I have to make a confession to you, I have a guilty pleasure TV show. Shocking, right? Now my “guilty pleasure” TV show is not really a secret to my friends and family, but I feel like the world needs to know more about my favorite TV show. "When Calls the Heart" is loosely based on a series of books of the same name by bestselling Christian novelist Janette Oke, (who is AMAZING by the way) and follows the journey of a young school teacher named Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) who moves out west to pursue her dreams of becoming a school teacher. Along the way, she meets a handsome Mountie (Daniel Lissing) and a town facing heartache. The town, just several months before she came, experienced a tragedy when most of the women and children of the town lose fathers and husband as there is a mine explosion.

Now I know that there are more than 8 reasons why I love the show, and I want the world to know some of the best things about the show. The one thing I will highlight before I reveal this list is that this show is steered towards families, but it is great for anyone because unlike most of television today the audience walks away with a good moral lesson. Now, let’s meet my top 8 shall we?

1. The time period.

This show takes places during the era of 1910, which is a great time in history. Even though this takes place in the fictional town of Coal Valley (now called Hope Valley) it talks about a lot of the things that happened during that time. For example, season 3 spends a lot of time with families who have settled around outside of the city. The families built camps outside of town and basically survived with the clothes on their backs. The show does a fantastic job of showing their struggles as families starting over, and how just a little help from others can go a long way!

The time period is also important because it brings to life the struggles of what it is like to be a woman in 1910. I admire the writers for writing a script that really centers around single women who are struggling to raise their families by themselves, not giving the audience a false perception of the time period. This image is a strong reminder to single mothers that there is a way to be strong while being weak, and that there is no one single way to raise your kids. The time period puts an overall authentic feeling to the show.

2. The children in the show (inside of school and out).

Anytime that there are young children in a TV show, it is probably the best thing in the world. The difference between this show and a lot of other shows on TV (other than Disney Channel) is that the children play a smaller part in the show but their roles remind us of the childhood innocence every child has ever had, including ourselves. They have these heart wrenching story lines of losing parents, not having homes, or not fitting in at school. This is where I will commend the writers again because even though these children suffer these horrible tragedies, they still remain hopeful children. (Get what I did there?) This helps remind the audience that even when times get tough, things will always get better when there is a smile around.

The acting that these children do is amazing too, and I have to put a spotlight on Cody (played by Carter Ryan Evancic) and Opal (played by Ava Cooper). Cody plays a huge role in giving Abigail a second chance at being a mother and Opal is just the cutest thing you will ever see. (Your heart will just melt on the spot and it will take you at least an hour to put it all back together.) An example of Opal being cute: any scene with her teddy bear Brownie (which is every scene basically). Simply beautiful! The children are really at the heart (get it?) of the show!

3. The fashion = goals.

I may sound crazy when I say this, but if I got to wear some of the dresses Elizabeth got to wear on the show, I would most definitely wear a corset. Even though these dresses are modest, they have modern day color pallets that add to the warmness that Hope Valley has. May I also point out that if I dressed my husband like the Jack or Lee on the show I feel like I would have the most fashionably dressed men around.

4. Rip is the best/sassiest dog I have ever seen.

This dog is my spirit animal, no doubt about it. He is so stubborn but so loving to everyone around him (well maybe not Elizabeth). Rip is the dog Jack meets when he arrives to the jail, and Jack basically adopts him. He is an older dog and really doesn’t care of what people think of him and what he does because he knows at the end of the day he will be receiving food. If you watch the show, Rip is basically me before coffee, which is why I love him.

5. I don’t worry about being uncomfortable around my parents.

Most TV shows these days have some sort of incline towards foul humor, sex, and putting some foreign substance in someone’s body. For that reason, my parents believe that I am this crazy hormone-driven woman, which is only 10% true. When Calls the Heart is a great TV show for all ages because it has something that is pleasing for everyone. It talks about the trails of starting over after a difficult loss and how finding love again can happen to anyone. We see how faith and trust move mountains and how girls can stand up for being themselves. A wide variety of topics are covered, but you see them in a “family” setting.

Now when you hear the word “family” combined with the words “TV show” you might think you will see something on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, but the truth is you will see something that goes deeper than whether or not it is children’s programming. What you do see is a period piece with a timeless meaning. Just watch the first 2 or 3 episodes and you will see what I mean.

6. The chemistry between Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Jack (Daniel Lissing) is perfection.

If the only reason you watch the show is because of these two characters, I wouldn’t blame you. Jack plays a stubborn Canadian Mountie who gets a call to watch small Coal Valley (now Hope Valley) because Elizabeth’s rich Daddy paid extra because his precious daughter needs a protector in the wild west. These two actors do a great job of slowly taking the characters’ story lines and bringing them to life realistically. What I mean by realistic is that the characters don’t just meet in episode one and date in episode 2, they build a friendship but still continue to be flirty with each other. I may be old fashioned, but I would rather see something that builds between two characters instead of something that is just strictly physical.

7. Mrs. Thatcher is the best teacher ever.

If I were a student in Mrs. Thatcher’s classroom, I know I would be giving her hugs every day because she would be my favorite teacher. Erin Krakow does an amazing job of playing a teacher with amazing compassion for her students while reminding us that the good teachers still exist out in that desolate field of education. The writers do a great job of showing the student-teacher relationship, specifically how one teacher can turn everything around.

8. Hope Valley is hope.

If I have learned anything from this show, it is that there is always hope. From losing family members,I to experiencing natural disasters, this town shows the world that as long as we have each other there is always a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, the romance is amazing and yes, the lead actors have amazing chemistry BUT this isn’t what the show is about. This show is about starting over and having hope in a beautiful future all while falling in love. This show is about losing your one true love and finding hope in taking care of two small children. This show is about people who we all strive to be like; humans that are perfect within their imperfections.

I highly recommend this show; (I may have said it once, but I don’t care). Give this Hallmark show a chance, I promise you won’t regret it!