Heartland is a Canadian family drama television series which debuted on CBC Television in 2007 and continues to air both there and in other countries via syndication and streaming services. The series is based on the Heartland book series by Lauren Brooke. It follows Amy Fleming and her older sister "Lou" Fleming on their family horse and cattle ranch, Heartland, in Alberta, where they live with their initially-widower grandfather Jack Bartlett, their once-estranged father Tim Fleming, and hired farmhand Ty Borden. While dealing with the highs and lows of life on the ranch, the family bonds and grows closer. The show stars Amber Marshall, Michelle Morgan, and Shaun Johnston, with many others appearing in its large ensemble cast over the years.

With the airing of its 125th episode on October 19, 2014, Heartland surpassed Street Legal as the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian television history.

On June 1, 2022, CBC renewed the series for a 15-episode sixteenth season, premiered in Canada on October 2, 2022. In May 2023, the series was renewed for a 10-episode seventeenth season, which premiered in Canada on October 1, 2023.

In May 2024, the series was renewed for an eighteenth season, which immediately began filming thereafter. It premiered in Canada in the fall of 2024, and is set to premiere in the United States later in 2025. The decision to continue on with the series was announced by the CBC so that the family drama Heartland will be renewed for a 19th season. Filming began for this in May 2025. On May 26, 2026, the series was renewed for a twentieth season. According to a post on Amber Marshall's Facebook page, the 20th season wrapped principal photography in early September 2026.

In the United States, the series has wide distribution through broadcast syndication on weekends, including as part of the default national schedule for Up TV and The CW Plus and new episodes become available as of 2021, on Up Faith & Family, the network's streaming service months after full seasons finish their runs in Canada and later premiere in the United States linearly on the main network and all later seasons are exclusive to Up Faith & family first before they are available for syndication on other American networks and streaming services unaffiliated with UP tv or its sister networks. Reruns of older episodes also air on Hulu, Pluto TV, formerly on the now-defunct service Crackle, Tubi, BYUtv, Retro TV, COZI TV, Ace TV, and Heartland (a coincidental brand unrelated to the show itself). It was also part of the schedule on Light TV until it was rebranded as TheGrio TV on January 15, 2021. Heartland also began airing on Hallmark Channel in January 2025. The show is also available on Netflix and various other streaming platforms in the United States.

Cast and characters

Main Amber Marshall as Amy Fleming: The protagonist of the series, practices natural horsemanship, the intuitive training and healing method used by her late mother, Marion. When Amy was 15, she was seriously injured in a car crash that killed Marion. They were living with Marion's father (Amy's grandfather) Jack on his ranch, Heartland. While Amy recuperated, her estranged father Tim returned. Jack had banished Tim years earlier because of his alcohol and drug use. Amy adapts to her father re-entering her life, while her older sister Lou, who works in New York City, returns to Heartland after Marion's death. Jack begrudgingly accepts Tim, who tries to make amends for the past. Over time, Amy develops a close relationship with Ty Borden, a ranch hand working at Heartland as part of his probation. They fall in love, though the relationship is occasionally rocky. In the last episode of season 5, Ty plans to propose to Amy, but decides against it after overhearing her say she does not want to be tied down. They eventually marry, and, at the end of season 9, Amy is pregnant. At the end of Season 10, Amy gives birth to a girl, Lyndy Marion. In season 13, Amy and Ty become foster parents to Luke. Season 14 sees Amy dealing with Ty's accidental death and coping with being a single mother. Michelle Morgan as Samantha Louise "Lou" Fleming Morris: As the series opens, Lou returns home to help run Heartland, leaving behind her boyfriend and a lucrative business job in New York City. Upon discovering Heartland's poor financial situation, she crafts a financial plan to make the ranch profitable. After securing a bank loan, Lou takes over the business-end of Heartland, and later proposes creating the Heartland Equestrian Connection as a corporate retreat center. Family members derisively consider it as a "Dude Ranch". Lou rekindles a romance with local vet, Scott Cardinal. That relationship dissolves in season 2. She then meets Peter Morris, but their relationship is complicated by Peter's job in the oil industry. Lou and Peter marry at the end of season 3 and move to Dubai. Lou misses Heartland and her family and they move back. She gives birth to daughter Catherine Marion Minnie Fleming-Morris (“Katie”). Lou and Peter eventually buy Mr. Hanley's ranch. However, a fire demolishes the buildings and forces them to remain at Heartland. In Season 6, Lou and Peter adopt Georgina Crawley. In season 8, Peter's frequent long work absences stresses their marriage, and the couple separate. Lou is attracted to new stable hand, Mitch. Peter regularly visits his daughters, complicating Lou and Mitch's budding romance. In season 7, Lou buys Maggie's Diner and runs it with Tim, her supposedly "silent" business partner. Lou works on bringing Maggie's to New York City and spends much time commuting back and forth. Season 14 sees Lou become the Mayor of the town Hudson and the introduction of her side-kick and Chief Administrative Office Rick Adderly. Rick is the show's first openly gay character in the show's history and played by British actor Aidan Moreno. Shaun Johnston as Jackson "Jack" Bartlett: the family patriarch, was Marion's father and is Amy and Lou's grandfather. A former rodeo star, he owns Heartland. When Marion took over Heartland, it became a horse ranch. After her death, Jack helps Amy and Ty maintain Heartland and its horses and also repairs broken equipment, fences, and the like. Early in the series, he has a strained relationship with ex-son-in-law Tim, stemming from Tim's troubled past with alcohol and prescription drug abuse, his acrimonious divorce from Marion, and neglecting Amy and Lou when they were younger. Jack barely tolerates Tim at times, and they frequently argue over the running of the ranch. Jack was initially judgmental towards the new ranch hand, Ty, but gradually considers him like a son. Jack gives his blessing to Ty and Amy marrying. Jack's stubbornness and resistance to change sometimes causes friction between him and others, particularly with his romantic interest, Lisa Stillman, and granddaughter, Lou. Jack and Lisa elope in the season 7 finale. Jack suffers a heart attack and collapses in the field. Tim finds and saves him. Jack dotes on his three great-granddaughters, Katie, Georgie, and Lyndy. Chris Potter as Timothy "Tim" Fleming: Amy and Lou's father who left the family after he and Marion separated (Lou was fourteen, and Amy was five). After a rodeo accident, he struggled with prescription drug (painkiller) abuse and alcoholism. As a result, Jack kicked Tim out. After Amy and Lou's mother dies, he returns, moving to Big River Ranch, near Heartland. Tim has a relationship with the previous owner's daughter, who inherited the ranch. He later dates a jockey named Janice and nearly moves to California with her. However, in Season 4 Episode 18 ("Burning Down the House"), it is discovered that Tim has an 11-year-old son named Shane with Miranda Grenier, his ex-girlfriend. When he reveals this to Janice, she leaves for California without him. Shane stays with Tim at Heartland for a short period. After a brief custody battle, Shane returns to live with his mother, who later remarries. Tim starts a rodeo school, a horse-selling business, and begins a new relationship. After moving on, he has a long-term relationship with Casey. His star rodeo pupils are Jade Virani and Clay McMurtry, teenage bronc riders.

