Heartland Season 16: Everything We Know

Looks like the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian television history is out to maintain its record because another season of Heartland is almost upon us.

The new season, season 16, will see new challenges and triumphs for the Bartlett-Fleming clan. So, I thought, that it’s time to take a deep dive into all the available information about the upcoming season.

As this is a Heartland season 16 spoilers article, as you can imagine, in this post there will be spoilers regarding both the upcoming season as well as a few tidbits about previous seasons, so read at your own volition!

And with that out of the way, here’s everything we know about Heartland season 16!

Heartland season 16 release date

The official premiere date for Heartland season 16 has been set for Sunday, October 2nd. Meaning, that the show will, as usual, inhabit the Sundays at 7 pm (7:30 pm NT) timeslot.

On October 2nd Heartland will premiere on CBC as well as the network’s streaming service CBC Gem.

While international viewers will have to wait a while longer for the new season, because, usually, the newest season doesn’t air outside Canada until the next year (2023, in this case).

What will Heartland season 16 be about?

Although we don’t specifically know all the stories that will be told on Heartland season 16, CBC has given us a bit of information about what will the new season be about via the official synopsis for the upcoming season.

Posted to the show’s page on the CBC media center website, it reads:

From this, we can deduce that Amy will be moving on with her life after the loss of her husband and will be forging new friendships and possibly even entertaining the idea of a new romance.

Amy’s daughter Lyndy will be taking her first strides toward becoming as talented of a horse trainer as her mother.

Lou and Peter will be more committed to each other than ever. While their daughter Katie will be trying to figure out where she stands when it comes to both her newly-reunited family and life in general.

Tim and Jessica will be enjoying that newlywed bliss but an old ghost from Tim’s past (based on the trailer, this will have something to do with Tim’s son Shane) will disrupt their peace forcing Tim to make up for the mistakes he made in the past.

While Jack and Lisa will be happier than ever living out their dreams, however, as it often is with life, there will still be challenges they will need to face despite their rosy outlook on life.

Heartland season 16 trailer

Just recently we also got the first two sneak peeks of the upcoming season of Heartland, as well as the full-length season 16 trailer that premiered on September 22nd during the Heartland Season 16 Family Dinner video special.

In this first promo, we hear grandpa Jack saying “Happy ever after isn’t the end of the story, it’s kinda the beginning,” while clips of Amy, Lyndy, Jack, Tim, Lou, and Katie play out on the screen. And the clip ends with Amy asking her daughter Lyndy if she wants to go on an adventure.

The second clip sees Katie reading from a journal by the pond with tears in her eyes: “Sometimes, I look out the window and I see a place where the blue sky goes on forever. Sometimes I look out across the pond and I wonder, will it ever feel the same again? Sometimes I ask the wind to take me back. But then I look out the window and I see you. And I realize, no matter how much things change, I’m home!”

And we also see shots of Amy riding, Lou telling Rick that he’s going to be a dad, Tim asking Amy if she’s seen the edition of Hudson Times featuring her and Lyndy that sports the headline “Miracle Girls!”, Jack riding full force across the yard to greet Lissa upon her arrival and, again, Amy asking Lyndy if she wants to go on an adventure.

While the full-length trailer combines some of the scenes of the promo clips as well as gives us a lot more little sneak peeks and tidbits to get us excited about the new season!

About season 16 episodes

How many episodes will there be in Heartland season 16, you ask?

Well, this season we’re lucky because instead of the 10 episodes that the last three seasons have had, we will be treated to 15 new episodes for season 16.

That’s right Heartland season 16 will have 15 episodes.

I wonder if the fact that Heartland became the 5th most-streamed TV show in the US (according to Nielsen) had anything to do with that. After all, that’s a HUGE endorsement for the show and how popular it is not only in its home country of Canada but also in the US and beyond.

