Lori Loughlin cheating scandal and When Calls the Heart firing reveals that scripted cable is alive and well

The Washington Post

The Hallmark Channel series has a devoted fanbase called "Hearties," who had to grapple last week with Loughlin's abrupt firing following her college cheating indictment. "Such hardcore devotion may surprise even avid TV viewers, who are not likely to pay much attention to a wholesome period series airing on a basic-cable network far up the dial," says Steven Zeitchik. "But the loyalty demonstrates how even in this age of streaming, when the latest Netflix black comedy is endlessly hashed out by upscale audiences on Twitter, basic cable has not disappeared (or gone exclusively with its cheaply produced bread-and-butter of reality television). In some ways, in fact, scripted cable is stronger than it has been in years. As many industry figures and pundits lament the scourge of cord-cutting — in which viewers are abandoning cable subscriptions because they do not care enough about the shows being offered to pay for them — the Hearties and the show they love refute the point. The fans are expressing a level of interest that will keep them paying their Comcast, Charter and DirecTV bills for years to come."