Alexandra Breckenridge (Nurse Mel) reveals health battle: ‘I don’t have much time left’ md20

While it seems like streaming took over in the blink of an eye, it has been over 25 years since Netflix started streaming movies online to accompany its DVD delivery system. It would not be until 2012 that the company began creating original series, starting with Lilyhammer, which was released on February 6, 2012. A year later, the streaming platform would get its first dose of critical and financial success with the release of House of Cards on February 1, 2013. Original programming would become the bread and butter of Netflix, and now many people associate the platform with shows like Stranger Things, Squid Game, or Wednesday.

With a long history in the streaming space and plenty of acclaimed titles, one might wonder what the longest-running original series is. In what seems like an obscure question on a quiz night or at least a $400 question on the first Jeopardy board, the answer is Virgin River. How did the show survive so long, and is the honor deserved? We will look closer at Netflix’s most resilient show, which beat out many other series that left too soon to gain the title, with its sixth season premiere on Dec 19, 2024.

What Is ‘Virgin River’ and How Did It Get So Popular?

The long-running Netflix Original series Virgin River follows nurse practitioner Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), who is looking to get a new start on life in the titular Californian city after losing her husband. The show follows Mel’s interactions with the various townsfolk, exploring themes of community, healing, and finding a new romance with local bar owner Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson). The series, based on the novels by Robyn Carr (21 books in total), sticks to the first book but has since deviated from the source material over the seasons, including bringing more dramatic events to Virgin River, like the wildfires that caused chaos for the town in season 5.

The main cast consists of Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda Monroe, Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins, Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea, and Colin Lawrence as Preacher Middleton, with plenty of other actors making up the lively city of Virgin River. Virgin River was created by Sue Tenney, whose work includes fan favorites like 7th Heaven, Cedar Cove, and Good Witch.

Despite lacking the pop-culture resonance of other Netflix series, Mel’s quest for peace in California has garnered a large fanbase, with 1.3 million households tuning in for the season five premiere within the first four days, according to TV analyst site Samba TV. However, it remains popular while not getting as much attention in online discourse because most of its audience falls under women aged 35 and older, with the series focused on more mature and less socially fawned-over content. The long-running show is not The Circle, which asks viewers to spread their opinions online; it is a well-written soap for a more mature audience that isn’t universally keyed into the online culture.

‘Virgin River’ Outlasted Other Great Netflix Shows

For some, the continued success of Virgin River is a bit of a bitter bill to swallow, not for dislike of the show, but rather knowing something thrives when so many fan favorites have died. The OA, which ran from 2016 to 2019, was a fan favorite that was supposed to be told in five parts only to get canceled in its second season. Glow, a highly entertaining drama based on a real-life wrestling league, fizzled out with complications with pandemic restrictions and just left, never to return. 1899, Warrior Nun, Daredevil, I Am Not Okay With This, and the list goes on of other shows that fans felt were canceled too soon.

Yet, there are a few things to consider regarding Virgin River‘s longevity. The show is one of Netflix’s cheaper to produce, with season five’s budget between $3 and $5 million per episode (between $30 and $50 million for the season). Compare this to Netflix’s Stranger Things, which has a budget of around $30 million per episode, and the bar for a show’s success can stay stable with a smaller dedicated audience. Virgin River also thrived during the pandemic, offering a bit of escapism for those stuck at home without heavy-handed themes or disturbing elements, as in other shows that were canceled on Netflix when faced with restrictions. Why would Netflix cancel a resilient series with a dedicated fandom that costs less than others?

Does ‘Virgin River’ Deserve the Honor of Being the Longest-running Netflix Show?

Any show that finds an audience, regardless of whether it resonates with a broader audience beyond a select demographic, is deserving of its success. Is there a bit of internal cynicism from fans that would trade in all five seasons of a series other people like to have one of their favorites keep on running? Sure, there is, but that does not mean it is the correct answer here. It makes sense that Virgin River continues to thrive, has found its place, and has claimed the title of Netflix’s longest-running show; it deserves the spot even if it is a series some viewers can’t imagine investing time in. You can stream Virgin River on Netflix.