‘Virgin River’ Season 7: Netflix Release Estimate & Everything We Know So Far

That’s another season of Virgin River in the books, and it was one to behold. Bookmarked by the big wedding between Jack and Mel, the series remains incredibly popular for Netflix, and that’s why it scored an early season 7 renewal earlier this year. What can you expect from the next season, and when will it be streaming? Here’s what we know so far. 

On our screens since late 2019, Virgin River is now one of Netflix’s longest-running drama series in the streamer’s history. Most seasons of Virgin River have been given a thumbs-up before the prior season drops, and that was the case with season 7, too. On October 23rd, 2024, we were the first to reveal that Netflix had renewed the show for a seventh season, with most of the cast contributing to a video talking about the renewal:

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How well is Virgin River season 6 performing so far?

Thanks to the Netflix global top 10s, we can see how the series is performing so far as of its first few days on the platform (week 1 as we’ll call it). It debuted as the number 1 English-language series for the week of December 16th, picking up 67.7 million hours watched, which equates to 8.1M views. 

The graph below shows that the show has maintained its audience season after season. Season 6, as you can see, had another notable drop-off this season, suggesting the show is struggling to gain new viewership but is doing a good job at maintaining prior viewers.

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When will Virgin River season 7 be on Netflix?

Unlike some previous seasons, production in the next season isn’t getting underway as quickly as usual. The team is looking to avoid the harsh winter months in late 2024 and head back to Canada (where the show films) in the Spring. Tim Matheson confirmed this filming start in November when he stated in an interview that filming would be underway in March 2025. 

What does this mean for a release date? Netflix hasn’t confirmed what year the series will be released, but our best guess is that it won’t be until early 2026. The series did go through post-production in record time this year (filming took place between February and May), so it’s not entirely out of the question the show could squeeze into the final month of 2025, but it does seem a push. 

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What to Expect from Virgin River Season 7

This section was written by What’s on Netflix contributor Emma Armbrüster.

Mel and Jack

After six seasons, the main couple of the series are finally married. Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith has already teased that we will see the couple in their new house, living the “farm life.” Although there won’t be a time jump at the beginning of Season 7, we will pick up just a couple of hours after the final episode ends, and the new property is far from being done.

The couple stayed almost entirely away from the topic until the very last minute of the final episode.

Marley Thurston, the young pregnant woman who intends to give up her baby for adoption to Phil and Darla, informs Mel that the couple may be backing out of the adoption. She wants to give the baby to Mel and Jack. If the plan for season 7 involves Mel and Jack expanding their family, Marley could be the perfect solution. This would allow the couple to bond with Marley before the baby boy’s arrival. Given their previous miscarriage and the difficult journey the newlyweds have faced so far, a more straightforward adoption process would be a welcomed change for them.

Breckenridge spoke to Deadline about what she hopes for from her character in season 7, saying, “I just hope that I don’t have to cry about too many things cause that’s always difficult.”

Charmaine and the Twins

Martin Henderson mentioned that he asked for directions while filming the final scene of season 6 to express better his reaction to what he saw in the twins’ room. However, he was informed that they hadn’t written or decided anything when the scene was filmed in May.

In Season 6, the hairdresser obtained a restraining order against Calvin. Calvin wanted to be involved in the twins’ lives, especially since Charmaine had sole custody. One possible theory is that an altercation occurred between Calvin and Charmaine, leading to the drug dealer kidnapping the twins. The storyline could involve many characters from the show, highlighting one of its main themes: the community coming together when one of its members needs help.

Preacher and Kaia

The fire chief stood unwaveringly by Preacher’s side during the trial. The couple’s storyline does not end on a cliffhanger this season. Kaia is reconsidering her initial decision never to get married again after her first failed marriage. Season 7 promises to bring love to the firefighter and the best chef in town.

Brie, Brady, Mike and Lark.

After a conversation with Brady, during which he tells Brie that she will always be the one for him, Brie decides that she wants to commit to Mike, who is, as described by her, a good guy. In the end, Mike proposes to Brie, even though he admits that he knows she cheated on him with Brady.

It seems the love triangle will become even more complicated next season. The show might be hinting that Bried and Brady could be endgame, just like Mel and Jack. Bried could accept Mike’s proposal, but her tumultuous feelings for Brady will likely remain unresolved unless she acts on them. The lawyer could also take Mel’s advice to let both men go, she will need to do some soul-searching and confront her own feelings and demons. This is especially important given that she still needs to process her trauma from her rape and work on her healing.

Brady is entering another intense season as he searches for Lark and attempts to recover his money. Although he initially wanted to open a motorcycle shop in honor of his uncle, he could consider a career as a firefighter rather than just volunteering, which will be a fitting part of his character’s ongoing redemption storyline.

Hope and Doc

Doc’s medical license was suspended following an investigation. The primary reason behind this is that Grace Valley plans to expand its network into Virgin River and intends to push Doc out of the picture because they want the clinic for themselves. However, with Hope’s creative ideas and Mel by his side, Doc is determined not to go down without a fight. Although he may not practice at the clinic for a few episodes, it is already clear that his career is far from over.

Season 6 introduced us to Roland, Hope’s ex-husband. Season 7 could provide more background on Hope and her past, particularly regarding her controlling husband and the challenges she faced during their marriage.

Lizzie and Denny

As Season 6 concludes, Lizzie is eight months pregnant. The couple didn’t have much screen time during this season, and their story doesn’t end with a cliffhanger. We will likely witness the birth of their daughter, hopefully at Mel’s renowned birth center, and we’ll probably discover whether the baby girl has Huntington’s disease. It’s clear that we won’t see their wedding, as the couple has committed to taking their relationship slowly.

Everett Reid

Now that he has established a meaningful relationship with his daughter and reconciled with Doc, it would be great to see Everett getting out and about in Virgin River. It would be nice for him to immerse himself in the community and interact and bond with other characters beyond just Mel, Jack, and Doc.

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Of course, there’s plenty more Virgin River content on Netflix right now. The two choose-your-own-adventure games are currently available on iOS and Android, and the potential prequel spin-off series is still in active development. Beyond that, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith has also teased additional spin-offs, telling TVInsider subsidiary Swoon, “It’s a rich world with rich characters. Putting romance forward feels like there’s a ton of potential. And that’s to Robyn Carr’s credit. Each book focuses on a different couple in every book. And what Sue Tenney did very smartly was take characters from the first couple of books and then putting them into an ensemble. But, I mean, there’s huge potential. It’s a great story engine.”

Are you looking forward to season 7 of Virgin River? Let us know in the comments down below.