – something they haven’t done for four seasons (starting with season 12 the episode count only went down or stayed constantly low).

And really, I see the increased episode count as a smart business decision for CBC because early this year Nielsen revealed that in 2021 Heartland was the 5th most-streamed TV show in the US. Meaning that more and more people are discovering Heartland and enjoying the show and therefore their audience is only growing.

When will season 16 air?

We won’t have to wait long for Heartland season 16 either because the new season is set to premiere on CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday, October 2nd.

As for the time slot, Heartland will keep its classic Sundays at 7 pm air time – the timeslot the series has occupied ever since it premiered in 2007.

What will Heartland season 16 be about?

The official log-line for Heartland season 16 (posted to Heartland’s page on the CBC media center website) reads:

“Season 16 of Heartland finds Amy and the rest of the family making bold strides towards their futures.

For Amy, that means taking the blinders off and looking at her life with renewed hope and focus. She’ll be challenged by the horses that need her help, but she’ll also open herself up to the possibility of new friendships and maybe even romance.

Amy’s daughter, Lyndy, will follow in her mom’s footsteps as her talents with horses start to develop over the course of the season.

Jack and Lisa will find themselves living out the dreams they’ve both worked so hard to achieve, but they’ll also realize that there are unforeseen consequences to dreams coming true.

Just as Lou and Peter have recommitted as a couple, Katie will struggle to find her place in the world and in her family.

Tim has never been happier in his marriage to Jessica, but a ghost from his past will force him to reconsider mistakes he made years ago and seek ways to atone for them.

In season 16 the Bartlett-Fleming family will come together more than ever to face their fears and start the next chapter in their lives.”

So it looks like Amy might be in for a new romance and certainly for new friendships, Lyndy will start developing her horse whispering skills, Jack and Lisa will keep thriving, Lou and Peter, as well as Tim and Jessica, will be more in love than ever, while Katie will be looking to the future and Tim will revisit some past misdeeds.

Sounds to me like it will be an amazing season!

What else do we know about the upcoming season?

To be honest not much more is known about Heartland season 16 at this point other than what I’ve already covered in this article.

But I can say for sure that Amber Marshall (as Amy Fleming), Michelle Morgan (as Lou Fleming), Shaun Johnston (as Jack Bartlett), Chris Potter (as Tim Fleming), and twins Ruby and Emmanuella Spencer (as Lyndy Borden) will be back for the new season.

How do I know?

Well, all of these actors have been featured in the promo picture shared along with the renewal announcement as well as in the log-line for the new season.

And on top of that, Amber, Michelle, and Emmanuella & Ruby have all shared the news and their excitement to return to the set on Heartland on their social media accounts.

Additionally, recurring cast member Aidan Moreno (who plays Rick Adderly) will also return for season 16 sharing on his Instagram that he can’t wait to see his Heartland family soon and “to make this next chapter”.

And from the synopsis above, we also know that Jessica Steen (as Lisa Stillman) Baye McPherson (as Katie Fleming-Morris), Michelle Nolden (as Jessica Cook) and Gabriel Hogan (as Peter Morris) will also be back for the new season.

That’s all I have for you currently, Heartland fans.

Let me know in the comments below how excited you are for Heartland season 16!

And I will be sure to update this post once we know more and make a new article with all that we know about the new season once we get closer to the season 16 premiere.