Virgin River Season 5: Release Date, Cast, Plot & What to Expect
Virgin River Season 5: Netflix’s popular romantic drama series is coming back with another season next year!
- Virgin River debuted on Netflix on December 6, 2019.
- Season 5 of the popular romantic drama series is may arrive in the summer of 2023.
Virgin River is an American romantic drama series produced by Reel World Management. The show centres on Melinda Monroe, who responds to a job posting for a midwife and nurse practitioner in the small California town of Virgin River, reasoning that it will be the ideal setting for her to start over and put her traumatic past behind her. She quickly learns, however, that small-town life is more complex than she had hoped and anticipated.
Virgin River debuted on Netflix on December 6, 2019. It has been one of Netflix’s sleeper hits, with millions of fans around the globe. The show has so far had four seasons released, and fans have been impatiently anticipating the fifth. Season 5 of Virgin River is on the way, but the exact release date is unknown.
So, when is Virgin River Season 5 release date on Netflix? What does the upcoming season have in store? Who is the cast? Here’s everything you need to know.
When Netflix renewed Virgin River for Season 5?
Virgin River was given a two-season renewal order in September 2021, following season 3. One of the main reasons for its quick approval for two seasons is economics. The show “has some of the most attractive economics for a TV series with a very high return on investment as it costs a lot less to make than special effect-heavy productions”.
Virgin River Season 5 Release Date
The fifth season’s filming lasted from July 18 through November 17, 2022. With around 5 to 7 months required for post-production, one can expect the new season to arrive in the summer of 2023.
Seasons three and four were released a year apart, in July 2021 and July 2022 respectively—suggesting that Netflix may be aiming to release one new season of the show per year. So, we assume that the fifth season could be released as early as July 2023.
Virgin River Season 5 Plot
Another cliffhanger marked the finale of season four. It was made clear that Jack is the father of Mel’s unborn child. Fans also learned that he is not the father of Charmaine’s twins. Who, though?
Also, fans are eager to learn if Vince, who Preacher knocked out for threatening to kill Paige, is dead or just unconscious, as well as whether or not the two will be held accountable for Wes’s passing. Season 4 also made clear that Denny, Doc’s grandson, has Huntington’s illness and is unwilling to think about a future with Lizzie. So, let’s see what surprises season 5’s characters will face.
Henderson told Glamour about what to expect from the next seson. “The baby stuff gets really interesting. Obviously, I’m speaking without having read any of those actual scripts, but we’ve got some really nice…a lot of stuff gets wrapped up and then there’s a whole bunch of new beginnings, new story lines,” he said. “I can’t give too much away. I know someone might move away. Someone might leave.”
In an interview with Hello, O’Toole confirmed that next season is going to be heavy: “There is a big thing that happens right in the middle of the season that brings the community together in a very big way and it’s a kind of timely topic that’s happening in our country and I’m really glad that they’re going there.”
Preacher may or may not have killed Vince. “I can’t tell you [if he killed him],” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told EW. “It is something that we pick up immediately. We pick up right after that incident in season 5.” He added: “I know how important that relationship is. Not just between Preacher and Paige, but also Preacher and Christopher, so it’s definitely something that we will service and address in season 5.”
How many episodes will be there?
Season 5 of Virgin River is expected to have 12 episodes like the fourth season, rather than the 10 episodes of seasons one through three. Per What’s on Netflix, each episode of season 5 will cost between $3 and $5 million to make.
Virgin River Season 5 Cast
The official Virgin River series account on Instagram confirmed that production is underway with a Zoom call of a table read for the fifth season. The post read as follows:
“Our cast in a table read for SEASON 5.. Yes, you heard that right folks. We have now started production on SEASON 5! Also, please meet our lovely new Show-runner Patrick Sean Smith. We can’t WAIT for you to see what we have in store. Don’t forget though, Season 4 is only 2 days away. See you soon!!”
That table read featured the following cast members:
- Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe
- Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
- Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
- Tim Matheson as Dr. Vernon Mullins
- Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
- Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan
- Gwynyth Walsh as Jo Ellen
- Colin Lawrence as John ‘Preacher’ Middleton
- Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
- Jenny Cooper as Joey Barnes
- Nicola Cavendish as Connie
- Chase Petriw as Christopher
- Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
- Mark Ghanime as Dr. Cameron Hayek
- Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela
- Teryl Rothery as Muriel
- Steve Bacic as Vince
- Christina Jastrzembska as Lydie
- Trevor Lerner as Bert Gordon
- Lucia Walters as Julia
- Keith MacKechnie as Nick
- Emma Oliver as Young Mel
Patrick Sean Smith has replaced Sue Tenney as the new showrunner of the show. Tenney is moving on to work on other projects.
Speaking to Glamour Magazine, Smith teased what to expect from the next season:
“We get into things that will be new and exciting, but still very much feel like the same show, but are definitely taking a more exciting approach to some of the stories. A little bit louder, but not to the detriment of the comfort of the show. I want it to feel like season five will be next-level.”
Do we have a trailer for Season 5?
There is no trailer or teaser for the fifth season yet. However, we can expect a teaser around two months ago the premiere of the upcoming season. The official trailer will be out around a month before the premiere.
Will there be Virgin River Season 6?
As of Nov 20, 2022, the series has been officially renewed for the fifth season only. However, one can expect a lot of Virgin River seasons in future. There are 24 Virgin River books in the Robyn Carr book series the show is based on.
Talking about the next season, Netflix’s head of drama, Howe told Deadline: “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.”
Where to watch Virgin River?
Virgin River is a Netflix-exclusive series across the globe. So, it is the only place where you can stream the show legally. The previous four seasons are available to stream on the service.