Who is Alisha Newton?
Born in July 2001 in Vancouver, British Colombia Canada, Alisha Newton is a promising young actress who has been active in the industry since 2010. Aged four, she began appearing in commercials, and would earn her first acting credits just a few years later with roles in “Supernatural”, “The Wyoming Story”, and “Jake and Jasper: A Ferret Tale”, to name a few.
Although Alisha is best-known for being a series regular in “Heartland”, other notable roles include her portrayal of a young Annabeth Chase in “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”, a Twentieth Century Fox production that raked in millions around the world. As of December 2022, she is filming for an unspecified role in “My Life with the Walter Boys”, and enjoying the release of her latest project, “Devil in Ohio”.
Alisha won the hearts of thousands with her portrayal of Georgina “Georgie” Fleming-Morris in “Heartland”. The series, which is Canada’s longest-running family drama, and has a viewership of millions in dozens of countries, helped her become the household name she is today. After being an important cast member since season six, fans were shocked to realize that Alisha’s character had disappeared in season fifteen, with seemingly no explanation.
Wild conspiracy theories were bandied about regarding Georgie, with some fans thinking that she may even be pregnant. Alisha neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, but as she has been seen filming for the sixteenth season of “Heartland”, we’ll be sure to have answers about Georgie and her future in the show soon enough.
“Heartland”
“Heartland” is a family-friendly comedy-drama series, which first aired on CBC in October 2007. The series is loosely based on Lauren Brooke’s “Heartland” book series; its main characters being Amy Fleming and her older sister Louise, who live on the family ranch in Alberta with their grandfather Jack Bartlett, father Tim Fleming, and farmhand Ty Borden. Life on the seemingly idyllic ranch is nowhere near as perfect as it may appear, but each adversity brings the family closer.
In March 2015, “Heartland” aired its 139th episode to become the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian TV history, overtaking “Street Legal”. The series is also widely distributed in the US, especially on The CW Plus and UP TV. Older episodes are available to view on COZI TV, Hulu, Crackle, Pluto TV, and Netflix, to name a few.
Amy Fleming
Amy Fleming is the protagonist of “Heartland”, and was 15 years old in season one. In the pilot episode, she suffered the devastating loss of her mother, Marion, who passed away in a car accident while trying to rescue an abused horse named Spartan. Amy was also involved in the accident, and couldn’t attend the funeral due to her severe injuries.
Despite returning to school when her physical injuries healed, Amy is still guilt-ridden, traumatized, and blames herself for her mother’s death. She begins working through her guilt issues by training Spartan to trust her, which is a therapeutical experience for both. As she works more and more with the horse, they start forming a bond, and Amy realizes that she has the same gift her mother had, and can help animals.
Amy also starts bonding with Ty, when he defends her after an unfortunate incident at a party. Meanwhile, her relationship with Louise is strained when the latter tries to take over the running of the family business, a role that Amy feels her sister is unqualified for. With no one to turn to, Amy begins confiding more and more in Ty, and tells him that she’s worried about showjumping without her mother by her side.
Ty encourages Amy to showjump with Spartan, but the horse is unreceptive. At the same time, she begins working with new horses, and is even accused of drugging one of them at an event, but proves that the allegations are unfounded. When everything appears to be going well, the closeness between Ty and her frenemy Ashley Stanton infuriates Amy, and she realizes that she may be beginning to develop feelings for him.
Miscommunication is the main problem between Amy and Lou, but when Amy discovers that her sister’s boyfriend Carl is planning to propose and move to Chicago with her, she becomes considerably upset. A misunderstanding sees Carl fall off the horse he’s riding, and when Amy sees the situation, she berates Amy for letting her boyfriend get hurt. Annoyed, Amy shouts back and tells her to go to Chicago.
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With that said, Amy and Lou improve their strained relationship, and are brought closer together by Marion’s death. Prior to her mother passing away, Lou lived in New York full-time, and could only visit the ranch for a few days a year. Everything changes with the loss of their maternal figure, and when Lou has the opportunity to return to New York, Amy surprises her – and herself – by not wanting to see her go.
As for Ty, it takes him and Amy a couple of seasons to get their act together and realize that they want to be in a relationship. From not talking for long periods of time, to becoming jealous over petty things, it’s obvious that they like each other but don’t know how to express it. Ty also shares some of his darkest secrets with Amy, revealing that he was put on probation after beating up and almost killing his abusive stepfather as payback for the hurt he inflicted during his childhood. Instead of being repulsed, Amy commends him for his bravery.
The season two finale sees Amy and Ty confess their love for each other, and share the long-awaited kiss that seals the beginning of their relationship. Amy improves her skills in season three, helping hurt or scared horses and reading her mother’s journals for more tips. Ty helps out wherever he can and also suggests to Amy that she write her own journals. Amy’s work earns her the nicknames of “Miracle Girl” and “Horse Whisperer” when a video of her helping a horse tangled in barbed wire goes viral.
