When could 'Virgin River' Season 7 come out? What we know so far about Netflix romance
Saman Shafiq
Season 6 spoilers ahead.
Aww, Mel and Jack finally got their happily ever after, or did they?
Season 6 of Netflix's soapy romantic drama "Virgin River" dropped Thursday and besides serving viewers with bucket loads of emotion, the season ended in true series fashion, with multiple cliffhangers.
The new season picked up a few months after Season 5's Christmas-themed episodes as Virgin River gathers to celebrate the highly anticipated event of the season: Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack's (Martin Henderson) wedding. Netflix promised the season, set "against the backdrop of Mel and Jack’s romantic spring wedding season," would be full of "fresh twists and turns, escalating love triangles (and a) delightful wedding drama."
Annette O'Toole, who plays Virgin River mayor Hope McRae in the series, told USA TODAY, the season is "the happiest season certainly, and the shortest (one)."
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"It was nice to have a core event. The wedding is this the culmination of the whole town's hopes and dreams. We have a lot of problems along the way, but it's a nice, positive, happy season for the most part," O'Toole said.
Recapping Season 6
Much of "Virgin River's" latest season was centered around Mel and Jack's much-awaited wedding and the lead up to it. At the same time, the season also delved deeper into Mel's relationship with her long-lost father and her parents' past.
However, Mel and Jack's wedding was not the only thing that happened during the season. Doc's medical license has been suspended, and his clinic is under scrutiny by the California State Medical Board after a malpractice case was opened against him. Brie found herself in a love triangle with Mike and Brady after Mike popped the question and Brady told her he would not be able to love anyone like he loved her.
The season, meanwhile, ended on a major cliffhanger when Jack goes to check up on his ex-girlfriend and local hairstylist Charmaine after she is a no-show on the wedding. Charmaine was being threatened by her baby daddy Calvin and was looking into getting a restraining order against him. At the end of the finale, Jack enters her home to find it ransacked and her and the babies possibly missing.
Based on Robyn Carr's novels of the same name, "Virgin River" premiered on Netflix in 2019. It was developed by Sue Tenney, who served as showrunner until Smith took over in Season 5.
With so much left unanswered, here's what we know so far about Season 7 of "Virgin River" including release date, cast and trailer.
Will there be 'Virgin River' Season 7?
Yes. Netflix, on Dec. 5, announced "Virgin River" has been renewed for Season 7.
“There’s a lot more to go here with these characters," showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told Tudum.
Smith added viewers have "only just begun to see Mel and Jack function as a married couple, which is exciting,” and Season 7 will “explore the honeymoon phase for them as they’re building their lives on the farm, which can come with its own obstacles.”
What will happen in 'Virgin River' Season 7?
"Virgin River" will pick up from where Season 6 ended, "like two hours later," Smith told Deadline, adding there would be no "time jump this time."
Smith promises Charmaine's babies will be safe and Season 7 will be "more about characters that are reacting to the circumstances that result from the cliffhanger that are brought back into our story."
Despite building up several couples in series, Smith says there are unlikely to be more weddings.
"We are a little weddinged-out after Season 6, but it felt like, at weddings, sometimes the idea finds its way into couples, so exploring it felt like even more of a way of bringing our supporting characters into the event itself by them evaluating or reevaluating their own individual or couple relationship to marriage," Smith told Deadline.
While viewers should not expect any weddings, Smith says he "can guarantee at least one baby in Season 7, potentially two." The season finale saw Marley asking Mel to adopt her unborn baby after a local couple who promised to adopt the child backed out.
O'Toole, meanwhile, told USA TODAY she is excited to see where Smith takes the season, especially with her character and Doc's given the clinic's future is now uncertain.
"I haven't talked to Sean about any of the storylines for next season," O'Toole told USA TODAY. "I know as much as you guys, really."
However, she added she "applauds" the creators for weaving current events into the storylines.
"I think that's really smart of them," O' Toole said. All this health care stuff and big conglomerates coming in and taking over private medical practices, that's happening. So that's something I know Sean wants to pursue. Real life story lines and put it in the world of Virgin River. I applaud that. I'm all for it. I hope that they really explore that (but) I don't know how deeply they'll go into it."
Smith told Deadline he is "curious about seeing a little of the current state of medical healthcare and our realities of it seeping into" the world of "Virgin River."
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When would 'Virgin River' Season 7 release?
While announcing Season 7, Netflix did not specify when it would release.
The first season of "Virgin River" released in December 2019, with the second season landing a little less than a year later in November 2020. Seasons 3 and 4 both had summer releases in July 2021 and 2022 respectively. Season 5 came in two parts with the first part releasing at the end of summer in September 2023 and the second part, with two Christmas-themed episodes, dropping in November 2023. While the probability of Season 7 arriving in the summer or winter is equal, Deadline reported the series' early renewal "would make for a shorter gap between seasons, potentially keeping the romantic drama a holiday fixture after December releases."
Will 'Virgin River' Season 7 be its last?
Netflix has not made any indication on whether Season 7 will be the last one. Smith told Deadline he has no "plans to wrap up the series anytime soon."
"As long as people keep coming back for it, we’re proud and happy to keep telling these stories," Smith said.
'Virgin River' Season 7 cast
Netflix has not yet announced details for Season 7 of "Virgin River," but it is likely many of Season 6's cast members will be reprising their characters in Season 7, including:
- Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe
- Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
- Tim Matheson as Dr. Vernon Mullins
- Annette O'Toole as Hope McCrea
- Colin Lawrence as John "Preacher" Middleton
- John Allen Nelson as Everett Reid
- Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
- Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan
- Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela
- Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
- Teryl Rothery as Muriel St. Claire
- Kandyse McClure as Kaia
- Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
- Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
- Jenny Cooper as Joey Barnes
- Elise Gatien as Lark
Mark Ghanimé, who played Dr. Cameron Hayek for three seasons, will not be returning for Season 7, the actor revealed on Instagram.
Smith told Deadline, “Cameron will always be part of our world, and I would love to see his character come back again," but “he unfortunately won’t be a series regular in Season 7."
'Virgin River' spinoff
Not only has "Virgin River" been renewed for another season, but the series is also getting a prequel spinoff, according to Variety. The spinoff will focus on the romance between Mel's parents Sarah Jensen (Jessica Rothe) and Everett Reed (Callum Kerr) and the origins of Virgin River in the 1970s, Smith told the media outlet.
Smith told Deadline the spinoff is still in development and that he "personally sees it a little bit like 'Queen Charlotte' to 'Bridgerton'."
Is 'Virgin River' real?
Like Lawrence (Preach) says: "It's as real as you want it to be."
But alas, the small town of "Virgin River" with lush green mountains, babbling brooks and serene trails does not exist outside the world of Netflix, much to our disappointment. While the fictional town is said to be located in Northern California, somewhere between Sacramento and the Oregon border, filming for the series takes place all the way in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and its surrounding mountainous areas, as per Netflix.
O'Toole told USA TODAY the cast and crew have "worked really hard to make it a seem like a real place."
"I think we've made it real," O' Toole said. "I think it inspires community and goodness in people."
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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.