Is Virgin River ending after season 6?
Netflix’a hit drama series Virgin River has already been renewed for a sixth season, but fans are hoping there will be plenty of more seasons. When is Virgin River ending? Keep reading to find out.
Virgin River is a romantic drama based on the novels of the same name by Robyn Carr. It debuted on Netflix in 2019 and follows Melinda ‘Mel’ Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a woman who relocates from Los Angeles to the remote Northern California town of Virgin River hoping for a fresh start. She is hired by Vernon “Doc” Mullins (played by Tim Matheson) to be the town’s nurse practitioner/midwife and quickly forms close bonds with several of the townspeople, including Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson).
Season 5 of Virgin River wrapped up in December 2023 with two special Christmas episodes. The sixth season was renewed in May 2023 and will be released in late 2024 or 2025, although the exact date has not been confirmed yet. With several Netflix shows facing abrupt cancelations due to the writers’ strike and a pipeline of delayed projects, fans are worried Virgin River might meet the same fate following Season 6. Find insight on the beloved show’s future below.
Will Virgin River continue after Season 6? While the hit show hasn’t officially been confirmed for more seasons, the showrunner and several cast members weighed in on Virgin River‘s future in a Dec. 28, 2023, interview with TV Insider.
Patrick Sean Smith, Virgin River‘s showrunner, told the outlet that he sees “no end in sight,” for the show. “I think as long as these characters are living their lives, and we’re telling the stories in deep personal emotional ways, then I hope the series can continue on for many, many, many seasons to come,” he continued.
Alexandra Breckenridge (who stars as Mel), on the other hand, is a bit more unsure about how long the series will last. “We are on Netflix, so we don’t know,” she said. “I always said from Season 1 that we were going to get canceled immediately just because that was sort of the model at the time. It was like there was a season or three seasons, then [a show was canceled], but we keep going.”
She added that if the show does end, they will let fans know ahead of time and give them a proper ending with no cliffhangers (Virgin River is notorious for ending each season on one). Breckenridge explained: “I think at this point, going into Season 6, there definitely will be a time where, if we are going to close out the series, we’ll say we’re closing out the series, and we will let the fans know ahead of time as you do with a successful show after so many seasons.”
The actress also hinted that she is somewhat ready for the series to end. “I haven’t really worked on many things since I started the show. I [worked] on This is Us every now and then, but not really anything else,” she said. “So I would like to sink my teeth into something eventually.”
Martin Henderson, however, would like to keep playing Jack under one condition. “One thing I really don’t like is when writers change a character midway through a show,” he said. “As long as that doesn’t happen, I think I’d be happy playing the role, but I wouldn’t want to get into that territory where you start doing gimmicky things just to keep it on the air, just to keep it interesting or fresh.” He added, “If it starts to lose its authenticity, then I think I would probably bow out at that point.”
Season 5 ended on a cliffhanger, with Mel’s biological father, whom she discovered during the Christmas episodes, proclaiming to her: “I’ve got something important I need to tell you.” Mel and Jack also need to get married following their Season 4 engagement, so fans can rest assured knowing the series won’t conclude until all the loose ends are tied up.
