Lori Loughlin‘s When Calls The Heart (WCTH) character will appear in season 2 of the Hallmark Channel spinoff series When Hope Calls, when it returns on a new network, GAC Family.

Loughlin portrayed Abigail Stanton the Mayor of Hope Valley in WCTH before her part in the college admissions scandal caused her to be removed from the show.

Loughlin will appear in the two-part Season 2 premiere titled When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas, slated to air on Saturday, Dec. 18.

Having Loughlin on board for the Season 2 premiere in her return to acting is certain to bring fans of the actress to When Hope Calls — as well as GAC Family, which launched yesterday, Sept. 27 with the tagline “Stories Well Told.” Formerly Great American Country, the newly rebranded channel is run by President & CEO Bill Abbott, former CEO of Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks, who is taking a page out of his old playbook in shaping GAC Family’s brand as a home of family-friendly, holiday-themed movies and series.

This is great news, being a When Calls The Heart fan, I can honestly say the series hasn’t been the same without Lori. Welcome Back!