And we are also slowly getting our first episode titles, air dates, and loglines:

• Heartland season 16 episode 1 (airing on October 2ns) will be titled “Something’s Got to Give” and its synopsis reads: “After another Miracle Girl moment, Amy reconsiders her role at the Youth Centre. Jack misses Lisa, especially after Tim and Jessica are forced to move into the house.” Read the recap of episode 1 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 2 (airing on October 9th) will be called “Changes” and its synopsis reads: “Amy’s decision to work with Peyton Westfielf’s horse upsets Logan. Jack helps Katie find her own path. Lou has to come through for Rick.” Read the recap of episode 2 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 3 (airing on October 16th) will be called “On the Ropes” and its logline reads: “Amy and Caleb train one of Sam’s rescue horses to be a roping horse. Jack and Tim disagree about Blue’s future. Katie and Logan go river rafting and end up on a bigger adventure than they expected.” Read the recap of episode 3 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 4 (airing October 23rd) will be titled “Spark to Flame” and its synopsis reads: “Amy is surprised to learn that Finn has returned to town. Jack and Tim win Hudson’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, which leads to unexpected problems for Lou and the arrival of someone from Tim’s past.” Read the recap of episode 4 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 5 (airing October 30th) will be called “Higher Ground” and its logline reads: “When flood evacuees come to Hudson, Amy works with a traumatized horse. Jack and Lisa help a young couple. Tim connects with an evacuee. Rick steps up in Lou’s absence.” Read the recap of episode 5 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 6 (airing on November 6th) will be titled “Into the Wild” and its synopsis reads: “Amy helps a unique animal from an abandoned zoo. Tim joins Jessica in New York for her art show, while trying to fix a past mistake. Jack and Lisa work through difficulties in their relationship.” Read the recap of episode 6 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 7 (airing on November 13th) will be called “Vigil” and its description reads: “A storm leads to a sad goodbye. Amy thinks her worst fears about Finn have come true. Lou reads Katie’s journal without permission.” Read the recap of episode 7 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 8 (airing on November 20th) will have the title “Running Down a Dream” and its synopsis reads: “Amy teaches Lyndy how to barrel race. Logan’s father arrives at Heartland. Jessica seeks distraction from a disappointment in New York. Katie gets her ears pierced, causing a fight with Lou.” Read the recap of episode 8 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 9 (airing on November 27th) will be titled “True Colours, New Tricks”: and its description reads: “Amy leads an overnight trail ride to help with Jessica’s new photography job. On the ride, Amy and Jack have a disagreement about Finn. Lou’s latest mayoral event upsets Rick.” Read the recap of episode 9 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 10 (airing on December 4th) will be called “Lurking in the Shadows” and its synopsis reads: “Amy and Lou go on a road trip to stop a Miracle Girl imposter. Tim puts on a rodeo school showcase but a series of mysterious events threaten the show. Amy questions if she should visit Finn.” Read the recap of episode 10 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 11 (airing on January 8th, 2023) will be titled “Head Over Heels” and its description reads: “Amy agrees to let Logan take the lead with a new client horse. Tim goes after the person responsible for Jack’s accident. Lou struggles to reconnect with Katie.” Read the recap of episode 11 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 12 (airing on January 15th) will be called “Memory” and its synopsis reads: “A surprise visitor causes Amy to see Finn differently. A weekend trip to the cabin has Jack struggling with his past while Katie finally opens up. Lou and Peter’s dinner party doesn’t go as planned. Read the recap of episode 12 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 13 (airing on January 22nd) will be titled “Striking a Balance” and its description reads: “Amy helps Lisa with Platinum Bow. Tim has a difficult visit with Shane. Katie leads a strike at Maggie’s. Jack reconnects with his country music roots.” Read the recap of episode 13 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 14 (airing on January 29th) will be called “After the Ever After” and its description reads: “Amy helps Georgie rediscover her passion for showjumping. Lou’s surprised when Peter announces he’s moving to Heartland. A Winter Fair allows Tim to help Jessica and his rodeo school.” Read the recap of episode 14 here!
• Heartland season 16 episode 15 aka the season 16 finale (airing on February 5th) will be titled “A Light in the Dark” and its synopsis reads: “Jack faces the truth about his rift with Al Cotter. Lou and Peter take the next step in their relationship. Georgie makes a decision about her future. Amy sees her own future in a new light. Read the recap of episode 15 here!

