Lori Loughlin to make TV return 1 year after leaving prison

She was involved in the so-called "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal.

September 28, 2021, 6:38 PM

Lori Loughlin is returning to TV.

Loughlin, who was released from prison last December, will appear in the series "When Hope Calls," a spin-off of the Hallmark Channel drama "When Calls the Heart," ABC News has confirmed.

The actress starred in "When Calls the Heart" for six seasons.

In the second season of "When Hope Calls," Loughlin will reprise her role as Abigail Stanton, a widow and cafe owner who becomes a small-town mayor in Canada circa 1910.

The show will air on the GAC Family network, formerly known as Great American Country. The two-part premiere, titled "When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas," debuts Saturday, Dec. 18.

Loughlin, 57, and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, 58, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in May 2020, after they were accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits. However, neither Isabella Rose Giannulli, now 23, nor Olivia Jade Giannulli, now 22, rowed competitively.

The former "Full House" star reported to prison on Oct. 30 and served nearly two months behind bars.