What You Need to Know About Heartland Season 18

The wait is almost over! We’re just weeks away from the highly anticipated premiere of Heartland season 18, so it’s about time we dive into all the exciting details we’ve learned about the upcoming season.

From premiere dates to fresh trailers, returning cast members, and some major plot details about what the Bartlett-Fleming family will face this season, I’ve gathered all the information you need to prepare for the new season.

Before we get into it, here’s your official spoiler warning! If you’d prefer to experience everything firsthand when the season airs, now’s your chance to turn back and close this article.

Otherwise, let’s explore what we know about Heartland season 18!

Heartland season 18 premiere date

We’ll start off with probably the most important detail of all – when does Heartland season 18 premiere?

This year, the show opted for a slightly different model for its season premiere.

Usually, the new season premieres on CBC and CBC’s streaming service CBC Gem the same day; however, for season 18, they are switching things up.

The new season will first premiere on CBC Gem on Sunday, September 29th.

And then, the show will get its broadcast premiere on CBC a week later on Sunday, October 6th.

What do you think about this new way of doing things? Do you like it?

I personally don’t mind since it’s free to watch Heartland on CBC Gem. But it might be a bit frustrating to have to wait an extra week to enjoy the new season for those who prefer to watch Heartland exclusively on CBC.

Season 18 trailer

Excited to catch a glimpse of what’s in store for season 18?

Well, you’re in luck because the official Heartland season 18 trailer premiered on September 17th.

You can check it out below:

The trailer really gives us a taste of the new challenges, relationships, and exciting moments that await the Bartlett-Fleming clan this season.

From it, we learned that Lou will be working alongside Jack and Tim on the cattle business, Katie will be continuing to pursue writing, and Caleb will be returning to Hudson after he moved to Kelowna to be closer to his son in episode 1708.

Also, Lyndy will start asking questions about her dad, Ty, Shane and Chloe will be planning a family and Amy and Nathan will attempt to figure out their growing relationship, however, it might end up evolving into a love triangle between Amy, Caleb and Nathan.

And finally, the family will be dealing with the consequences of a terrible drought.

If this trailer is any indication, season 18 is shaping up to be another unforgettable chapter in the Heartland saga!

Heartland season 18 episode count

Now, let’s talk about how many episodes will season 18 have.

The official episode count was revealed with the season 18 renewal announcement, and fans will be pleased to know that season 18 will feature 10 hour-long episodes.

Here are the episode titles and descriptions that have come out so far:

• Heartland season 18 episode 1 will be titled “True Grit”: Heartland struggles with competition from Pryce Beef just as Amy agrees to help Nathan Pryce in a sheepdog competition. Lou, Jack, and Tim are feeling the strain as a water shortage is on the horizon.
• Heartland season 18 episode 2 will be called “Bird’s Eye View”: Caleb returns to help Amy with a mysterious Icelandic horse. Weather conditions force Lou to build a firebreak with the enemy.
• Heartland season 18 episode 3 will be titled “You Can Lead a Horse to Water”: The family faces the hard reality of a drought at Heartland and the hunt is on to find the best spot to build a new well. Katie worries about her grandfather’s health.
• Heartland season 18 episode 4 will be called “Into the Unknown”: The weight of the Hudson rumor mill leads Jack to make a surprising decision. Amy works with a polo pony and sees a new side of Nathan in the process.
• Heartland season 18 episode 5 will be titled “Fork in the Road”: The whole family heads to the Hudson Rodeo. Emotions run high at the barn dance after Amy helps Nathan deal with a family emergency.

So, while this season may not be as long as the expanded 15-episode run of season 16, it still promises to pack in plenty of meaningful storylines and character development. With less room for filler, we can expect each episode to move quickly, drive the storytelling forward, and bring more of the heartfelt moments that Heartland fans love and expect from the show.

Returning cast for Heartland season 18

Heartland season 18 wouldn’t be the same without its beloved characters, and this season will see the return of many familiar faces.

