Netflix‘s drama series Virgin River is one of the biggest shows on the streaming service. It follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse who leaves her life in Los Angeles for a fresh start in the small town. Although she’s trying to heal from her past, Mel falls for Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a retired Marine who owns the town’s bar.
The series is based on the novels by Robyn Carr. It’s become such a massive success that a spinoff could be on the horizon.
‘Virgin River’ is a much bigger show than anyone could have ever imagined
Robyn Carr’s books have been staples in the romance literary world. However, no one expected the fandom to explode once Netflix adapted the books into a series. In fact, Breckenridge didn’t even think anyone would watch the show. Even now, four seasons in, she’s stunned by the success of one of the most-watched shows on the streaming service.
“Virgin River did better than we could have imagined, and it’s continuing to grow this audience…the only way I really experience “success” is, all of a sudden, more press and more people recognize me,” Breckenridge told New Beauty. “I haven’t quite adjusted to that yet.”
The fandom behind the series has been so robust that Netflix might be considering a spinoff.
A spinoff could be on the horizon
Year after year, Virgin River continues to crush Nielsen’s streaming charts amid its premiere. Now, Netflix’s Head of Drama, Jinny Howe, has been talking about the longevity of the series and how the universe could possibly expand.
“We see with Season 4 that the fandom is very strong and growing in many places as well,” she told Deadline. “It feels like, based on what we’re seeing with Season 4 and the anticipation for Season 5, that there is a lot more storytelling to offer us. It will be exciting to see which characters continue to break out and audiences crave more of; we’re paying very close attention, understanding that this is a really rich universe of characters and that people can’t seem to get enough, myself included. So I think as long as that continues to be the case — which we’re very hopeful for — you can rest assured that there will be more Virgin River.”
Although Howe didn’t explicitly say anything about a spinoff, knowing how expansive Carr’s novels are and the wealth of characters within the universe, it seems like the best natural progression.
‘Virgin River’ Season 5 is almost finished filming
Virgin River Season 5 is currently filming in Vancouver, and the cast and crew just performed the 50th episode of the series. Seasons 1-3 had 10 episodes each. Season 4 had 12 episodes, and Season 5 is slated to have 12 episodes. Therefore, there are only four episodes left to film before everything is complete.
“I think it’s bigger and better than any of the seasons we’ve done yet,” Ben Hollingsworth, who portrays Brady, told TV Line. “We’re doing some really ambitious stuff that you’ve never seen on Virgin River before”
