(Photo: UPtv)

Season 17 of Heartland is finally coming to UP Faith & Family. The streaming service released a trailer to announce the Canadian series’ 17th season premiere in the United States. A virtual FanFest will be held this week to promote the start of the new season.

Starring Amber Marshall, Michelle Morgan, Shaun Johnston, Alisha Newton, Chris Potter, Kerry James, Gabriel Hogan, Aidan Moreno, Jessica Steen, Baye McPherson, Lucian-River Chauhan, Ava Ran, and Ruby & Emmanuella Spencer, the drama follows the Bartlett-Fleming family as they run the Heartland ranch.

Up Faith & Family revealed more about the series’ return in a press release.

The commercial-free subscription streaming service UP Faith & Family, the leader in uplifting entertainment, will be the first place in the U.S. to premiere Heartland season 17 and the only place fans can stream until early next year. Beginning April 25, the service will add new episodes weekly with a three-week break after episode five. During the hiatus, UP Faith & Family will debut all-new exclusive content for fans.

“Fans of Heartland know that UP Faith & Family continues to be the exclusive home of the newest season and the first place to see all episodes of their favorite series here in the U.S.,” said Hector Campos, senior vice president, content strategy and programming at UP Entertainment. “We are also big fans of the series ourselves, and this season we are thrilled to celebrate Heartland with the first ever FanFest allowing exclusive access to talent.”

FanFest is a virtual event designed to allow fans to be an integral part of the release of season 17 on UP Faith & Family. Held on April 15 from 2 p.m. ET- 3 p.m. ET, Heartland super fans can join online and submit questions through social media for cast members to answer them live at the event. Participants will also get a sneak peek at an upcoming episode. Seats are limited, but fans who wish to attend must register online at HeartlandFanFest.com and will receive a link to join the event closer to the actual event. Cast members Amber Marshall, Michelle Morgan and Chris Potter are expected to appear with other guests to be announced soon. FanFest will be recorded and available exclusively to UP Faith & Family subscribers during the three-week hiatus. More information will be announced soon.

Heartland, the longest running one-hour drama in Canadian television history, is set in the rolling foothills of the Rockies in the fictional town of Hudson, Alberta. Amy and the rest of the family know better than most that while dreams can sometimes come true, life also often takes us in unexpected directions. Season 17 of Heartland is all about embracing the unexpected, and the season premiere will be the 250th episode of the hit series. It’s about new experiences and taking the path less traveled. In the new season, the Bartlett-Fleming family will find themselves excited for the future and ready to embrace new adventures, challenges and relationships. But no matter how much things may change, Amy, Lou, Jack and Tim will continue to fight for what they believe in while staying rooted in the land that has been in the Bartlett-Fleming family for generations.

Heartland is based on the bestselling series of books by Lauren Brooke. The executive producers are Michael Weinberg, Tom Cox, Jordy Randall, and Mark Haroun along with co-executive producer Dean Bennett. The series is produced by Jess Maldaner. The series writers are Mark Haroun, Ken Craw, Caitlin Fryers, Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, and Adam Hussein. Season 17 Directors include Dean Bennett, Ken Filewych, Chris Potter, Michelle Morgan, Kristin Lehman and Madison Thomas.

The 17th season episodes were released in the fourth quarter of 2023 in Canada. Season 17 will likely be shown on the UPtv cable channel later this year, after all of the episodes have been released on the UP Faith & Family streaming service. Netflix typically gets them several months after that.

The trailer for Heartland season 17 is below.

What do you think? Have you kept up with this family drama? Do you plan to watch the newest episodes later this month, or will you wait for them to appear on another channel/service?