There's just something charming about a small-town drama, and Virgin River may as well be the coziest of them all. The beloved show, based on a series of romance novels by Robyn Carr, follows Melinda “Mel” Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge), a midwife who moves to a remote town in search of a fresh start. There, she meets Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a veteran and local bar owner with whom she falls in love. Season 6 centered on their long-awaited wedding, with the couple finally getting married in the finale.
Fans can't get enough of the two lovebirds and their friends and families—and Netflix is well aware. Before season 6 even aired, the show was renewed for season 7, making the feel-good drama the "longest-running English-language drama series."
So, as we prepare to return to our favorite California town, we’re breaking down everything we know about Virgin River season 7 so far.
When will 'Virgin River' season 7 come out?
Prepare to have a cozy spring! Netflix confirmed that its beloved small-town drama will return on Thursday, March 12, in early January 2026.
The streamer shared the news with a first-look photo (as seen above) that features Mel and Jack embracing while seemingly nervously meeting a woman at a train station. With the woman's face out of frame, it was unclear for some time who the couple was meeting—although more recently released images (as seen throughout this story) confirm it's Marley (Rachel Drance), who asked Mel and Jack to take in her newborn. Perhaps that's why they look so anxious to be reunited with her.
While some Netflix originals can take a while between installments, Virgin River has always been one of its series that fast-tracks its production. According to Deadline, filming began in March 2025, and by mid-June, various cast members had shared online that it wrapped. At the time, Ben Hollingsworth, Zibby Allen, and Colin Lawrence all shared content from set, with Hollingsworth captioning his slideshow of behind-the-scenes photos, "First day of Summer and Last day of Filming Season 7 of Virgin River. ☀️ @netflix." Lawrence, meanwhile, recorded a video of himself teasing how "stellar" the new episodes are. We’re excited we can see that “stellar” season soon!
How does 'Virgin River' season 6 end?
Don’t fret—even after Mel and Jack briefly run away from their own wedding, everything goes smoothly with the rest of their nuptials in the season 6 finale. When Mel’s biological father, Everett (John Allen Nelson), appeared on her doorstep during the holiday episode “Father Christmas,” her father figure, Doc (Tim Matheson), had some serious concerns about his intentions based on an incident between the two men years ago. Since then, the adults have put it behind them. Doc walks Mel down the aisle, and Everett plays a song he wrote about Mel’s late mother, Sarah, as their first dance.
But what happens to the other characters may have fans reeling. Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) and Lark (Elise Gatien) solidify their relationship just moments before Lark skips town and empties his bank account in the process. As he’s trying to move forward, he and Brie (Zibby Allen) slip back into old patterns and sleep together. Brie is conflicted, given she’s in a committed relationship with Mike (Marco Grazzini). She’s ready to walk away from both men when Mike gets down on one knee, admitting that he wants to marry her despite knowing about her infidelity.
Actress Zibby Allen, who plays Brie, teased that she “can’t believe the finale” before revealing that they filmed two endings for Brie’s cliffhanger. “The one they went with, I’m so happy, but I’m blown away,” she told TV Insider. “And I’m like, ‘How are we going to move forward?'”
The finale left a few other loose threads as well: Doc’s medical license was suspended, and Hope (Annette O'Toole) believes someone is after his clinic; Marley (Rachel Drance) appears the morning after the wedding to ask Mel to adopt her baby; and perhaps most shockingly, Jack checks in on Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) and finds her front door open and her living room ransacked. The last shot of the season is on Jack as he opens the twins’s bedroom door, looking horrified by what he sees behind it—something we’ll have to wait for season 7 to understand.
Who in the 'Virgin River' cast will return for season 7?
The main cast is expected to return for the new season, including Alexandra Breckenridge (Mel), Martin Henderson (Jack), Tim Matheson (Doc), John Allen Nelson (Everett), Annette O’Toole (Hope), Ben Hollingsworth (Brady), Colin Lawrence (Preacher), Kandyse McClure (Kaia), Sarah Dugdale (Lizzie), Kai Bradbury (Denny), Zibby Allen (Brie), Margo Grazzini (Mike), and others.
