‘Virgin River’ Season 6 Update: Release Date Speculation, Cast, News, and More
Virgin River Season 6 is officially in the works! Following those special holiday episodes of Season 5, it’s safe to say that fans want more of Jack, Mel, and the rest of the gang! The good news is that the sixth season started filming on February 21st in Vancouver. Production should wrap by May 30th, which doesn’t put a late 2024 release date out of the question
So, what else is in store for our favorite small town? Here’s everything we know so far about Virgin River Season 6. Spoilers ahead for Season 5.
Virgin River Season 6 Is Already in the Works
Fans of Virgin River Season 6 is actively in the works at Netflix. The show, which is based on the popular book series by Robyn Carr, has gained critical acclaim for its storylines. Premiering in 2019, the show follows Melinda Monroe moving to the titular northern California town to escape her past. However, Melinda learns that even a small town like Virgin River has another side to it.
The show’s renewal came alongside Virgin River getting renewed for Season 5. Virgin River Season 6 will also have 10 episodes. Though, it remains to be seen whether the coming season will also be split into two parts. Production for the upcoming season was supposed to start over the summer of 2023 but was derailed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Season 6 Cast
The official cast list for Virgin River Season 6 has yet to be released. However, we can expect many of the same cast members to return for the upcoming season. This includes Alexandra Breckinridge as Mel Monroe, Tim Matheson as Vernon “Doc” Mullins, Colin Lawrence as John “Preacher” Middleton, and Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady. The same can be said for Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie, and Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler.
Also expected to return for Virgin River Season 6 are Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea, Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan, Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela, Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts, Mark Ghanime as Cameron Hayek, Teryl Rothery as Muriel, and Kandyse McClure as Kaia Bryant. John Allen Nelson, who plays Everett is also expected to come back after the revelation of his character by the end of Season 5.
Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told Deadline that the upcoming season will open with a time jump. This is especially as Charmaine, in particular, was pregnant for four straight seasons. Her character only just gave birth by the fifth season.
“I don’t know exactly how many months but it won’t be a direct pickup from the holidays,” said Smith, referring to the festive Season 5 finale.
What Happened in Season 5?
Season 5 of Virgin River saw Jack and Mel try and come to terms with the miscarriage. While they try and deal with this situation, they also have plans to renovate Lily’s farm. Meanwhile, Mel also discovers the truth about her parentage, and she finally meets her biological father by the finale. But even her biological father has a secret to tell her.
Wes’s body has also been uncovered while Lizzie is expecting a child. Charmaine has since given birth to twins and Brady’s new girlfriend Lark seems to be up to something.
The show’s producer and writer Erin Cardillo told Tudum in 2022 that more challenges lie ahead for the characters in coming episodes. Producer and writer Richard Keith also told Tudum in 2022 that one particular couple is “too beautiful and too awesome to be too happy for too long.” Rest assured, that couple Keith was referring to isn’t Jack and Mel.
“I’ve gotten so many messages on Instagram since I joined the show. ‘Just please let Jack and Mel have a good go of it this year.’ And it’s like, we want to do that, but also then there’s nothing to watch!” said Keith at the time.
“Yes, the characters do go through some pretty terrible things, but there’s always a happy ending. It may not be the happy ending they were expecting. But they find their way to a happy place that, in some ways, might be happier than if they’d ended up where they thought they would to begin with.”
What to Expect in Season 6
Given what happened in Season 5, Mel will definitely have to navigate her newfound relationship with her biological father as well as her surrogate father for Season 6.
Challenges aside, fans of the show can still expect more fun and romance ahead in Virgin River Season 6.
“I think my intention was never to have subsequent seasons match the intensity of season five,” Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2023. “I would say that going into Season 6, my intention is to have it feel lighter. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be complicated with the signature Virgin River twists and turns.”
Smith also said that he’s excited to lean “more into the romance of the series.” Plot-wise, Smith revealed that something as massive as a drug ring would step back in future episodes.
“I think probably moving forward, the drug story engines will kind of fall to the wayside a little bit, which always did feel more extreme,” said Smith. “I appreciate it, especially in the first season. But it did feel like it was starting to overtake the show a little bit. And when you’re dealing with bigger physical stakes like that.”
Smith also hinted to Deadline that there’s going to be a wedding happening, possibly more than one. But as to whose wedding it will be? Fans will have to tune in to find out.
Virgin River Season 6 Release Date Speculation & News
While Virgin River Season 6 is in production, there’s no set release date yet. Filming for the new season began in February and will continue through the end of May.
The scripts for the first half of Season 6 were finished ahead of when the WGA went on strike in May 2023. And, since the strike ended in September 2023, Smith confirmed with Deadline that the writers were already writing the second half.
“We were halfway through when we broke for the strike. So coming back to it, we’re finishing the second half,” said Smith at the time. “But also, we have the privilege of getting some audience reactions to season five. So we’re able to go back into the first half and do a little bit of course correcting. Not an overhaul at all, but it’s just nice to know what resonated for the fans and what didn’t.”
Alexandra Breckinridge, who stars in the show as Mel, had also previously told Deadline that production would start soon in Vancouver, weather permitting.
“We’re going to start as soon as the Vancouver weather allows. So hopefully in the spring is what I’ve been hearing,” said the actress. “I keep trying to tell them they should just pick up Season 7 so we can just knock Season 6 and 7 and call it a day.”
As for a potential Season 7? Smith said the show isn’t ending anytime soon even if the streaming platform hasn’t officially confirmed it yet.
With the current production timeline, a late 2024 release isn’t out the question. We’ll keep this article updated as more information surfaces. For now, fans can rewatch the first five seasons on Netflix.
