Picture: Netflix
Netflix is returning to Virgin River for a highly anticipated sixth season featuring a backdoor pilot episode for a potential spin-off this December. Here’s your extended look into everything known about the upcoming sixth season of the feel-good drama, including the latest production information, new and returning cast list, what to expect from the story, release date, and much more.
In case you missed it, Virgin River was renewed for season 6 in May 2023, ahead of season 5’s release. The announcement came via Netflix’s Upfront Event. The show has become accustomed to early renewals, with every season given an early renewal (and often filming ahead of the announcement) since season 2.
The future of Virgin River continues to look pretty safe on Netflix. Jinny Howe, the head of scripted drama at the streamer, teased in an interview with Deadline in 2022 that so long as fans keep turning out for the series, “you can rest assured that there will be more Virgin River.”
Let’s dig in then; what do we know about season 6 of Virgin River?
What to Expect from Virgin River Season 6
With the Christmas episodes now out in the wild, we now know that Mel’s father, Everett Reid, will be in the picture in the future despite their horrific first meeting. Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith teased to Deadline, “What we’re exploring more in season 6 is who Everett Reid is, what his backstory is, what his connection to Virgin River was when he met her mom and then also what it is today.”
The two-holiday specials end with Everett revealing to Mel that he’s got something serious to tell Mel before the credits begin to roll. What could he have to say? Does she have siblings? Something about her mother? That’ll be one of the key storylines heading into season 6.
Expect at least two weddings in the next season of Virgin River, with Mel and Jack finally looking to tie the knot. Could that mean we get a bit of a time jump headed into the next season? It sounds possible. As we reported in February 2024, we’ll see multiple returning faces for the upcoming wedding, with Mel’s sister Joey (played by Jenny Cooper), her husband Nate (played by Dan Payne), and their children attending the wedding alongside Jack’s Marine Corps comrades Zeke (Garfield Wilson), Josh (Eric Brecker), and Tom (Andrew Zachar).
The showrunner for Virgin River season 6 spoke to Glamour Magazine about the show’s future and gave away some hints. Patrick Sean Smith teased that the events of the upcoming Christmas episodes will “directly propel us into season 6.”
Other insights from that interview included:
- Ava will be returning in season 6.
- We will see a resolution for Preacher in season 6 and how complicated his relationship with Kaia is, but Smith says he’s worried for Preacher’s future.
- The relationship between Cameron and Muriel will be explored further.
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- First Look Virgin River Season
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- Virgin River Season First Look
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- Virgin River Season First Look
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- Virgin River Season First Look
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- Virgin River Season First Look
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- Virgin River Season First Look
More Mel and Jack in Season 4
Ildiko Susany spoke to The Viewer’s Perspective in November 2023, telling the outlet that there’ll be a more significant focus on Mel and Jack but added, “We will still have everyone’s stories as well. We are definitely thrilled about Mel and Jack’s journey in season 6.”
In a recent live stream on Instagram, Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge seemed to confirm this, too. The pair suggest that things have “shifted some stuff around,” with Breckenridge saying after also speaking to Sean, “I feel like we’re going to be working a lot more.”
While season 5 did have generally positive reviews, some feared the show strayed more into other storylines, with Mel and Jack taking a backseat. That evidently won’t be the case in season 6.
A Backdoor Pilot Episode for Potential Prequel
In February 2024, it was first reported that Netflix was in the early stages of development of a spin-off to the series. Patrick Sean Smith is spearheading the new spin-off focused on the love story of Everett and Sarah, who are Mel’s parents.
As revealed by Deadline later in the year, episode 2 of season 6 will be a prequel episode that will serve as the potential launchpad of a new series. Set in 1972, the show will follow Mel’s mother, Sarah, and Everett (played by Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr, respectively) through flashbacks. We’ve got much more on this potential spin-off in our full preview here.
The logline for the episode is as follows:
“Against the backdrop of Mel and Jack’s romantic spring wedding season, this sixth installment promises fresh twists and turns, escalating love triangles, delightful wedding drama, as well as uncovered secrets from Mel’s father’s past which will transport us to the magic and mystique of Virgin River in the 1970s.”
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
How Many Episodes Will There Be in Virgin River Season 6?
We’ve grown accustomed to Virgin River being given larger episode orders for the past two seasons. Both seasons 4 and 5 were upped from their regular ten episodes to twelve, with the most recent season splitting those extra two episodes off into holiday specials.
The Viewers’ Perspective in November 2023 confirmed, courtesy of an interview with Ildiko Susany, that we’re returning to the reduced episode count of 10 for season 6.
Where is Virgin River season 6 in production?
Development on the sixth season began in early 2023, although Netflix declined to comment until the May 2023 renewal announcement.
Cameras were originally due to begin rolling in the summer of 2023. Numerous sources state that production was initially scheduled to start on July 24, 2023, with the show continuing to have a budget of between $3 and $5 million per episode. That couldn’t get underway due to the dual Hollywood strikes beginning with the writers in May and later joined by SAG-AFTRA (the union representing actors), which would go on strike just a few weeks earlier than that initial filming start date.
Thankfully, the writer’s strike ended in September 2023, meaning that the writer’s room could continue for the sixth season. On October 10th, the Virgin River Series account posted the first look at the writers involved in season 6 along with the caption:
“Thrilled to have our writing team back in action, diving into Season 6!”