Amber Marshall, Chris Potter, Michelle Morgan, and Shaun Johnston are all back, reprising their iconic roles as Amy, Tim, Lou, and Jack.

As seen in the trailer, we can also expect to see all of the core family members at some point in the season, which includes Ruby and Emmanuella Spencer as Lyndy, Jessica Steen as Lisa, Baye McPherson as Katie, Michelle Nolden as Jessica and Gabriel Hogan as Peter.

In addition, other fan favorites like Kerry James, Drew Davis, Aidan Moreno, Ava Tran and Sam Duke will be back for season 18 as Caleb, Logan, Rick, Parker and Shane.

And rounding out the cast of returning faces for the upcoming season is Spencer Lord as Nathan, Jaelynn Thora Brooks as Miley and Kasra Wong as Brandon.

What else do we know about Heartland season 18?

Finally, I wanted to briefly touch on some other season 18 details that I have deciphered from all the available information online.

First of all, thanks to Heartland’s official social media accounts, we have the official synopsis for season 18:

So, it looks like season 18 promises a blend of heartfelt moments, family unity, and resilience in the face of adversity. From competing ranches and drouths to strife between Lou, Jack and Tim due to their cattle business and Amy’s indecision when it comes to her love life, we can expect many fresh and exciting storylines from the new season of the show.

And now, let’s talk locations.

Hudson

The show began production for season 18 in May when they returned to High River and the surrounding area, that’s been one of the filming locations for the show since season 1. There they shot scenes that take place in such locations as the iconic Maggie’s Diner and the fictional town of Hudson.

But Brian Dunne, the location manager for the show, revealed to HighRiverOnline that this year, we will also “have quite a few new locations to look at” in the first few episodes of season 18.

One such new location might be Hudson’s Library since the show shot scenes at the Museum of the Highwood in High River.

Airport

Thanks to the official trailer and Kerry James’s Instagram we know another new location that some of the action will take place in season 18.

It seems that since Caleb moved away, his life will have taken quite a turn as in the new season we will see him near on on a plane.

It would be cool to see Caleb go from a cowboy to a pilot. And since Kerry James, the actor who plays Caleb, has a private pilot license in real life and flies a Cessna 172, we very well might see Caleb fly a plane on screen, too.

Rodeo in Hudson

On July 15th, the show also held the now traditional Fan Extras Day, where fans got the chance to appear on an upcoming episode of the show.

During this event, the production shot a big rodeo scene for episode 5 of season 18, and the fans got to be part of the crowd at a rodeo competition.

According to the Calgary Herald, at least part of this episode will take place at the Hudson rodeo grounds and will involve most of the main cast, with significant storylines for Amy, Jack, and Tim.

Marshall’s Country Store

Lastly, another exciting new location that the show’s production took over for filming this year was Marshall’s Country Store.

If you don’t know, Marshall’s Country Store is a store owned by the show’s star, Amber Marshall, where you can find a collection of things curated by Amber herself.

So, on July 13th, the store posted on their Instagram account that Marshall’s Country Store will appear on Heartland season 18.

In the post, we see Amber pose in a white top, a red skirt, and cowboy boots. She looks quite dressed up, so I wonder what type of scene will take place in this location. Could it be a date with Nathan?

I guess we will have to wait for season 18 to see.

Final thoughts

As it is with every new season, I can’t wait to see what this one has in store for us.

From everything I’ve seen and gathered in this article, it’s promising to be one for the books with action, romance, and, of course, family.

I personally can’t wait to see how the love triangle between Amy, Caleb and Nathan will play out.  And I am eager to see the dynamics between Lou, Tim, and Jack now that Lou will be fully immersed in helping the two cowboys run their cattle business.

What about you? What storylines do you want to see in season 18? Let me know in the comments below.

And, as per usual, don’t forget to check back here every Monday after a new episode of Heartland drops because there will be a recap of that episode waiting for you to read and enjoy!