Heartland launches an official podcast

Fans of Heartland and of this blog are already all-in on the series and I'm almost certain that most Canadians have heard of Heartland. On countless Sunday nights (and at other times and on streaming services!), this one hour series has been bringing entertaining family drama via a depiction of a western living to TVs and streaming services all over the world. And it's been doing it since October 14, 2007. The longevity of this iconic series is a rarity in the entertainment space. And it's about to bring us a 16th season. 

• Watch Heartland on CBC Gem for Free (Canada)

Heartland has shared its rich world via a book series, the TV series itself, a Holiday special, a digital spin-off with Hudson, as well as seasonal fan events and videos.

So, what media space has Heartland yet to have an official presence in? 

Well, recently, Heartland brought us some new insight into its rich world via a Podcast.

How did this come about?  Well, Heartland fans themselves have had a part to play in making this new podcast happen. A couple of years ago, CBC posted a fairly extensive piece that was a kind of oral history of Heartland as told by actors and creators.

And fans have been asking to hear more of these kinds of stories ever since. The production team behind Heartland was listening, folks! So here we are with a brand new podcast.

In the first episode of The Official Heartland Podcast, we hear from none other than Heather Conkie, Heartland Executive Producer, showrunner and head writer.  

Heather Conkie doesn't shy away from gushing about the cast of the show and speaks fondly of the origins of the series and how she came to be part of it, saying, "...I realized that the the depth of the show is in the characters and the setting and the scenery. And, you know, this amazing cast that had already been chosen. And I was very lucky to walk into that kind of a situation."

She also talks about the book series, the original eastern United States setting, and why they changed it. 

Be sure to listen all of the way through because further along in the episode, Heather goes on to talk about her favourite episodes of Heartland, which you may want to make note of and watch again with her insights in mind. 

In future episodes of the podcast, released weekly, expect to hear from the cast of Heartland, editors, directors, musicians and more. All will share insider information about the past 15 Seasons of the show and they dig into the history of Heartland. If you check in right now, there are four episodes already posted. 

And look for a new episode every Tuesday and Friday this month until the lead up to the S16 premiere on Sunday, October 2nd. 

Find the podcast here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• Listen to the Official Heartland Podcast

Don't forget: You can also watch all of the first 15 Seasons of Heartland on CBC Gem (Canada) and don't miss Heartland Season 16, premiering October 2 on CBC and CBC Gem.

PS: Stop by the Official Heartland Youtube channel this Thursday, September 22 at 8 p.m. (ET) and be among the first to see the Heartland Family Dinner special.