Picture: Netflix
The first ten episodes of Virgin River’s 12-episode fifth season dropped on Netflix on September 7th, and we’ve got another two to go, with those being special holiday episodes set to arrive globally on November 30th, 2023.
Since 2019, the romantic drama series, adapted from the beloved novels by Robyn Carr, has been on our screens. Sue Tenney was behind the adaptation up until the most recent season, but from this season onwards, Patrick Sean Smith has taken over the showrunning duties.
As a quick recap, season 5 of Virgin River has been quite eventful thus far, to say the least. Over the course of the ten episodes, we witnessed goodbyes, break-ups, court trials, and blossoming new relationships. Naturally, one of the most significant plot points of the fifth season was the absolutely devastating fire that tore through the otherwise quaint and peaceful town. In terms of timeline, season 5 concludes around Labor Day.
How well is Season 5 of Virgin River performing on Netflix?
Season 5 continues to be a big hit for Netflix, although, as we’ve covered in our top 10 reports, its best days in terms of viewership alone may be behind it, with season 4 representing the peak. In the first 28 days of service, Virgin River S5A has around 28.4 million completed viewing equivalents, down from 34.4 million for season 4 and 32.6 million for season 3.
Viewership for Virgin River season 5 CVE over the first 28 days
What to expect from Virgin River’s Christmas Episodes
There are going to be a few big plot points heading into the holiday episodes, but let’s begin with the official synopsis and the first-look teaser trailer:
“Mel and Jack embark on a very merry scavenger hunt as Virgin River gets ready for the annual Christmas Tree decorating contest.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Glamor Magazine, the new showrunner for Virgin River from season 5 onwards (Patrick Sean Smith) spoke about what’s in store for the show’s future.
As mentioned above, the big scavenger hunt will be Mel looking for her biological father, whom Smith teases could be “anybody” in Virgin River.
Expanding further on what we have in store with the holiday episodes, Smith said:
“The holiday episodes are a little bit lighter, and we wanted to play a little more comedy after the weight of this season. It felt like, if we’re going to give a holiday gift to the audience, let’s make it a fun one. So part of what Mel and Jack are going through in those two episodes is like the scavenger hunt through Virgin River trying to track down the man who is her biological father. They’re going from clue to clue.”
Smith confirmed that while no weddings are scheduled for these holiday episodes, “you may or may not get a birth or two.”
Picture: Netflix
Speaking to Netflix, actor Martin Henderson teased some of the main Holiday-themed treats we’ll see heading into the holiday episodes. He states that everyone comes together around the holidays, teasing a Christmas tree light competition and ice-skating and snowflakes.
Henderson, in an Instagram video, further teased the episodes, saying:
“Wanted to just let everybody know that November 30th, The Virgin River, season five, additional, double episode extravaganza, the Christmas special, the feel good, tinsel-y, Christmas sweater, cocoa, feet up by the fire, love fest, is coming your way. So I hope you guys are gonna be watching that. Yeah, I think you guys are gonna enjoy it.”
A Virgin River Holiday Musical will also be taking place according to The Viewers’ Perspective.
Also, with The Viewers Perspective, writer Ildiko Susany talked about the upcoming sixth season (revealing it’ll have a reduced episode count) but also teased the Christmas episodes. She told the outlet, “They will be very heartwarming and fun holiday episodes, with a little bit of romance, and a little bit of an adventure for Mel and Jack,” concluding that there’ll be a “few cliffhangers” by the time the credits roll.
Picture: Netflix
Episode titles, runtimes, and release date for Virgin River Christmas Episodes
As we first revealed when we dropped the episode titles for season 5 of Virgin River, the two episode titles are as follows:
- Episode 511 – The More the Merrier
- Written by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith
- Directed by Gail Harvey
- Episode 512 – Father Christmas
- Written by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith
- Directed by Gail Harvey
We can also confirm that these won’t be extended episodes of Virgin River; instead, they will be more akin to the runtimes of all the other episodes in season 5. That means they’ll be around the 46-50 minute mark.
Both episodes of Virgin River’s second part of season 5 will be released on Netflix globally on November 30th, 2023, at 12:01 AM PST.
Picture: Netflix
As always, we’d recommend giving Virgin River’s official Instagram account a follow who has been sharing some behind-the-scenes snaps of the forthcoming episodes, including this excellent one of all the cast:
Picture: virginriverseries/Instagram
Don’t forget a sixth season is on the way to Netflix, likely sometime in very late 2024 or, more likely, 2025. Keep it locked on What’s on Netflix for more as and when we get it.
Note: Some of this post was taken from a combined preview for the Christmas episodes and season 6. They’ve been split, and the original preview has been taken down.
Are you looking forward to the Christmas episodes of Virgin River? Let us know in the comments below.
Netflix Synopsis: "Searching for a fresh start, a nurse practitioner moves from LA to a remote northern California town and is surprised by what -- and who -- she finds."
