Heartland is a Canadian family drama television series loosely based on the Heartland books by Lauren Brooke and set against the vista of the Alberta Rocky Mountains, which follows sisters Amy and Lou Fleming and their grandfather Jack Bartlett through the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch.
The series premiered in Canada on CBC on 14 October, 2007. It is not to be confused with the American series of the same name, which also aired in 2007.
Heartland premiered in South Africa on SABC2 on Saturday 5 September 2009, at 15h00. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 2 premiered on SABC2 on Saturday 28 August 2010, at 15h00. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 18 episodes in the second season.
Repeats
Sundays: 23h00
Season 1
Set against the stunning vistas of the Alberta Rocky Mountains, Heartland is a sprawling family drama that follows sisters Amy and Lou Fleming and their grandfather, Jack, through the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch.
After a tragic accident claims the life of Amy's mother, Marion, Amy must keep her mother's dream alive by healing abused and neglected horses.
Amy has inherited her mother's ability to listen to horses and understand what they really need, and although Amy struggles to deal with her own guilt about her mother's death, she clings to what Marion taught her.
Heartland reveals long-held secrets and shocking betrayals. Old rivalries and new rules. High-minded ideals and the stark realities of the bottom line.
It's in this world that Amy must find the strength and courage to continue Heartland's legacy.
Season 2
Set in the fictional town of Hudson and located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Heartland is characterized by a horse ranch with a special mission of healing abused or neglected horses, and finding them new homes.
The series follows the Fleming family: grandpa Jack, teenager Amy and elder sister Lou, as they deal with the ups and downs of running a ranch that's been in the family for generations but is now so deep in debt they're one back payment away from losing it all.
In Season 1, Lou and Amy's lives changed forever after their mother's sudden death. Lou reluctantly returned home from her high-powered job in New York to take over the business of the ranch - this was not what she planned for her life.
Amy continues to keep her mother's dream alive by healing abused and neglected horses, but life is a little more complicated.
Four months have passed since Ty's sudden departure in Season 1, and replaced by a new stable hand, Caleb Odell, a cowboy with rodeo aspirations who comes in days to help out with the chores.
Lou has plans to turn Heartland into a "corporate equine retreat", which Jack rejects as being a dude ranch.
Grandpa Jack continues to be the rock of Heartland who quietly holds everything together.
Seasons
The series is exclusive to SABC2. All seasons air on Saturdays at 15h00.
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Premiere: 5 September 2009 | Finale: 28 November 2009
Season 2 (18 episodes)
Premiere: 28 August 2010 | Finale: 25 December 2010