Even after 5 seasons of content, Virgin River is still here to keep viewers guessing. The titillating Netflix drama has upstaged even the biggest Netflix juggernaut, Stranger Things. But unlike the kids riding around on bikes trope, Virgin River has something different to offer. Following Nurse Practitioner Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) after a series of harrowing tragedies, she travels to the titular town to start over. But even as she learns to love again, things aren’t always that easy.
Season 5 rehashes Mel’s trauma after suffering yet another miscarriage. This plot development puts a kink in her future with Jack (Martin Henderson) and has made fans even more eager to follow up on their trials and tribulations. Netflix may have a habit of prematurely axing fan-favorite shows, but it looks as though Virgin River is safe for the time being. Head of Netflix development, Jinny Howe, promised as much in an interview with Deadline.
“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.”
But as easy as it is for Netflix to renew the romance and how many fans flock to it, it may be some time before season 6 hits screens.
‘Virgin River’ season 6 may not come out on schedule
Though Virgin River has been renewed for season 6, there is no official release date yet. Season 5 part 2 has finally aired as of November 30, but fans are sure to be curious about the planned follow-up. The biggest fact that will impact season 6 is the dual Hollywood strike. Though the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have resolved their issues and returned to work, delays will still impact the shooting schedule. Patrick Sean Harris acknowledged this to Decider when speaking about the delays via Zoom.
“We’re scheduled to write through the end of the year. We’re trying to get back into production as quickly as possible, but I don’t have any firm dates on that yet.”
The writers’ strike concluded ahead of SAG-AFTRA, and have since had some additional time to prepare. For any successful series, there must be dedicated time to the writing process. But with writing going on until the end of the year, putting the pages to film will take even longer. Judging by the release schedule, Virgin River could arise as late as 2025. Typically, the series takes a full year between seasons, which will take longer now. If it were to commence on schedule, season 6 would most likely premiere in the fall of 2024. However, delays could mean that a 2025 release date is more realistic.
This is regrettably the reality of many shows, even on streaming services as efficient as Netflix. All productions that were not complete before the strikes would show similar delays. With writing, acting, and post-production necessary to complete fan-favorite series, viewers may have to get used to large gaps in release dates.