Yahoo News Virgin River season 5 – Everything you need to know
Virgin River spoilers follow.
Mel and Jack's story amid the world of Virgin River is always more than a little complicated, but, naturally, their romance will always find a way to work. Although, Mel's connection with the new hot doctor certainly is simmering.
It looks like the pair may finally be getting their happy ending with a baby on the way and a positive future ahead (which is more than can be said for some of the other locals).
Now it's a patient waiting game for the next batch of Virgin River episodes on Netflix to see what difficulties lie ahead for the couple and the town as a whole in season five.
Here's everything you need to know about what lies ahead for this quaint rural town.
Virgin River season 5 potential release date: When will the show be back?
Virgin River season five is officially a go, as it was renewed at the same time as season four.
As a result, the team has already been hard at work with the production of the upcoming episodes.
Sharing a screengrab of everyone at a virtual table read on Zoom two days before season four dropped, the official Virgin River Instagram wrote: "A snapshot of our amazing cast during a table read for SEASON 5. Yes, you heard that right folks… We have now started production on SEASON 5!"
Since then, there have been plenty of filming updates on social media – seriously, look at these photos and tell us they're not the most adorable team.
It was also been confirmed there's a new captain leading the good ship Virgin River, with Patrick Sean Smith joining the series as the new showrunner.
All that hard work has certainly paid off, as season five has already officially entered its post-production phase. The show's official Instagram page shared the good news with a fun post captioned: "That's a WRAP on Season 5!"
The cast celebrated the end of filming in the video with a little dance, which basically represents how we feel inside about the news.
The update meant that we were much closer to Virgin River's season five release, and right on track for a possible July 2023 debut. That's certainly the release window the cast had been looking at.
Martin Henderson told fans in a video shared on Cameo: "Virgin River season five coming out, I think, probably in July. So not long now, a few months. Another instalment of hot, steamy gossip and intrigue on the river."
His co-star Alexandra Breckenridge also said a July release was likely, speculating: "The fifth season, that'll come out probably, I don't know, maybe July again."
While this was never actually officially confirmed or announced as the release date, something else happened in July 2023 – the Screen Actors Guild went on strike, so all bets are off until the complex situation is resolved.
Even though filming is finished on season five, Netflix will probably still want to hold off on dropping the show until the cast and crew can promote it properly.
That's because the SAG strike rules cover all sorts of areas related to marketing their work (via Variety).
"Film and television productions will shut down, but the work stoppage has reverberations that extend beyond actors going to set."
"According to the guidelines, SAG-AFTRA members will not be able to attend premieres, do interviews for completed work, go to awards shows, attend film festivals or even promote projects on social media while the strike is in effect. They are also not allowed to attend conventions such as Comic-Con to promote any past or present work made under a SAG-AFTRA contract."
At the time of writing, the release date is being billed as "this fall" (via TUDUM).
We'll let you know when we hear something more definitive, so make sure to check back here.
Virgin River season 5 cast: Who will be returning?
Thanks to the tell-tale screen grab of the Zoom meeting, we know exactly who will be returning to the series, at least in the first episode.
Leading the cast are, naturally, Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel and Martin Henderson as Jack.
Henderson was certainly taking the shoot seriously, telling Glamour ahead of the shoot: "I didn't sleep a wink last night. I've been an actor for 34 years, and it doesn't even matter.
"This is season five of a show that's clearly working, yet there's some part of my mind that is filled with doubt that I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it. But I think I looked appropriately sad at the right moments and appropriately happy at the others. So yeah, I think I've still got my job.
"Season five's great, by the way," he continued. "It's the best season yet. I'm amazing in it."
Breckenridge has commented about how fun it is to be on set in the summertime, compared to the far more chilly seasons for the previous instalments.
"This season we have had the pleasure of starting earlier than we usually do. The weather has been absolutely amazing! I understand why people live in Vancouver now—it is absolutely stunning in the summertime," she told New Beauty.
"We've been shooting in the winter the last four seasons, but now we started to spend more time there in the summer; I got to experience a little bit more of the sites and amazing things to do in the city. Typically, it was so cold and wet. The winters could be so brutal…but now I'm like, 'Oh wow. I get it now. I get this town.'"
Tim Matheson (Doc) and Annette O'Toole (Hope) have also been confirmed for Virgin River season five, alongside Zibby Allen (Brie) and Benjamin Hollingsworth (Dan Brady).
Joining them will also be:
• Colin Lawrence (Preacher)
• Chase Petriw (Christopher)
• Jenny Cooper (Joey Barnes)
• Sarah Dugdale (Lizzie)
• Marco Grazzini (Mike)
• Gwynyth Walsh (Jo Ellen)
• Nicola Cavendish (Connie)
• Christina Jastrzembska (Lydie)
• Mark Ghanimé (Dr Cameron)
• Trevor Lemer (Bert)
• Emma Oliver (Young Mel)
• Keith Mackechnie (Nick)
• Teryl Rothery (Muriel)
• Kai Bradbury (Denny Cutler)
New seasons often also mean new faces, too. If we hear anything, we'll let you know!
Virgin River season 5 plot: What's going to happen?
As you well know by now, there's never a quiet day in Virgin River – and it's only going to get more complicated.
Jack has definitely got some things he needs to confront, with his PTSD from his time at war still weighing heavy on his mind. He's ultimately turned to drinking, and while Mel has made her worries known, he didn't seem to want to accept help – until he finally found a therapist that could prove just what he needs.
But while he seems to be on a much more positive path now with a baby on the way (and the pressure of twins as well now off his mind) recovery is a complicated street, so there is every chance this could rear its ugly head once again. We'll have to wait and see if he can keep on the straight and narrow or deviate off the path.
Meanwhile, Mel has been slowly developing a bond with the town's new doctor, Cameron. It's become clear he has feelings for her that are a little less than platonic, to the point that he handed in his notice in season four after struggling to watch her with Jack. Will he be convinced to stay?
Throughout season four, Hope was recovering from a horrendous car accident that left her in recovery for a large chunk of the series, putting a strain on her relationship with Doc as she refused to follow orders for her recovery.
The arrival of Doc's grandson, Denny, has also not helped things, considering the big reveal that the youngster has Huntington's disease, which is fatal.
Virgin River season 5 trailer: Is there any new footage yet?
Unfortunately there's not really a chance of us seeing any season five footage anytime soon.
In fact, the season four trailer dropped just over a week before the episodes did – they love to keep us waiting!
In the meantime, enjoy binging through the series again (even if that includes a little heartbreak to go with the heartwarming).
We'll let you know if there's anything new to sink your teeth into.
Virgin River is available now on Netflix.
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