Virgin River Season 6: Everything we know so far

Mel and Jack are set to return for Virgin River Season 6 – here’s everything we know about the next chapter of the Netflix series so far, from production updates to cast and plot speculation.

Based on the bestselling books by Robyn Carr, Netflix’s Virgin River has proven to be an absolute hit, with each new season outranking the last. By the time Season 4 arrived, it even managed to beat Stranger Things, earning 2.6 billion viewed minutes in its first three days of availability.

The narrative centers on Mel Monroe, played by Alexandra Breckenridge, a nurse who moves from LA to the quiet town of Virgin River after a series of personal tragedies. While there, she forms a close bond with a local pillar of the community, who is dealing with his own share of challenges.

It’s a soapy tale, one that is popular with lovers of the romance and drama genres. As fans are busy binge-watching Season 5, here’s what we know about Season 6 of Virgin River.

Is there a Virgin River Season 6 release date?

Since Season 6 is still in development, there’s no release date at the time of writing. But the good news is filming has begun, meaning we can expect new episodes to drop in 2025.

Netflix revealed its 2024 slate earlier this year, and while it would normally feature a new chapter of Virgin River, the show has faced delays due to the now-resolved writers’ and actors’ strikes. As such, we can expect Season 6 to drop sometime next year.

However, the show’s official Instagram account has confirmed that Virgin River Season 6 is now underway, with filming set to wrap up on May 17, 2024.

Netflix renewed the show back in November last year, ahead of the release of Season 5 Part 2, writing: “There are still two more episodes of Virgin River set to premiere in 2023, but that doesn’t mean we’re not already thinking about what’s going to happen to Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) and the rest of the crew after the Christmas-themed installments that round out Season 5 on November 30.

“Thankfully, we know that Virgin River has already been renewed for a sixth season.”

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as and when new information comes in.

Virgin River Season 6 cast: Who’d be in it?

Though no official casting details for Virgin River Season 6 have been released, we can expect to see our two mainstays back: Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe and Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan.

Other expected returning cast members include:

Tim Matheson as Dr. Vernon “Doc” Mullins
Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
Colin Lawrence as John “Preacher” Middleton
Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
Jenny Cooper as Joey Barnes
Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan
Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela
Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
Mark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek
Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
Teryl Rothery as Muriel
Nicola Cavendish as Connie
Stacey Farber as Tara Anderson
Gwynyth Walsh as Jo Ellen
Chase Petriw as Christopher
Barbara Pollard as Melissa Montgomery
Kandyse McClure as Kaia Bryant
David Cubitt as Calvin

Another actor we can expect to return is John Allen Nelson as Everett, who we found out in Season 5 is actually Mel’s biological father! Given his cliffhanger reveal in the finale, no doubt he’ll be returning in the sixth chapter to reveal all.

As for the Mel and Jack stars, they have nothing but nice things to say about working with each other. Speaking to Brief Take before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Henderson said of Breckenridge: “She’s just a very cool person and it just makes working with her a breeze.”

He added: “And obviously, on a show like this where the show really hinges on this relationship working, it’s just a gift that she’s who she is because it makes those scenes a lot easier.”

Virgin River Season 6 plot: What would it be about?

While there’s no official synopsis for Season 6 just yet, Smith teased what to expect in a recent Deadline interview, saying that Jack and Mel’s “pursuit of parenthood will play prominently in Season 6.”

He went on to say: “Season 6 will open with the construction of the house and the barn and starting to see in a bigger way what Jack and Mel’s life and future is going to start looking like.”

Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe and Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan in Virgin River — Netflix

Mel and Jack experienced a miscarriage in Season 5

Speaking about the couple’s miscarriage midway through Season 5, Breckenridge told Tudum in 2022: “I felt like it was an important story to tell. Not everyone gets their miracle baby. And so, talking to a friend of mine who had dealt with fertility issues, it seemed as though we were going to be talking about it in an honest way that would be appreciated by women who have experienced that.

“It was very hard for me, though. There was a lot of crying. It’s a really sad storyline, but in the end, I think Mel comes out of it on the other side in a better way.”

Elsewhere, Season 5 Part 1 ended with the revelation of Lizzie telling Denny that she might be pregnant, news that was confirmed in Part 2. What’s more, they’re having a girl, so we’ll no doubt get to see their pregnancy journey in Season 6.

Zibby Allen as Brie and Marco Grazzini as Mike in Virgin River Season 5 — Netflix

Brie and Mike decided to give their relationship a go

Then there’s Brie and Mike’s fledgling relationship, as well as Cameron and Muriel. But the romance is second to all of the drama going down, from drug cartels to wildfires, the latter of which uncovered a body, which will likely be Paige’s abusive ex-husband Wes.

What will this mean for the Virgin River residents, especially Preacher, who helped to cover up the evidence? No doubt we’ll find out more in Season 6, with Smith teasing: “He seems justified in what he did. But then there’s the law and then there is Preacher’s moral compass, which is strong. So I think that’s a lot of what we’re getting into with his character.”

The showrunner went on to say that “we do intend to do another time jump from the holidays to when Season 6 starts so we can anticipate a bit of a time jump. I don’t know exactly how many months but it won’t be a direct pickup from the holidays.”