Being one of the highest-grossing shows so far, Virgin River was renewed for two more seasons in the wake of its third season release. In a conversation with Deadline, Netflix’s head of drama mentioned that 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.”
The exponential fame and fan base garnered by Virgin River ever since it premiered for the first time on Netflix in December 2019 is unparalleled. From Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, and Colin Lawrence to Jenny Cooper, the season four finale has left the fans craving for more with its A-list celebrities reprising their favorite characters.
Arrayed with a litany of intriguing events that satiates our guilty pleasures and glues us to our sofas, the fans are eagerly waiting for the fifth season to drop on Netflix. And all the excited fans want to know is What will happen in season 5? Does anyone get married in this season? Brewing in the midst of these burning questions is a mind-boggling query that shoots up from this Virgin River season 5 cauldron: Will we get to see some new faces smiling among some old ones?
Amidst all this confusion, Netflix recently released the first look images of Virgin River season 5, and my oh my, are they breathtaking! But what do these images have to say about the plot? Here’s what we know.
Virgin River season 5 first look images: What do they point?
Based upon the first look images of Virgin River season 5 shared by Netflix, the images point to a healthy recovery of Hope, alongside Paige sorting out her situation with Vince, Christopher, and Preacher. Not only that but in one of these images, we can see Brie in the courtroom, which could point out some revelation of her and Bardy’s relationship.
Virgin River Season 5 Release Date
We have good news. Recently, Netflix’s Tudum site announced that Virgin River season 5 would release on the official streaming service on September 7, 2023. Moreover, Season 5 is set to air in two parts, with eight episodes arriving on Netflix on September 7, followed by two festive specials on November 30.
Recently, actress Alexandra Breckenridge teased that the show will indeed release in September.
September confirmed by Alex and Zibby now pic.twitter.com/u8Kd0DSN9J
— VirginRiverPassionate (@VRPassionate) July 25, 2023
The filming wrapped on November 21, 2022. A video was posted on the official Instagram account, which featured the cast celebrating their wrap. And as mentioned previously, the season is currently in the post-production process.
What were the filming locations of Virgin River?
In addition to getting the fans hooked on the gushy feelings of the series, Virgin River has also made the fans obsessed with the picturesque landscape setting of the show. Although it is set in a fictional town, the locations reportedly span across Vancouver and British Columbia. Not only that, but filming also took place in Deer Lake Park and Foreshore Park in Burnaby, featuring the scenes of Paige’s Bakeaway food truck.
Who are the cast members of Virgin River Season 5?
As previously mentioned, an Instagram post involving a Zoom call of a table read was shared. This call included the following list of cast members, so we assume that they will be a part of the fifth season of Virgin River and will reprise their respective roles:
- 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
- Clare Filipow as Hannah
- Christina Jastrzembska as Lydie
- Trevor Lerner as Bert Gordon
- Lucia Walters as Julia
- Keith MacKechnie as Nick
- Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
- David Cubitt as Calvin
- Ian Tracey as Jimmy
- Tom Butler as Sam Sheridan
- Emma Oliver as Young Mel
In October 2022, it was exclusively confirmed that Kandyse McClure would also be joining the team of Virgin River Season 5. However, her role is not revealed as of yet. Apart from her, below-mentioned are the three new faces who were also confirmed to be joining the cast of Virgin River in November 2022:
- Susan Hogan
- Elise Gatien
- Paolo Maiolo
Apart from these core cast members, the following list includes all the recurring or minor roles for season 5:
- David Stuart as Reporter Ted Ford
- Audré Alleya Stephenson
- Melanie Merkosky
- Brent Fidler
- Serge Houde
- Helenna Santos
- Gabrielle Jacinto as Nurse Jill
- Gabrielle Rose
- John Allen Nelson
- Deb Podowski
- Ava Anton as Hazel
- Brad Harder as Adrian
What to expect from Virgin River Season 5?
Previously, in Virgin River season 4, we catch a glimpse of Charmaine suffering from chronic pain and is afraid of losing her twins. In a shocking turn of events, she confesses to Jack and Mel that the two boys aren’t actually his. We contend that this will be one of the major determining story arcs of the fifth season. Not only that, but Virgin River season 5 will foreground the relationship of the most favorite couple of the show, Mel and Jack.
In a conversation with New Beauty, Alexandra Breckenridge teased some of the plot points regarding season 5:
“I think this season has started out well and we’re getting into a few episodes soon that are pretty heavy. They’re really intense and I think that they’re some of the best episodes we’ve ever done. I never say that either! I think that there’s a high sense of drama that starts to come up this season that it’s going to leave people on the edge of their seats. At least, I hope. I’m excited to get into that.”
