‘Virgin River’ Prequel Series About Mel’s Parents in the Works at Netflix

ET can confirm that a spinoff series, focusing on the past love story between Mel’s parents, is currently in development.
Get excited, Virgin River fans, there’s even more romance and drama coming your way in a spinoff series!

ET confirmed on Thursday that a Virgin River prequel series is in the works at Netflix. The series will focus on the romance between the parents of main character Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge).

As fans discovered in the show’s two-part Christmas special, which was released last November, Mel’s father is no longer a mystery — in fact, he was from Virgin River himself. After examining letters from her late mother, Sarah, Mel and her fiancé, Jack (Martin Henderson), were able to track down the man she was writing to, a man named Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson).

After a rocky start, Everett eventually confirmed that he was Mel’s father, and left her and viewers with the cliffhanger that he had something important to tell her.
While season 6 — which kicked off production on Thursday — will likely give us that answer, more about Everett and Sarah’s love story will be explored in the as-yet-untitled prequel series. Deadline reports that casting is currently underway for actors to play the characters in season 6 flashbacks.
Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith shared more about Virgin River’s plans to explore the past in a Deadline Q&A last fall.

“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,” he said, adding that the upcoming season will explore the “relationship of Everett with the town as well as Everett and Mel.”