Picture: Instagram / VirginRiverSeries
Thanks to The Viewer’s Perspective, we can put the names of the faces of the writers in the picture: Patrick Sean Smith, Erin Cardillo, Richard Keith, Tesia Joy Walker, Mary Page Keller, Thomas Ian Griffith, Jackson Aaron Sinder, Ildiko Susany, and Becky Hartman Edwards. Nate Tedford, Jen Troy, and Rachel Borders are also on the writing team.
Ahead of the writers’ room re-opening, Smith told Glamour Magazine in an interview that they’ve “half of season six written, so now we just have to get back for the second half.”
In December 2023, we got word that a filming schedule had been set, with filming set to begin on February 2nd and run through to May 17th. This was eventually pushed back a few weeks, with filming underway beginning February 21st and running through to May 30th, 2024.
Filming was announced by the Instagram page for Virgin River Instagram page to be underway as of February 21st.
Picture: virginriverseries/Instagram
As some fans have noted, not many posts have been coming out throughout the production of season 6. This is believed to be because of new strict rules around sharing (perhaps to avoid spoilers), making it a lot harder to track the show’s happenings!
Filming officially wrapped on the series in late May for much of the cast, with many posting follow-ups in the coming days.
Patrick Sean Smith posted, “Season 6 wrapped! So big it took an extra day to get it done. Heading home exhausted, proud, but above all incredibly grateful for the writers, the cast, the crew and the world of “Virgin River” itself. Sometimes people can come into your life and unexpectedly help you through a difficult time in a profound way. Until next time!”
Colin Lawrence posted, “Another one in the books! That is a season 6 wrap for me on our “little show”. A big shout out to our hard working crew ! Also, much love to our amazing fans for continuing to follow us on our journey!”
Following the filming wrap, Martin Henderson provided numerous behind-the-scenes looks at post-production. In an update posted on Instagram on August 5th, he wrote, “Back in the booth getting post-production just right for season 6 of #Virginriver”
Pictures: martinhendersonofficial / Instagram
Who is starring in Virgin River season 6?
Here’s a breakdown of all the expected returning actors and actresses in season 6:
- Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda Monroe
- Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
- Zibby Allen as Brie
- Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
- Marco Grazzini as Mike
- Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey as Ricky
- Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
- Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
- Colin Lawrence as John “Preacher” Middleton
- Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins
- Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
- Lexa Doig as Paige Lassiter
- Stacey Farber as Tara Anderson
- Daniel Gillies as Mark
John Allen Nelson, who was introduced in episode 12 as Mel’s father, has been teased to have a more prominent role in season 6. As we also mentioned above, we’re expecting the return of the following actors for the big wedding:
- Jenny Cooper
- Dan Payne
- Garfield Wilson
- Eric Brecker
- Andrew Zachar
Pictured: Gigi Neil, Erin Kathleen Boyes, Rachel Drance and Ese Atawo
In late May 2024, we learned that Virgin River’s new season would feature four new faces in recurring roles. Those include Gigi Neil (Return to Sender), Erin Kathleen Boyes (Miss Christmas), Rachel Drance (The Hardy Boys), and Ese Atawo (Supergirl).
In addition, we’ve confirmed that Brent Fidler will appear in a principal role in the new season, and Jayce Barreiro is expected to play Roy Green for season 6.
Who will be directing in season 6 of Virgin River?
So far, we’ve got confirmation of two directors who are going to be behind the cameras in season 6:
- Martin Wood is a Virgin River regular, having directed 18 episodes so far, and will be returning for season 6. They’ll be directing episodes 1, 2, and 7.
- Rama Rau will be making her Virgin River debut in season 6, having previously directed Murdoch Mysteries, Diggstown, and Honey Bee. They’re directing episodes 3 and 4.
- Felipe Rodriguez will return following his debut in season 5, directing episodes 5 and 6.
- As we reported in March 2024, actor Martin Henderson is now registered with the DGA and will be making his directorial debut in season 6. He’s directing episode 8.
- Monika Mitchell returned for season 6 to direct the final two episodes.
Episode Titles for Virgin River Season 6
While we don’t have the exact order for the episode titles on Virgin River season 6 just yet, we do know what all 10 are titled:
- Brothers & Sisters
- Ghosts
- Going Overboard
- Hope Springs Eternal
- I Climbed a Mountain and I Turned Around
- Love Story
- Prelude to a Kiss
- The Big Day
- The Broken Places
- The Jury’s Out
When will Virgin River season 6 be released on Netflix?
In early October, Netflix confirmed via the show’s official social media that all new episodes would be released on Thursday, December 19th, 2024, just a few days before Christmas.
A 2024 release date is a slight surprise as throughout the strikes, numerous producers, writers, and actors suggested that the longer the strikes, the more likely a 2025 release date would be. That sentiment was on display via an Instagram post by executive producer Rich Keith, stating, “All I want for Christmas is my two… unions to get a fair deal from the AMPTP. If they don’t hurry up there won’t be any #VirginRiver on @Netflix until 2025…”
Ahead of the sixth season’s release on Netflix, Virgin River got some more content in the form of a new title within the Netflix Stories app. The game was first released in late May 2024, and new updates are coming regularly.
Picture: Virgin River in the Netflix Stories App
Are you looking forward to watching Virgin River season 6 on Netflix? Sound off in the comments below.
