Los Angeles, California - When Calls the Heart is a show about compassion and forgiveness, and it looks like the producers share the same feelings towards Lori Loughlin. A few hints from co-stars on Instagram suggest that she might be coming back to Hope Valley after the college admissions scandal that trashed her reputation.

From the beginning of When Calls the Heart, Loughlin's character, Mayor Abigail Stanton, taught values of forgiveness, hope, and looking for the best in people. When Hallmark chose to part ways with Loughlin after her part in the college admissions scandal, fans took to the message boards to rail against the decision and called it hypocrisy.

To keep the story flowing, the series' writers had the mayor and her adopted son, Cody, depart indefinitely to care for an ailing relative in the east. Her character has been mentioned on occasion, each time reviving hope in fans that she may return.

Has that moment finally come? Carter Ryan, who played Cody, posted a "glow-up" photo from the set in British Columbia, Canada, proving that for some reason or another, he had traveled out to the remote farm during filming.

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Though he wasn't in the show's early 1900s period clothing for the photo, the post did raise the question: if Cody is returning, is his mom coming with?

Since being released from her brief stint in prison, Loughlin has laid low. Several of her co-stars, including series center Erin Krakow, have posted words of solidarity and hope for the return of the mayor of their beloved fictional town, Hope Valley.

In a recent interview with Heavy, series creator Brian Bird admitted he would love it if Loughlin returned, but he wouldn't let on much else. Bird confirmed that although Abigail's love interest, former villain turned good Henry Gowan, left all his business interests at the end of season eight to set off and find his heart's desire (read: Abigail), he would be returning for season nine.

So her would-be lover has begun a journey out of Hope Valley to find the woman who never gave up on him and brought him to the light – this seems like the perfect set-up for Loughlin's return.

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Though she may not return to her previous position as co-executive producer, should Loughlin reprise her role as Abigail on the series that has earned the title of number one scripted cable series in the country, she may be proving that redemption is possible in the real world.