If you are a massive Virgin River fan and have already binged Virgin River season 6, I have found the perfect show to fill the Jack and Mel void.
Chesapeake Shores is a romantic television series also on Netflix, which just like Virgin River is based on a series of novels. The book series by Sherryl Woods goes by the same name as the show, and there are 14 novels to enjoy.
But that isn’t where the similarities between the two shows end.
Just like Mel in Virgin River, Chesapeake Shores sees the main character, Abby, leaving her life in a big city and moving to a quiet small town – which in this show is Chesapeake Shores, Maryland.
Soon after arriving, Abby is reunited with Trace Riley (Chesapeake Shore‘s answer to Jack Sheridan) who was her first love that she abandoned more than 16 years ago when she moved to New York.
Abby’s demanding career, divorce, and two young daughters have kept her too busy to even think about the town her father built. But, when she moves back after receiving a panicked phone call from her youngest sister Jess, Abby is forced to reassess her life, and her relationship with Trace – who is played by Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives fame.
As with Jack and Mel in Virgin River, Abby and Trace find their potential love plagued by numerous dramas, but while Trace is initially an obstacle for Abby, he soon becomes an unexpected ally and a second chance at finding love. Sound familiar?
But it isn’t only the streaming channel they’re on, the similar small-town romance vibe, and the fact they’re both based on books that make Chesapeake Shores and Virgin River so alike. They’re also both set in a small American town with beautiful views across water, but they also have six seasons, meaning you have plenty of binge-worthy feel-good drama to watch while you wait for Virgin River season 7 to land on our screens.
With Jack and Mel’s beautiful wedding still at the forefront of all Virgin River fans’ minds while we wait for the next installment of their relationship (which I’m hoping will see them fulfilling their dream of becoming parents!) there couldn’t be a better time to invest in Abby and Trace’s romance instead. I promise you won’t regret it!
