“Hearties” Mobilize To Drive Hallmark’s Top Rated Show

Fan culture is everywhere these days. But when you think about a fan culture with hordes of followers hanging on every turn of the plot, producing volumes of fan art, burning up social media when trailers drop or episodes air, and travelling across the country to party in full costume dress at conventions, you probably imagine that some big-budget science fiction, fantasy or comic-based property is at the center of it.

Not so fast. One of the most vibrant grass-roots fandoms of recent years – which has driven the object of its affection to the top of the basic cable rating charts – centers on a family-oriented historical romance-drama: not a costumed hero, zombie, sorceress or alien in sight.

Welcome to the world of the Hearties: the burgeoning fan community…

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