Waiting for Netflix’s award-winning Virgin River season 6? As the popular romantic drama returns on Thursday, December 19, Mel Monroe has come a long way since the show’s beginnings. If you’re asking the question, what will happen in the lead-up to Mel and Jack’s nuptials? So are we. Though we’ll have to wait a little longer to get the answer, as well as hopefully finding resolution on some of Virgin River season 5’s storylines.
While we’d love to turn the clocks forward, we haven’t got the time-bending capabilities. Instead, we can offer a multitude of shows to watch that are sure to fill that Virgin River-shaped hole in your life. Here’s our 10 recommendations for more TV shows like Virgin River…
What to watch while you wait for Virgin River
Firefly Lane
If the coziness of watching Virgin River is what you’re craving, then this Netflix drama will fit the bill. Firefly Lane switches between different times in the deeply impactful friendship between Kate (Sarah Chalke) and Tully (Katherine Heigl). Over two seasons, the pair face tough choices in both their personal and professional lives, but they navigate them together. It’s a heartwarming tale that isn’t afraid to tackle hard topics, much like Virgin River.
Sweet Magnolias
Another Netflix drama with the perfect mix between the highs and lows of life is Sweet Magnolias. The show follows three friends who lean on each other through life’s toughest hurdles. While the townspeople of Virgin River find comfort in each other, the friends of Sweet Magnolias make their own support group while navigating life in a small Southern town called Serenity. The trio face many choices in their family, relationships, and work lives - all themes commonly explored in Virgin River, too.
Hart of Dixie
Much like Virgin River, Hart of Dixie on ITVX follows a female medical professional heading to a small town and leaving the big city behind. It's the closest match we're recommending. While in Virgin River, Mel uses the small town as an escape, in Hart of Dixie, Zoe has run out of options and is weirdly gifted half a medical practice down in the fictional town of Bluebell, Alabama. It harnesses the same vibes as Virgin River - taking a step back, assessing what you really want/need in life, and falling for a small town guy in the process.
Ginny & Georgia
In Virgin River season 6, there are flashbacks of Mel’s late mother as Mel reaches a pivotal point in her life, teeing up a Virgin River prequel series. In Netflix show Ginny & Georgia, the focus is very much on the mother-daughter duo, who only really have each other. As they move to a small town looking for a fresh start, there’s friendship and romance as both Ginny and Georgia meet new people that make their transition easier, but at times, a whole lot harder.
Gilmore Girls
Another seriously cozy duo are Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. If you’re not getting the theme by now, they live in a small town called Stars Hollow where there’s lots of characters to meet, all tackling their own personal lives. Gossip is rife, but maybe not as much as Virgin River. If you thought Mel and Jack’s love story was heartwarming, wait until you experience Lorelai and Luke. Or, when it comes to Rory, decide if you’re Team Jess, Logan, or Dean. (We’re Jess). You can watch Gilmore Girls on ITVX and Netflix.
Emily in Paris
If the out-of-towner theme is one of your favorite things about Virgin River, but you don’t mind turning it up a notch to a more metropolitan setting then Netflix’s Emily in Paris is a great choice. Emily (Lily Collins) arrives in, you guessed it, Paris to start a new life after being offered an opportunity to use her marketing skills in the city of love. And love is what she finds there as she is embroiled in love triangles (yes, plural) that give Mel a run for her money.
From Scratch
Another pick up and leave scenario comes with Amy (Zoe Saldaña) as she heads to Italy to start again, from scratch. Yet when she arrives, she meets Lino, a chef who will help her navigate a romantic journey, while being by her side while she tackles how to move on, deal with loss, and rediscover who she really is. Like Mel, it seems leaving everything behind is exactly what is needed to rebuild. From Scratch is available on Netflix.
Heartland
Sometimes when faced with tragedy, it’s about turning to family and loved ones. For teenager Amy Fleming, she moves to her grandfather's in Canada, exactly when he needs her the most. Heartland boasts the same small town, snuggly, warm feelings of Virgin River, but with an epic saga of a tale that has already run for 17 seasons, and season 18 is coming out in 2025. You can watch Heartland on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
This Is Us
Another generational tale is This Is Us on Netflix, which follows the complex lives of the Pearson family as they navigate through different moments in their lives. From Jack and Rebecca first meeting to having their triplets, to the triplets being fully grown adults and navigating their own personal problems. It’s an incredibly emotional tale told over six seasons that will have you smiling one moment and crying the next.
Bridgerton
Netflix is the home to a lot of romantic drama, and we’d be remiss not to recommend Bridgerton. While Regency-era London is by no means the small town of Virgin River, the characters in this show have small-town energy, as they spread gossip like wildfire - not helped in the most part by the Lady Whistledown papers. Between it all, there are steamy romances, first loves, suffering friendships, and bickering siblings that make up this rather watchable show.
