Netflix’s Virgin River ‘ruined’ over ‘overly dramatic’ changes ahead of season 6 Virgin River fans have shared their disappointment with the Netflix series’ ‘dramatic’ developments, with the eagerly anticipated sequel.
The series, inspired by Robyn Carr’s novels, follows Mel Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge), who moves to a charming small town in Northern California after a major loss.
Once there, as she adjusts to her job as a nurse practitioner and navigates her feelings for former Marine Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), Mel faces challenges that make her realise that the town may not be the idyllic paradise she expected.
While their ups and downs have kept viewers hooked, the development of the storyline has sparked debate among fans about the narrative direction of recent seasons.
The discontent exploded on Reddit, where one angry viewer exclaimed: “The show is ruined,” as reported by Express.
The individual continues to love the series and plans to watch the next season, but has expressed significant concerns about how the adaptation deviates from the source material.
“I’m reading book 5 of the Virgin River series, and oh my god, the show has completely ruined the series!!!!” the Reddit user continued.
They reached out to other book readers, saying, “For anyone who has read the books, I think you can relate. I don’t understand why they’re deviating so much from the books.”
The commenter highlighted the richness of content contained in the long-running series, arguing that there were many missed opportunities to create compelling television without straying from the original story.
“There are so many storylines in the TV series that come from the books but come from other characters in the books and are brought into the characters on the show and it makes the show too dramatic like a soap opera.”
One particular storyline in the latest season had this viewer pulling their hair out when Mel finally reunited with her biological father Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson).
“The last straw for me was in season five when Mel found out her mom was having an affair with a guy in Virgin River and that guy COULD STILL be there and Mel COULD have come to Virgin River for her job,” they wrote.
“I mean, really? That makes it too soap opera-like.”
“Yes, the Mel dad storyline is super cheesy and unnecessary. But I’ll still watch lol,” one viewer said. “I’ll have to buy some books.”
“Yeah, I love the books!” said another. “I watched the first episode so I don’t like the way the show is plotted.