Now in its seventeenth season,the beloved Westernfamily drama seriesHeartlandhas maintained a loyal viewership throughout its run while seemingly continually adding new viewers, many of whom have felt compelled to binge-watch the series right from its 2007 debut. Indeed, many longtime viewers ofHeartlandfeel like they’ve concurrently grown up with the show and its enduring characters. This consistency of character and tone has fostered an uncommon sense of interactivity between the show and its viewers, many of whom now view the show’s core characters as surrogate family members.
This familial bond and sense of interactivity that’s developed betweenHeartlandand its viewers is especially embodied in the show’s central character, Amy Fleming, who began the show as a teenager and has now developed into an adventurous, strong woman who has experienced happiness and heartbreak in seemingly equal measure.
Moreover, while most shows are derailed by audience fatigue and creative stagnation long before they reach a seventeenth season, the relationship betweenHeartlandand its viewers seems to have only intensified over time, not unlike what happens within most families.
Viewers Watch the Heartland Family Grow
Heartland, which has become thelongest-running scripted Canadian dramatic seriesin history, takes place in the foothills of Alberta, Canada, in and around an expansive family ranch called Heartland, amid beautiful horses and stunning vistas.
Within this seemingly idyllic setting,Heartlandfocuses on the highs and lows of family life with an inherently relatable authenticity that reflects the randomness of ordinary life. Indeed, the epic, sprawling effect ofHeartlandis as much reflected in the show’s complex, multi-generational family structure as it is through beautiful landscapes and picturesque scenery.
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Time seems to stand still here, and this sense of timelessness is especially evident in terms of the evolution of the show’s principal characters, especially the show’s central character, Amy Fleming, who, over the course of seventeen seasons, has evolved from a shy teenage girl whose mother recently died to an accomplished horse trainer who is also a young mother and widow.
Moreover, it seems like it was only yesterday when Amy was that timid teenage girl dealing with the loss of her mother, especially as the character has been played so convincingly and winningly by Amber Marshall, who was only a teenager herself whenHeartlanddebuted in 2007. From the beginning of the show to the present, Amy has been joined by her estranged father, Tim Fleming (Chris Potter), maternal grandfather Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston), and older sister Lou (Michelle Morgan).
WhileHeartlandhas introduced a multitude of ancillary characters over the course of seventeen seasons, the various familial tentacles that have developed from this consistent, enduring core quartet of characters have enabledHeartlandto strengthen its bond with viewers.
The Breathtaking Beauty of Heartland
While many viewers have gravitated towardHeartlanddue to the show’s airy, beautiful, unspoiled Alberta scenery, the show’s breathtaking setting is nonetheless interconnected with the show’score family relationships and themes.
Indeed, the central theme of family inHeartlandexists not only within the show’s essential quartet of characters but also in relation to cattle, dogs, and horses, which the show’s family characters, led by Amy Fleming, regard with much the same level of affection that the characters display toward one another.
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However, the show’s exotic setting doesn’t at all detract from the show’s familial relationships but rather serves to amplify conversations and gatherings, specifically in terms of how the show’s familial conflicts are resolved. While most urban families leave their intrafamilial arguments and clashes unresolved, the characters onHeartlandinvariably resolve their conflicts through a camping or fishing trip ora horse ride.
Moreover, while theHeartlandcharacters have certainly dealt with a multitude of personal and social issues throughout the show’s run, character conflicts have seldom, if ever, been accompanied by acts of violence or expressions of rage.
None of the characters inHeartlandare saints, so to speak, and the honest representation of their occasional personal failings, with adultery, substance abuse, and other vices, is another reason why the show has become relatable to so many people of different ages.
Heartland Runs Deep
While there has been an understandable inclination to compareHeartlandto theranch-themed seriesYellowstone, perhapsHeartlandcan be more accurately described as being likeYellowstoneminus that show’s inherent star power and seemingly continuous threat of violence.
Indeed, audiences seem to loveHeartlandbecause of everything that the show isn’t.Heartland, which is presently available on many streaming platforms and in syndication and has become one of the most popular shows in the United States, has become an antidote to the increasingly aggressive, cynical attitudes that have permeated television and overall pop culture since even beforeHeartlanddebuted in 2007.
Moreover, the qualities that formed the basis ofHeartlandin 2007 remain in existence with the show today and have, if anything, become magnified over time. With its authenticity of place and time, breathtaking scenery, compassion for animals and people, intricate tapestry of relationships, and a refreshingfocus on female characters,Heartlandis a series that contains so many riches, both explicit and subtle, that it humbles ordinary television shows.
Heartlandis available on a variety of streaming services, including Prime Video, Tubi, Hulu, Netflix, Peacock, Pluto TV, and others.
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