'Heartland' Races 'Back Home' to 'Family' with Season 16 Premiere Date
Season 16 will posthumously feature Robert Cormier, who died of accident-related injuries back in September 2022
David Brown/UPtv
Heartland fans are riding back to the fictional town of Hudson, Alberta.
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the highly anticipated 16th season of the long-running family drama will premiere Aug. 6 on UPtv.
In the first trailer for the new season, the Bartlett-Fleming family share moments of sweet embrace as they work together to tend to horses and start new journeys.
David Brown/UPtv
“That’s Dada,” protagonist Amy Fleming’s (Amber Marshall) daughter Lyndy gushes as she points to her drawing of a smiling moon. “That’s where he said he’ll be.”
“The best choice that I’ve made is coming back home to my family,” Tim Fleming (Christopher Potter) says with emotion while holding Amy in a sweet embrace.
According to a press release, the upcoming season will feature the Bartlett-Fleming family learning a “hard lesson” and finding that “life is short, and you have to live each day to the fullest” after one journey comes to an end.
David Brown/UPtv
As Amy and the rest of the family gear up to make “bold strides towards their futures,” the gang will have to come together to “face their fears” as the “next chapter of their lives” looms ahead of them.
In addition to the new season, UPtv will play an all-day marathon of season 15 so fans can catch a refresher. They will also be rewarding “excited fans” with a Heartland Signed Swag Sweepstakes where 20 lucky winners can win a special Heartland hat autographed by the cast among other autographed items.
Season 16 will posthumously feature scenes with Robert Cormier’s Finn Cotter, Amy’s potential love interest introduced in season 15.
David Brown/UPtv
Back in September 2022, Cormier unexpectedly died at age 33 after succumbing to injuries he sustained in a fall, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Cormier’s family members expressed their gratitude to the Heartland cast and fan base for their kind words and “overwhelming love and support” in a statement shared to PEOPLE.
"Robbie was loved by many and his unexpected death has left us devastated," they wrote. "While we are broken-hearted, we take comfort in the overwhelming love and support shown to our family by Robbie's friends, colleagues and fans."
"Robbie passed away as the result of a tragic accident," the family continued. "Our family would like to thank everyone at the Critical Care team in Toronto for the compassionate care they provided Robbie and the kindness they showed our family. We will be forever grateful."
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Season 16 of Heartland premieres Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. ET following an all-day marathon of season 15 starting at 9 a.m. ET on UPtv.
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