A show spanning over a decade and a half, a grand total of 15 seasons; the actors growing up with the show, and countless fans who have showered their love to the series; Heartland is a series that is a comforting experience to everyone who has had the fortune of seeing it.
Almost over 15 years and 15 seasons have passed since the show premiered in 2007, but the show still goes strong with its relatable and realistic characters; believable storyline and beautiful backdrop of a ranch in the lap of lush greenery and mountains, and of course the love that the viewers have bestowed which seems to happily have no end.
Heartland Heartbreak
Since it’s inception, the series with its wholesome and relatable characters has always had a realistic and comforting yet engaging storyline, it has kept viewers emotionally invested in the story and has succeeded quite well, so much so that when Ty, a lead character and one of the most loved character dies in the beginning episode of season 14, it sent ripples of grief through the entire circle if veiwership and fans are yet to come around to it.
How did it happen? Let’s find out.
Heartland – The Beginning
Heartland, a Canadian family-comedy drama television series; is a show which originally a one off pilot project based on the popular 26 novels series – Heartland by Lauren Brook follows the story of Amy Fleming and her elder sister Louise Fleming who live with their widowed Grandfather Jack Bartlett and father Tim Fleming on their family ranch, Heartland based in Alberton along with their hired farmhand Ty Broden. The characters cruise through the highs and lows, personal battles and common challenges of running the ranch and helping horses together.
Since 2007, the show has come a long way creating a world of its own above and beyond the series it wa based on but equally endearing to its viewers as is evident by the love all the 15 seasons have got.
Cast
The cast includes Amber Marshall as Amy Fleming, Graham Wardle as Ty Broden( a hired farmhand later a vet and Amy’s Husband) Michelle Morgan as Samantha Louise “Lou” Fleming Morris (Amy’s elder sister),Shaun Johnston as Jackson “Jack” Bartlett (Amy’s maternal grandfather and owner of Heartland ranch) ,Alisha Newton as Georgina “Georgie” Fleming Morris (Crawley) ( Lou’s Adopted daughter), Chris Potter as Timothy “Tim” Fleming (Amy and Lou’s grandfather) in leading roles.
The supporting cast includes Kerry James as Caleb O’Dell ( a hired farmhand in place of Ty) , Gabriel Hogan as Peter Walter Morris( Lou’s former husband), Ziya Matheson as Katie Fleming Morris ( Lou and Peter’s biological daughter) and Lucian-River Chauhan as Luke Kashani ( Amy and Ty’s foster child).
Keep Me In Your Heart
It was this episode- Keep me in your Heart, the start of the season 14 that brought the tragic news of Ty’s death.
While the building up of Ty’s reasons of death had taken place earlier in the finale episode of season 13 it was still very difficult for the fans to accept that Ty dies.
In the last episode of season 13, Ty and Amy are followed by a wolf; and in an effort to save both of them Amy gets shot by a poacher’s gun. Ty hurries her to the hospital, not realizing that he has been shot too. He also however gets better making everyone fall in a false sense of security.
In season 14, he collapses while herding Spartan, Amy’s horse to the barn. Amy rushes to him but it’s already late.
He is revealed to have died due to blood clot caused by the gunshot.
It was an episode that shook every viewer to tears and grief.
Graham Wardle And TY’s Death
It is widely known mainly due to the actor’s self proclamation that Graham Wardle; who plays Ty wanted to back out if the series in pursuit of his own personal projects. Even in season 10, he wanted a break which translated onscreen into Ty’s tour to Mongolia. After season 13, He had decided not to come back for another season to focus on his own projects. “I felt in my heart it was time to move in a new direction,” Wardle had told The Canadian Press. It is thus widely speculated with strong reasons; that the writers wanted to give Ty a satisfactory ending which was his death in the show.
Heartland – Going On
The show therefore took a turn and now focused on how Amy dealt with Ty’s death; and being a single mother in the seasons 14 and 15.
