Season 6 of Virgin River had everything that fans of the Netflix show could want: a dreamy wedding, the return of a chilling villain and more sweeping shots of the stunning mountainous environment than you could ask for. There was also a new love story told in the form of Mel’s parents.
Her formerly estranged father, Everett, recounted some of his most precious memories with Mel’s late mother, Sarah, a free-spirited woman who captured his heart. If you enjoyed those flashbacks, we have some good news – you may get to see more of them in a planned prequel for the romance series.
Here’s everything we know so far about the Virgin River spin-off on Netflix.
Netflix
When could the Virgin River prequel be released?
Development for the Virgin River spin-off is currently in the very early stages, but we can estimate when we expect to see it drop on Netflix.
Patrick Sean Smith is the showrunner and has also held the role on Virgin River since season 5. When asked about how development for the new show is progressing, he said the following:
“I’m writing it as soon as I get off [the phone] with you, so we’ll see. Fingers crossed!”
That was back in December 2024, just after Virgin River season 6 arrived. We’re expecting season 7 of the series to drop either late this year or early next year, so it’s unlikely that the prequel will arrive in 2025. No cast members have officially been confirmed, and the showrunner has discussed how new plots in season 7 will be built upon in the prequel – if Netflix moves forward with it, of course.
Nonetheless, turnaround times for Virgin River between filming and airing are shorter than more technically complex productions. So, if writing and casting is completed soon, there’s a chance we could see the prequel arrive later in 2026.
Keep in mind that this is just our prediction. Should we hear any confirmation (or differently), we’ll update this article.
Netflix
When is the Virgin River prequel set?
The Virgin River spin-off will start being set in the 1970s, the same time frame we saw Everett and Sarah in during the flashbacks – Tudum confirmed that the majority of the scenes took place in 1972.
As we’ve already seen, this is during the Vietnam war protests, something Sarah is actively involved in.
However, the show may not stay solely in the seventies, as Deadline said it was ‘largely’ based on this era, so it depends on how much of the couple’s story we see played out.
Smith gave the following quote on how the era will be relevant for audiences now:
“…it’s still keeping things romance-forward, character-based, solid story engines, the beauty of the area, but then putting that in a time period that can inform some of the issues of the time, and that can still speak and feel relevant to issues of today, which I think is what Virgin River itself has done beautifully”
Who is starring in the Virgin River prequel?
While no cast members have been officially confirmed by Smith, we expect that Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr will return to play Sarah and Everett.
Rothe is best known for Happy Death Day, and has also starred in Happy Endings, Gossip Girl, Blue Bloods, Chicago P.D., La La Land, Utopia, All My Life, Mary + Jane, Boy Kills World.
Kerr meanwhile is best known for Monarch and Hollyoaks, but has also had parts in Zomboat!, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Glow & Darkness, and Flowers in the Attic: The Origin.
The flashbacks in season 6 of Virgin River also featured RaeAnne Boon as local gossip, Connie. We’d of course expect to see younger versions of Doc and Hope, as we know they have a complex history – and there was a lot of tension between Vernon and Everett when they were younger.
In the Deadline interview mentioned above, Smith discusses how he’d want this show to function similarly to Queen Charlotte, the Bridgerton prequel. That of course features cameos from the main cast, which could include John Allen Nelson as modern-day Everett Reid, Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel, Martin Henderson as Jack, Tim Matheson as Doc and Annette O’Toole as Hope.
Netflix
What will the plot of the Virgin River prequel be about?
The show will explore more about the origins of Mel’s parents, and how their romance unfolded over the years. While we saw glimpses of this in season 6, a whole show would flesh this relationship out and add extra complexities not yet explored.
Obviously, we’re aware that Sarah was having an affair with Everett, so perhaps this prequel will delve more into how that effects the couple and their loved ones.
Thanks to an interview with Swoon with the showrunner, we know that the series will also delve into other supporting characters in the town:
“The intent in the prequel, too, and we get a hint of it in Season 7 through Hope’s character is just filling out more of the history of Hope’s family, her relationship to the area… In the pilot, she says the McRae cabin is a place that everybody within 50 miles knows, but we’ve never really explored her family legacy to that and what her relationship is with her family. In Season 7, we’re really doing a bigger deep dive into Hope’s character and her past, which would then coincide with a lot of the events of what could potentially be in the prequel.”
So, Hope’s story will almost certainly play a huge role in the new show, and this will be set up in season 7 of Virgin River.
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