Returning cast for Heartland season 16

A lot of familiar faces will be back for Heartland season 16.

From Amber Marshall as Amy, Ruby and Emmanuella Spencer as Lyndy, Shaun Johnston as Jack, Jessica Steen as Lisa, Chris Potter as Tim and Michelle Morgan as Lou to Baye McPherson as Katie, Michelle Nolden as Jessica, Gabriel Hogan as Peter and Alisha Newton as Georgie (in episodes 1614 and 1615), much of the regular cast will return in a larger or smaller capacity.

All the actors might not be in every episode of the new season (as it has been for the past few years), but you are sure to see all these faces fairly frequently on Heartland season 16.

We will also be seeing Aidan Moreno as Lou’s Chief Administrative Officer Rick and Kerry James as Caleb as both actors have been sharing updates on their social media from the set of the new season.

Additionally, Drew Davis will be back as Logan, a troubled teen turned Amy’s protégé who we met in episode 3 of season 15, and Ava Tran will be reprising her role as Parker in season 16, as well.

Speaking of cast updates, from a photo shared by Lou Fleming herself Michelle Morgan, we know that in season 16 we can also expect to see Ivan Cermak as Garland Foods owner Fred Garland and Robert Cormier as Finn, a farrier who helped Amy in Heartland season 15 episode 8.

And before you ask, NO, Lou WON’T be pregnant on Heartland season 16!

While Michelle Morgan was pregnant during the filming of the first few episodes of season 16 and then took a brief maternity leave only to return on set a few weeks later, according to Michelle herself, her character Lou isn’t pregnant in the new season.

So, most likely Michelle’s real-life pregnancy will be hidden on screen using some of the many workarounds the TV industry has developed over the years to hide actresses’ pregnancies.

Caitlynne Medrek will also be back for season 16 as Lyndy’s preschool teacher Ms. Clarissa.

Thanks to Kate Drummond’s Instagram post, we know that both Paula and Peyton Westfield (played by Eliana Jones) will also appear during the season.

And lastly, two more familiar faces will return for the upcoming season.

Thanks to the exclusive first look at Heartland season 16 by ET Canada, we know that Jessica Amlee and Jake Church will be back as Mallory and Jake.

We last saw Mallory and Jake in season 10 episode 13 and episode 14 when after some trials and tribulations the two got married in the Heartland barn and headed to Mexico in Jake’s cousin’s RV.

By the looks of it, the two have settled into a happy marriage, so it will be interesting to see what brings Mallory and Jake back to Heartland.

New cast members for season 16

Although we don’t have a ton of information on the new faces that will appear on Heartland season 16, we have a couple.

First up, thanks to the previously mentioned Michelle Morgan’s Instagram post, we know that actor Peter Michael Dillon will be part of season 16.

On his Instagram he has shared quite a few posts from the set of the new season so if I had to guess, the actor might appear in more than just one episode.

And, on season 16 we will also be seeing a few of Lyndy’s classmates, one of which will be played by young actor Huxley Fisher since Lyndy’s kindergarten graduation will be one of the storylines we will see in the upcoming season.

Last thoughts

Are you as excited for Heartland season 16 as I am? And what stories would you like to see in this upcoming season?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

I am particularly excited to not only see Amy and Lyndy working on horses together but I’m also curious as to what the party is for that we got some BTS shots from on Michelle and Aidan’s Instagram pages.

And, of course, I’d love to see where the friendship between Amy and Finn will take them.

Episode 8, which saw Amy and Finn working together, was my favorite from last season, so I’m excited that we will see more of Finn in season 16 as well. Although with the sad news of the sudden passing of Robert Cormier, who played Finn, unfortunately, this relationship between Amy and Finn most likely won’t even last the season.

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READ NEXT: Heartland Renewed for Season 17

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And as usual, I will be doing recaps of all the new episodes.

So look out for those on Mondays starting October 2nd after each new episode of Heartland season 16 airs on CBC and CBC Gem.