The prospect of a long distance relationship is daunting for Amy and Ty, as he waits to see if he’s been accepted in college. On the way to Amy’s prom, Ty’s truck breaks down and they don’t make it to the event; instead, he gives her a promise ring and they dance in the back of his truck. For some reason, Ty accepts a job as a part-time stable hand, because he thinks it would be beneficial for them not to spend as much time together as they do.
When Ty’s estranged mother, Lily, shows up, Amy is dubious of the woman’s motives but wants to support her boyfriend. Shortly afterwards, he begins preparing to leave for college, and Amy wonders if they’ll be able to keep their relationship going. Despite the distance and other problems that crop up every few episodes, the couple grow and mature together and overcome plenty of hurdles despite being so young.
Ty tragically dies in season 14 of a blood clot that developed after a gunshot wound. By this point, Amy and Ty had married, given birth to a girl named Lindy, and divorced after Amy cheated. Ty’s death didn’t go down well with an irate audience, who felt that he was unnecessarily killed off so writers wouldn’t have to think too hard about creating new storylines for his character.
@HeartlandOnCBC The Heartland Fam is reuniting for Season 14! pic.twitter.com/48AvocNLHD
— Michelle Morgan (@MichelleMorgan_) May 27, 2020
Georgie Fleming-Morris
Georgie, a troubled adolescent who runs away from all her foster homes, was introduced to viewers in season six, after leaving yet another family behind. She was discovered in the loft above the barn by Jack Bartlett, who agreed to foster her until another family could be found. However, child services denied his application after an unsuccessful interview.
Despite Georgie being somewhat awkward, Lou and her partner Peter didn’t want her to leave the ranch and agreed to become her long-term foster parents. Georgie was rebellious and stubborn when she first arrived at the ranch – and even ran away – but with time her personality mellowed and she would forge a special bond with Lou, Peter, and a horse named Phoenix Rising, which was also known for running away from his neglectful former home.
In season six, it was also revealed that Georgie’s parents died in a car accident when she was just three years old. As such, she has no memory of them, although her older brother Jeff does, who is Georgie’s only living relative apart from their aunt, Crystal Norwood, and is a handful of years older than his sister.
In season nine, Georgie became a much more important character in the “Heartland” universe, as she developed a crush on Adam Parker, a fellow classmate who began tutoring her. Georgie and Adam didn’t get along at first, but their feelings changed the more time they spent together. The young lovebirds shared a fleeting kiss, and began a relationship after flirting for several episodes, but Adam would later reveal his diabetes diagnosis.
Georgie and Adam break up in season 10, when he reads her text messages in a fit of insecurity. She would then go on a date with Wyatt McMurtry, Clay McMurtry’s cousin, to try and forget him. The date became awkward when Wyatt tried to kiss her, as she was still thinking about Adam. At a barbecue in season eleven, Wyatt and Georgie finally shared a kiss, and she was shocked when he began ignoring her afterwards.
Upon being confronted, Wyatt finally admitted to having a girlfriend in Calgary and not knowing how to break up with her. Georgie soon forgot him, and developed a crush on an English guy named Dylan Westfield, but bad blood would later develop between them due to their competitiveness. In her early appearances, Georgie was often seen wearing Lou and Amy’s hand-me-downs, and her hair in a tight ponytail. In later seasons, she began wearing her hair down, and developed a more unique fashion sense.
Lou Fleming
Lou, Amy’s tenacious older sister, moved home after her mother’s death, to help out with the ranch and its financial woes. However, she frustrated Amy and others in the process, and thought about going back to New York a couple of times. When her boyfriend Carl visited and proposed, she said yes, but later discovered that it was only for his job, and decided to break up with him.
Shortly afterwards, Lou began dating Scott Cardinal, a veterinarian on the ranch. When they broke up, a friend of Lou’s set her up with an oilman named Peter. This relationship was much more successful, as Lou and Peter married and gave birth to a daughter named Katie a few years before adopting Georgie.
While in New York, Lou worked as a financial advisor for Strickland and Cooke. Upon returning to the ranch, she called her boss and said that she wouldn’t be returning, but didn’t give a definitive date; she was still given work and included in meetings, until she received a phone call to say that she’d been fired.
Near the end of season one, Lou was offered an interview for a position at a prestigious New York investment company, but wasn’t sure if she should go or stay home. After several nerve-wracking days and sleepless nights, she made her decision in the season one finale, and stayed home. In season two, she built a corporate equine retreat, but runs into problems with her father over a difference of opinions.
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Eventually, Lou and her father Tim – who are also business partners – see eye to eye, and build the Dude Ranch. In season three, Lou expands her business model, and plans to build a new dining lodge where she wants to hold her wedding reception. For a brief period of time, Lou also worked at a local diner, but was fired just two days into the job for being underqualified.
It’s unclear how pivotal Lou’s character will be in the 16th season of “Heartland”. So far, we know that she and her husband Peter will help their loved ones through emotional turmoil and heartbreak, especially Amy, who is unsure of the direction she wants her life to take. The future is knocking on the door of the Bartlett-Fleming clan, who will be forced to take a lot of important decisions, and battle against complications.
