TV Q&A: When will ‘When Calls the Heart’ be back?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: When will Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart” return with new episodes?

— Nina via voicemail

Rob: “When Calls the Heart” wrapped production on its eighth season in November and will return with new episodes at 9 p.m. Feb. 21. (Spin-off series “When Hope Calls” remains in limbo, neither canceled nor renewed, but given that it’s been more than a year since the last original episode debuted on Hallmark Movies Now, it’s not a promising sign.)

Q: Will there ever be a Christmas mystery movie taken from the regular series of movies on Hallmark Movies Mysteries such as “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” or “Morning Show Mysteries”?

— Chris, Latham, N.Y.

Rob: Hallmark Channel has had “When Calls the Heart” Christmas movies in the past (but not this year).

As for Hallmark Movies Mysteries, there aren’t any Christmas films from the network’s regular roster of mystery movie series this year and it isn’t something the network has done regularly but there was a “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” Christmas movie in 2015.

A network representative said it’s not out-of-the-question that there could be Christmas-themed installments of some of the network’s regular mystery movie franchises in the future.

Q: Will Joe Kenda’s “American Detective” release one show per week or how will this work upon subscribing to discovery+?

— Cindy, Traverse City, Mich.

Rob: Three episodes of “American Detective” will be available at discovery+’s launch on Jan. 4 and subsequent episodes will release on the streaming service weekly on Wednesdays through Feb. 24.

Q: I just finished reading your article on MeTV. I am particularly interested in when MeTV might be available on Roku.

— Ron, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Rob: A MeTV rep confirmed my thinking that there is no plan for MeTV to be on Roku or any streaming service anytime soon.

In the MeTV article I note that while a lot of the programming on MeTV is exclusive to the channel on linear TV, many of the same shows can be seen via CBS-owned streamer PlutoTV. CBS probably doesn’t want the programs available on other streaming platforms at this time. However, you can get PlutoTV on Roku so you can see many of the same shows via streaming, just not on a MeTV-branded platform.

Q: What happened to Melissa Francis on Fox News and Fox Business? Is she ill?

— Helen, Reynoldsville

Rob: Coverage from late October suggests a gender-based pay discrimination claim was the reason for her going off the air in October. One report suggested she was fired. Fox News Channel spokeswoman Irena Briganti did not respond to a request for an update.

Q: Is there anywhere to see past “Kennedy Center Honors” shows?

— Jack via email

Rob: It doesn’t appear there is. The show airs on CBS and there were no complete broadcasts posted at CBS All Access when I checked. The Kennedy Center website offered clips but no complete telecasts. It does appear past telecasts are included in The Paley Center archive but that would necessitate a post-pandemic trip to New York to watch a “KC Honors” rerun.

Due to the pandemic CBS postponed this year’s “Kennedy Center Honors” to a future, undetermined date.