In the fifth season, Virgin River’s mayor Hope will expectantly aid with Lizzie’s help and jump back to her mayoral duties. On a more serious note, in season four, Brie revealed her being raped by her boyfriend to Brady and firmly decided to report her sexual assault and take her former boyfriend-rapist Don to court. Taking this story arc further, we expect the fifth season to cover Brie’s trial and her revealing the assault.
On a more romantic front, we might have to bid adieu to Paige once and for all, as in the previous installment, she and Preacher were stranded in a cabin with Vince unconscious. But interestingly, there’s a new love interest for Preacher, Julia, who was introduced to us in the fourth season. Is there room for a love triangle in the upcoming installment of Virgin River?
In an interview with Deadline, Netflix’s head of drama, Jinny Howe, hinted at the change that season 5 is going to bring, saying:
“I think what’s going to be interesting is to see this universe continue to grow and expand and to see new characters, other characters return. A lot of that was set up in the Season 4 finale but it’s going to be really exciting to see all of that come to a head in Season 5. And some of the soap that’s going to come out of these new complex tensions and triangles.”
Not only that, but in an interview with Glamour, Breckenridge disclosed that the arrival of a new showrunner, writers, and directors would certainly herald more LGBTQ+ stories in order to induce more inclusivity in the show.
How many episodes will be there in Virgin River season 5?
All seasons of Virgin River, until season 4, constituted ten episodes. Season 4, however, streamed 12 episodes owing to the expanded 12-episode season order. Thanks to Alexandra Breckenridge’s live stream, the fifth installment of Virgin River season 5 will also constitute 12 episodes, as confirmed by the new showrunner of the series. As per the official reports, the showrunner of all the seasons of Virgin River, Sue Tenny, is now being replaced by Patrick Sean Smith for the fifth season.
In a conversation with Glamour Magazine, Smith hinted at some of the crumbs of information that we can expect in the fifth season, saying, “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.”
Here’s a list of all the episodes of Virgin River season 5, along with the names of the writers (courtesy of What’s on Netflix):
- Episode 501 – Written by Patrick S. Smith
- Episode 502 – “Song Bird” – Written by Jackson Sinder
- Episode 503 – “Calculated Risk” – Written by Talia Gonzalez
- Episode 504 –“ Never Gonna Be the Same” – Written by Tesia Joy Walker
- Episode 505 – Written by Erin Cardillo & Richard Keith
- Episode 506 – Written by Thomas Ian Griffith & Mary Page Keller
- Episode 507 – Written by Talia Gonzalez and Erin Cardillo & Richard Keith
- Episode 508 – Written by John Lowe
- Episode 509 – Written by Ildiko Susany
- Episode 510 – Written by Jackson Sinder & Tesia Joy Walker
- Episode 511 – Written by Erin Cardillo & Richard Keith
- Episode 512 – Written by Erin Cardillo & Richard Keith
Additionally, Virgin River season 5 is reported to have an episode budget of between $3 and $5 million per episode. It could also cost Netflix up to $60 million.
Recently, What’s on Netflix revealed the episode titles of Virgin River season 5, apart from the aforementioned three. Although they are not in the correct chronological order, these include:
- A Second Chance
- Angel’s Peak
- Father Christmas
- The More the Merrier
- From the Ashes
- Full Moon
- Heroes Rise
- Labor Day
- Trial by Fire
Is there a trailer for Virgin River Season 5?
At the time of writing this article, the streaming service has not released an official trailer for Virgin River Season 5. However, considering that the latest installment will release soon, we expect the official trailer’s release any time now.
The show’s music is reportedly made by Jeff Garber, and cinematography by David Pelletier, David J. Frazee, and Toby Gorman.
Will there be a Virgin River Season 6?
On May 17th, 2023, Netflix renewed the show for a sixth season at its first-ever Upfront event. The season renewal was quite anticipated, especially after Netflix’s head of drama, Howe, disclosed that there would be “more longevity and growth with the show” to Deadline, saying,
“As long as the audience asks for it and shows up — and I think we see with Season 4 that the fandom is very strong and growing in many places as well — it feels like based on what we’re seeing with Season 4 and the anticipation for Season 5 that there is a lot more storytelling to offer us. 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.”
For more release date updates on Virgin River season 5, stay tuned to Web News Observer!