Heartland Showrunner Reveals Endless Stories Ahead for the Beloved Ranch Drama
Heartland, the popular Canadian drama, is still captivating viewers after 18 seasons with its deep plots and interesting characters. The show takes place on the Bartlett ranch in Alberta and has become a staple of Canadian TV. It shows the struggles of running a working ranch every day along with the characters' personal lives and loves.
Season 18: Dealing with Problems in Real Life
This season, Heartland is dealing with one of its most important real-life problems: a terrible drought. The plot of the story, which is based on the real-life drought that farmers in Alberta are going through, was planned long before the recent rainy season. The actress who plays the main character, Amy Fleming, says, "We were filming a drought in one of the wettest seasons we've ever had." "It was quite a challenge showing characters out there talking about how if we don’t have rain, we’re not going to make it, in this lush green pasture."
Challenge of Filming During a Wet Season
Even though the crew had to deal with bad weather, they were able to capture the essence of how the drought affected the ranch. This season will be hard for the Bartlett family in many ways. The drought is just one of them. Another source of stress is the fact that Pryce Beef, a nearby ranch, is becoming a bigger competitor. "A lot of the places we would sell beef to, they sell beef to," Marshall says.
"It’s head-to-head rivalry with your next-door neighbor, and that’s why Lou steps up and tries to use her business background to make a go of the profitable side of the ranch."
Lives and loves of people
Heartland is known for how well it blends personal stories with the day-to-day routines of the ranch. During this season, Amy's relationships will continue to change. She is getting close to Nathan Pryce Jr., played by Spencer Lord, who is from the Pryce family that is up against her. This Romeo and Juliet story adds another level of depth to how the family works. "Amy is becoming very close with Nathan, who is the neighbour they are in direct competition with," she says.
""So, of course, that doesn’t sit well with Amy’s family and it causes some ups and downs within the relationship with him and the family, and she is stuck in the middle of it."
This is what goes on behind the scenes at Heartland
Amber Marshall, who is now a producer on the show, is very involved with the horse stories. Because she used to be an avid horse lover, she makes sure that the horse characters are well taken care of and that their stories are true and interesting. "At the beginning of the year, we talk about the arcs and we look at the horse storylines," she adds. "Does this make sense? Can we add some new horse characters? Can we bring in different kinds of horses? How is this going to work with the basics of what happens behind the scenes?"
From the showrunner's point of view
Mark Haroun has been with Heartland from the beginning and has been in charge of the show since Season 16. He says the show has been around for a long time because it has a unique mix of family drama and real-life problems. "The cast and the types of stories we were telling made it work." There was no such thing as that kind of family drama on TV. That group of people hadn't been reached. "From Day 1, it did feel like there was something wonderful," says Haroun.
Even though the show is popular, people will always wonder when it will end. Haroun is still hopeful, though. "I feel like we have so many more stories to tell," he adds. "I have never had trouble coming up with stories at the start of the season because the characters are so rich and interesting and there are so many places we can go with them." I think we could keep going.
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