Supporting

Kerry James as Caleb Odell

Caleb is a ranch hand hired by Jack after Ty leaves for four months. In the beginning he is rather husky, has feelings for Amy, and develops a strong rivalry with Ty. He and Amy have a short-lived relationship, but Amy soon goes back to Ty. He falls in love with Ashley Stanton, eventually marrying her. Caleb is a rodeo cowboy. Before marrying Ashley, Caleb is severely injured at a rodeo. After battling prescription drugs and alcohol, much like Tim's, he recovers but is much thinner. Caleb and Ashley have a difficult marriage, struggling with financial problems, pressure from Val Stanton (Ashley's mother), and differing life goals. Caleb and Ashley eloped, but after discovering that their officiator's license had expired, they have a wedding outside Caleb's trailer (where they had been living). They honeymoon in Italy and stay with one of Val's friends, but Caleb returns alone. Ashley eventually returns and decides to pursue postsecondary education in Vancouver. Caleb moves there to be with Ashley, but they drift apart as she makes new friends and spends more time away from Caleb. They eventually divorce, and Caleb returns to Hudson and resumes working at Heartland, while seasonally competing at the rodeo. After Ashley, Caleb pursues Lou's friend Nicole (who had moved from New York and works for Lou at the ranch). He has a relationship with Cassandra, who was a vet student working at Scott's clinic. Caleb and Cass have a pregnancy scare. They almost break up, but marry at the end of Season 10. Ty and Amy were to attend, but Amy went into labour just as they arrived, and they had to rush home. Caleb and Cassandra discover they are expecting in Season 13 ('The Art of Trust'). Cassandra gives birth to their son, Carson, sometime between the Season 13 finale and the Season 14 premiere.

Gabriel Hogan as Peter Walter Morris

Peter is Lou's ex-husband. He was first introduced as PW, the owner of a small oil company called Bedford Oil that is caught drilling on Heartland property. Lou organized a protest against PW's company. In the meantime, one of Lisa's horse friends gives out Lou's email without her permission. Lou (using her first name, Sam) and PW (using his first name, Peter) begin a relationship over an instant messaging service. After meeting, they are shocked to discover each other's identity. Their relationship is kept secret because both Jack and Tim hate PW for being part of "Big Oil." Peter eventually wins the family's approval and he and Lou are married in the Season 3 finale. Peter's business immediately takes them to Dubai. Lou returns home for a one-week visit that stretches on because she misses Heartland and her family. Peter commutes to and from Dubai because Lou is expecting their first child. Peter ends up bankrupt in Dubai, and asks to move in with Lou at Jack's house. Peter recovers financially, but is only home on weekends due to his new job's location in Vancouver. In Season 7, Lou and Peter adopt Georgie after Jack is not approved as her legal guardian. Lou and Peter separate because Peter is always away in Vancouver. Peter is discovered to have a girlfriend in Vancouver, which causes Lou to end the relationship. Peter continues visiting Heartland to see his daughters.

Jessica Steen as Lisa Stillman