Virgin River. (L to R) Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in Virgin River – Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Netflix is returning to Virgin River for a extremely anticipated sixth season, which was introduced forward of season 5 premiering in 2023. Filming was initially scheduled to start on the brand new season in the summertime of 2023, however the present has been one of many titles caught up within the strikes. Let’s dig into all the pieces recognized in regards to the upcoming sixth season of the feel-good drama Virgin River.
Renewal for Virgin River got here in May 2023, once we obtained information at Netflix’s Upfront Event that the present had been handed a sixth season renewal forward of Virgin River season 5, hitting with its first half in September. The early renewal has turn into a behavior of the present, with each season given an early renewal (and infrequently filming forward of the announcement) since season 2.
The way forward for Virgin River continues to look fairly protected on Netflix. Jinny Howe, who’s the pinnacle of scripted drama on the streamer, teased in an interview with Deadline in August 2022 that as long as followers maintain turning out for the sequence, “you can rest assured that there will be more Virgin River.”
Season 5 of the present noticed some large modifications, notably behind the scenes, with a brand new showrunner approaching board. The present was break up into two halves, with episodes 1 by way of 10 added on September 7, 2023. The remaining two episodes, that are holiday-themed, will likely be dropping on November 30, 2023.
Christmas episode for Virgin River – Picture: Netflix
What to Expect from Virgin River Season 6
It’s slightly too early to go tremendous deep into what we will count on from the sixth season, given we’ve nonetheless obtained the Christmas episodes to launch on November thirtieth.
With that stated, the showrunner for Virgin River season 6 spoke to Glamour Magazine in regards to the present’s future and gave away some hints. Patrick Sean Smith teased that the occasions of the upcoming Christmas episodes will “directly propel us into season 6.”
Other insights from that interview included:
- Ava will likely be returning in season 6.
- We will see a decision for Preacher in season 6 and the way difficult his relationship with Kaia is, however Smith says he’s fearful for Preacher’s future.
- The relationship between Cameron and Muriel will likely be explored additional.
Of course, going into the Christmas episodes, the large query lingering on most individuals’s minds will likely be who’s Mel’s father.
Where is Virgin River season 6 in manufacturing?
According to our sources, writing on the sixth season had begun in early 2023, though Netflix declined to remark constantly till the May 2023 renewal announcement.
Cameras have been resulting from start rolling in the summertime of 2023. In reality, quite a few sources state that manufacturing was initially scheduled to start on July 24, 2023, with the present reportedly nonetheless persevering with to have a funds of between $3 and $5 million per episode.
SAG-AFTRA (the union representing actors) would go on strike simply a few weeks sooner than that begin date and have been on strike ever since, which means that the manufacturing begin for Virgin River season 6 (set to happen in Vancouver, Canada once more) is now delayed indefinitely.
Thankfully, the author’s strike led to September 2023, which means that the author’s room might proceed for the sixth season. On October tenth, the Virgin River Series account posted the primary have a look at the writers concerned in season 6 together with the caption:
“Thrilled to have our writing team back in action, diving into Season 6!”
Picture: Instagram / VirginRiverSeries
Thanks to The Viewer’s Perspective, we will put the names of the faces within the image:
- Patrick Sean Smith
- Erin Cardillo
- Richard Keith
- Tesia Joy Walker
- Mary Page Keller
- Thomas Ian Griffith
- Jackson Aaron Sinder
- Ildiko Susany
- Becky Hartman Edwards
Also on the writing workforce are Nate Tedford, Jen Troy, and Rachel Borders.
Ahead of the writers room re-opening, Smith advised Glamour Magazine of their interview that they’ve “half of season six written, so now we just have to get back for the second half.”
Of course, a brand new filming date can’t be scheduled till the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved, which seems to be prefer it ought to occur someday in October 2023, however issues are very a lot nonetheless in movement.
When will Virgin River season 6 be launched on Netflix?
Without cameras rolling till very late 2023 or, extra seemingly at this level, 2024, seeing the present return earlier than the shut of 2024 looks like it might be a tough goal to hit.
At the second, we’re at present predicting a really late 2024 or 2025 launch date for Virgin River season 6.
Throughout the strikes, quite a few producers, writers, and actors prompt that the longer the strikes, the extra seemingly a 2025 launch date could be. That sentiment was on show through an Instagram publish by government producer Rich Keith, stating:
“All I want for Christmas is my two… uninions to get a fair deal from the AMPTP. If they don’t hurry up there won’t be any #VirginRiver on @Netflix until 2025…”
Ahead of the sixth season’s launch on Netflix, Virgin River will likely be getting some extra content material within the type of a brand new title throughout the Netflix Stories app.
Netflix Stories App with Virgin River
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