Given Lark skipped town in the season 6 finale, she and her daughter, Hazel (Ava Anton), may not make any more appearances in the series. However, there are a lot of loose ends involving Marley (Rachel Drance) and her journey putting her newborn up for adoption, so you can bet she'll be back.
We could also see more of the new additions to the season 6 cast, Callum Kerr and Jessica Rothe, who play the younger versions of Mel’s parents, Everett and Sarah. They appeared in flashbacks in season 6, and Netflix is currently developing a separate prequel series around them. Although it seems more likely that they were a sweet offshoot in season 6, with Netflix is saving more of them for the inevitable spin-off.
Are there any new cast members in 'Virgin River' season 7?
You bet! In March, Deadline reported several beloved stars from The CW are joining Virgin River season 7: Sara Canning from The Vampire Diaries and Cody Kearsley from Riverdale. They're set to play recurring roles, with Canning playing a character "related to an existing" storyline and Karsley playing someone related to a "new storyline."
According to Deadline, Canning will portray Victoria, "an ex-cop who was shot in the line of duty and is now working for the state medical board as an investigator." She's said to come "to Virgin River to investigate Doc’s practice but runs into a friend whom she wouldn’t mind catching up with…or maybe more." (Who could it be? Time to start theorizing!)
As for Kearsley, Deadline reports he will play Clay, a man out to solve one of his longstanding family mysteries. "Clay is the kind of guy that gets noticed when he enters a room. He has experience working the rodeo circuit, so there’s also a tough athletic quality to him," wrote the outlet. "He grew up in the foster care system with his younger sister, whom he hasn’t seen since he was a teenager. He’s been looking for her ever since."
What will 'Virgin River' season 7 be about?
Smith teased to Tudum that season 7 of the romance series will “explore the honeymoon phase for [Mel and Jack] as they’re building their lives on the farm, which can come with its own obstacles.” Despite this, he assures fans that the central couple won’t be breaking up. “I can’t imagine creating a scenario where you think Mel and Jack are going to break up,” Smith continued. “It forces you to dig a little bit deeper into, well, what other issues can they have in their relationship?”
But given how things ended in season 6, we can also expect more of the messy love triangle between Brie, Mike, and Brady, and a potential new baby in the mix, should Mel and Jack go through with the adoption. There’s also the lingering mystery around Charmaine, whose entanglement with Calvin (David Cubitt) may reach an ugly head.
Based on casting announcements, fans can expect the fight for Doc's Virgin River clinic to be another focus of season 7. Now that he's come under investigation, he'll have to defend himself and try to stop the clinic from being taken over by a major hospital network.
Is there a trailer for 'Virgin River' season 7?
Be still, our fragile hearts! Netflix dropped the season 7 trailer in February, and it's an emotional one. It begins with a teary-eyed Mel running up to Jack to announce, "She wants us to be the parents of her baby," in reference to the major cliffhanger involving Marley. The trailer then shows the couple as they welcome Marley into their home and prepare to welcome a little one. "It's risky. It's overwhelming. It's scary. But do you know what else is risky? Falling in love. And we did that," Jack says to Mel at one point.
It doesn't seem like a seamless journey, however. It looks like we can expect some challenges and perhaps reservations from Marley along the way, as the couple prepares to become parents. And, as always, romantic entanglements between friends and small-town drama abound.
Is season 7 the last season of 'Virgin River?'
Virgin River was already among Netflix's longest-running scripted series of all time—but now it can officially claim the title! Well before season 7's release, the smash hit received an early season 8 renewal, as reported by Deadline. No other Netflix original has stayed on the air quite as long. (Grace and Frankie and Orange Is the New Black both ran for seven installments.)
When the news broke, Netflix also confirmed that the eighth season will feature 10 episodes, as is typical for the comfort series.
It makes sense that the show has lasted as long as it has: Not only does it have source material and a devoted fan base from Robyn Carr's book series, but it's one of the streamer's releases that has consistently followed a yearly release, maintaining audience interest. While we still have season 7 to look forward to, we can rest easy knowing that we'll get to return to Virgin River after that as well!
