The Latest Updates on Chris McNally's Potential Departure from 'When Calls the Heart'

The Gist:

• Chris McNally joined Hallmark's popular series When Calls the Heart in 2019.
• His character, Lucas Bouchard, is a businessman who runs for governor in Season 10.
• Fans are worried that if Lucas becomes governor, Chris will leave the show.

With the Season 10 finale around the corner, fans of Hallmark's wildly popular series When Calls the Heart are anxious to know what's next for everyone, including Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally). The businessman-turned-rising politician is running for governor, and if he wins the election, he'll have to move to Capitol City.

If that were to happen, fans are worried he wouldn't be on the show anymore. And as a result, many are wondering: Is Chris McNally leaving When Calls the Heart? Let's find out.

Spoiler alert: This section contains spoilers for those not caught up on When Calls the Heart.

At the time of writing, there's no indication that Chris McNally is leaving Hallmark's longtime drama series When Calls the Heart. However, we completely understand why fans are worried that he'll exit the show after Season 10.

The actor, who joined the show for its sixth season in 2019, spoke with Entertainment Tonight ahead of Season 10 and hinted that Lucas would face some major challenges. Chris told the outlet, "Lucas has not faced an obstacle this large, this drastic since he joined the show. So, we have some pretty epic, pivotal conflict to overcome."

Chris added that Season 10 would also see Lucas and Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) experience a rough patch. Although the newly engaged couple loves each other, "they feel like there’s other things that are kind of pulling them apart."

Now, with the Season 10 finale imminent, it's safe to assume that one of the things "pulling them apart" is Lucas's run for governor. In the penultimate episode, Elizabeth agreed to join Lucas on his campaign trail — but she backed out at the last minute and said she couldn't go with him.

Clearly, their conversation was about more than just the election and the possibility of Lucas becoming governor — it was about their relationship. Elizabeth tearfully told Lucas she "really wanted to make this work," and he replied, "Your heart isn't there." Lucas then said he suspected she was having second thoughts.

Lucas wished Elizabeth "all the happiness in the world" before leaving. And so, it seems their wedding is off.

With that said, if Lucas becomes governor, there's nothing really tying him to Hope Valley anymore. In this case, he'll move on to bigger and better things in Capitol City, just as Aunt Agatha anticipated. But if he loses the election, there's a good chance Lucas will stay in Hope Valley, which means Chris won't leave the show.

However, if Lucas catches wind of Elizabeth and Nathan's reconciliation, there's no telling what he'll do or where he'll go. All in all, we just hope Chris continues stealing our hearts in new episodes!

New episodes of When Calls the Heart air Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on the Hallmark Channel.