Hallmark is expanding the When Calls the Heart universe with Hope Valley: 1874, and at its center will be a romance between Benjamin Ayres and Bethany Joy Lenz’s characters — just don’t expect a hot and heavy one.
“What’s so beautiful about it being a TV series, is it has to be a slow burn,” Ayres, who plays rancher Tom Moore, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 18. “If they kissed at the end of the first episode. Now, what?”
He teased, “You have to find obstacles and conflict for them.”
Ayres, 49, noted that for both Tom and widowed single mother Rebecca Clarke (Lenz), they are coming into the situation with “a lot of history and complications.”
Benjamin Ayres, Bethany Joy Lenz. Jeff Weddell/Hallmark Media (2)
Those past struggles, however, will push them toward each other “in order to thrive in this community” of the Canadian frontier, according to Ayres.
“It’s almost like a kinship and a friendship that kind of happens first, which is a really fun thing to play,” the actor told Us, explaining that the audience will “see a spark” from the start that Tom and Rebecca know is there but are “resistant to.”
Brace yourself Hope Valley faithfuls: Hallmark is expanding the When Calls the Heart universe with an all-new prequel series. Bethany Joy Lenz, Benjamin Ayres and Jill Hennessy are set to star in Hope Valley: 1874, which begins production next week, Hallmark announced on Friday, December 12. “Hope Valley: 1874 gives us a wonderful opportunity to […]
Hope Valley: 1874, which premieres on Saturday, March 21, centers on Rebecca’s journey from Chicago to the Western Canadian frontier with her 11-year-old daughter, Sarah (Mila Morgan).
“When her wagon breaks down, and she realizes the boardinghouse she purchased is not as advertised, Rebecca has no choice but to accept help from local rancher and confirmed bachelor, Tom Moore,” the logline reads. “Despite her best intentions to remain unattached, Rebecca can’t help but slowly fall for Tom and develop a friendship with tenacious pioneer woman Hattie Quinn (Jill Hennessy).”
Bethany Joy Lenz, Mila Morgan, Benjamin Ayres. Jeff Weddell/Hallmark Media
Ayres told Us that Tom, like Rebecca, will be slow to warm up to the idea of love while trying to keep his ranch afloat and ward off prospectors mining for gold near his land.
“He’s got a bit of an icy heart that’s about to be thawed by Rebecca,” he teased. “It’s not what he’s looking for, and we’re gonna learn a little more about his past. He left something behind that he didn’t want to have to deal with, which in some ways, arrived now.”
Ayres pointed out that even with Tom’s instant attraction to Rebecca, her decision to stay in town and build a boarding house will cause trouble for them as a couple.
Hallmark Media kicked off 2026 with a fresh slate of movies and TV shows — with more features being released all year long. In December 2025, Hallmark unveiled its “Winter Escape” lineup, featuring five new rom-coms that began airing in January. Lacey Chabert and Ian Harding headlined the first movie of 2026, Lost in Paradise, […]
“He’s fine with the prospectors, just not in this town. So he’s trying to get them off his property,” Ayres told Us, noting that the gold miners bring with them crime, the use of dynamite that pollutes the water and more issues and Rebecca’s boarding house is “giving them a comfortable place to live.”
He confessed, “That’s the last thing [Tom] wants is this boarding house to open. So the fact that Rebecca arrives to open it is also what creates this conflict of like, ‘Just don’t do that. Do anything but that, I’ll give you a job.’”
‘Hope Valley: 1874’ cast: Lachlan Quarmby, Maria March, Jill Hennessy, Mila Morgan, Bethany Joy Lenz, Roan Curtis and Benjamin Ayres. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Hallmark
Much to Tom’s chagrin, Rebecca has a “steadfast commitment to wanting to open this boarding house,” Ayres said. “So that’s where a lot of their conflict starts.”
While Tom and Rebecca will butt heads throughout season 1, Ayres said he and Lenz, 44, quickly formed a rapport on set.
“I’m so thankful that she works in the same way I do,” Ayres explained. “We talk every scene through before we start, and really try to find the nuance of emotional beats.”
The actor added that being able to “play the truth of every moment” is key to making his and Lenz’s chemistry pop on screen.
Ayres called Lenz a “great partner” to be working with, sharing that she is “such a grounded actor.”
“Once we get into the moment, we just really have to look into each other’s eyes and it’s pretty natural,” he revealed.
Hope Valley: 1874 premieres Saturday, March 21, exclusively on Hallmark+, with a new episode available every Thursday beginning March 26.
