Virgin River – Picture: Netflix
Virgin River season 4 continues to be a beast for Netflix. Now a few weeks after the fourth season, season 5 is currently filming in British Columbia, Canada. Here’s everything we know so far about the Season 5 of Virgin River coming soon to Netflix in 2023.
First debuting on Netflix all the way back in December 2019, Virgin River has quietly been one of Netflix’s sleeper hits with fans around the globe enjoying the romantic drama starring Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Colin Lawrence, and Jenny Cooper.
Season 4 of Virgin River is set to hit Netflix on July 20th, 2022, globally and sees Mel continue with her pregnancy, Hope healing from her car accident, and Brie trying to prove her lover’s innocence.
When was Virgin River renewed for season 5?
For those unaware, Virgin River was given a two-season renewal order following season 3. That means we’ve known about a fifth season for quite some time now.
While two-season orders aren’t new, they are increasingly rare. That suggests to us that Virgin River continues to beat all the internal metrics that Netflix puts up for the show.
How well is Virgin River season 4 performing on Netflix?
The show has been a big hit for Netflix even if it doesn’t capture all the headlines. According to Netflix’s top 10 hourly figures, the show has picked up 333.92 million hours watched globally when it’s been in the top 10s.
Season 3 featured for 6 weeks in the global top 10 following its release amassing 225.12 million hours watched globally between July 4th and August 15th, 2021.
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 17th, 2022 to July 24th, 2022 | 105,440,000 | 1 | 1 |
| July 24th, 2022 to July 31st, 2022 | 87,940,000 (-17%) | 1 | 2 |
| July 31st, 2022 to August 7th, 2022 | 46,930,000 (-47%) | 3 | 3 |
Interestingly, the hourly data almost matches the profile of season 3’s debut in July 2021. That’s except for week 1, where season 4 has a few more days on the platform allowing for a greater first-week debut.
| Week | Season 3 | Season 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 62,580,000 | 105,440,000 |
| 2 | 87,270,000 | 87,940,000 |
| 3 | 44,890,000 | 46,930,000 |
| 4 | 28,320,000 | – |
| 5 | 18,840,000 | – |
| 6 | 13,220,000 | – |
Where is season 5 of Virgin River in production?
As we reported earlier in the year, filming on Virgin River season 5 was due to begin in March 2022. That was subsequently delayed to July 2022, although even those dates were subject and did change.
The reason for the delay was unknown, but Alexandra Breckenridge was keen on filming in the summer, saying that Vancouver isn’t that fun to film in the winter.
We can confirm that filming has begun in Vancouver, BC, Canada, as of July 18th, 2022, and is scheduled to run through to November 10th, 2022.
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.
That table read featured the following cast members (suggesting they’re all signed up for the fifth season):
- 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
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!!”
The biggest news in that Instagram post is that Sue Tenney is being replaced as showrunner with Patrick Sean Smith. Tenney is moving onto work on other projects.
The writer is notably known for working on The CW’s Supernatural, ABC Family’s Chasing Life, and most recently writing the episode Jolene on Netflix’s limited series, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings for which he also served as executive producer and showrunner.
Patrick Sean Smith with Dolly Parton – Picture: Twitter
Speaking to Glamour Magazine, Smith teased the upcoming 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.”
For more on where Virgin River films, check out our filming guide for the show here.
We’re told that Virgin River season 5 will have an episode budget of between $3 and $5 million per episode, meaning that season 5 could cost Netflix anywhere up to $60 million when all is said and done.
Monika Mitchell is confirmed via DGC to be directing episodes in season 5. Mitchell has previously directed episodes in season 3, including Take My Breath Away, Spare Parts, and Broken Hearts.
Felipe Rodriguez will make his directorial debut on Virgin River for season 5. The director has worked on shows like Hudson & Rex, The Good Doctor, Blood and Water, and Ruby and the Well.
Dan Payne as Nate, Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan in episode 408 of Virgin River. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix
Season 5 of Virgin River will be another expanded 12-episode season
Until season 4, all seasons of Virgin River had run at around 10 episodes a piece.
Season 4, however, was given an expanded 12-episode season, and we’ve now learned, thanks to a live stream from Alexandra Breckenridge, that it will once again be an expanded 12-episode fifth season again.
This expanded episode count has been confirmed again by the new showrunner.
What to expect from Virgin River Season 5
Note: This section was written by the Virgin River Twitter account VRPassionate.
It wouldn’t be Virgin River if season 4 didn’t end on a cliffhanger.
At the end of the season, Charmaine is in severe pain and scared of losing her twins and confessing to Jack and Mel that the two boys aren’t actually his.
This will definitely be one of the main and most important questions for season 5.
While speaking with Glamour Magazine, Henderson and Breckenridge confessed they know the twins’ paternity, which can easily mean the twin’s father is a member of the current cast.
The main “suspects” are Brady, Mike, and Dr. Cameron.
Mel and Jack, the most beloved couple of the show, will continue to have a major role in season 5. The upcoming season should follow them, focusing on their relationship, family, and new baby girl.
Picture: Netflix
Virgin River’s mayor Hope will continue recovering with the help of Lizzie and hopefully, get back to her mayoral duties and solidify her friendship with Muriel.
Brie revealed her rape to Brady and while facing her former boyfriend-raper Don, she decided to report her sexual assault and take him to court. The new season could focus on Brie’s trial and her disclosing her assault to Jack.
We left Preacher and Paige in a cabin with Vince unconscious on the floor so we might be saying goodbye to Paige for good next season. That’s mainly because Julia, a new love interest for Preacher, has been introduced in season 4 and there’s little evidence there’s room for a love triangle.
Doc’s grandson Danny revealed to Lizzie he doesn’t want to get romantically involved with her because he has been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a rare disease that causes the progressive breakdown (degeneration) of nerve cells in the brain.
Next season both Lizzie and Doc will have to face Denny’s illness. Lizzie, who has matured immensely during season 4, will have to decide if she wants to pursue a relationship with Danny despite his disease or if she still has feelings for Ricky, who, even though she left for the marine boot camp in San Diego, won’t probably stay away from Virgin River for too long.
Finally, Breckenridge disclosed in her interview with Glamour that the new showrunner, writers, and directors will bring more LGBTQ+ stories to create more inclusivity in the show. Breckenridge has been extremely vocal since the beginning for more diversity in Virgin River.
When will Season 5 of Virgin River be on Netflix?
With production only just underway, it’s a little too early to say when season 5 will be on Netflix. With that said, using production schedules and release dates from prior years, it takes around 6-7 months for the show to drop onto Netflix eventually.
It’s safe to assume that the show will return sometime in 2023.
Since production is scheduled to end in November 2022, we could see season 5 of Virgin River on Netflix as soon as summer 2023.
With thanks to @VRPassionate on Twitter for helping source and compile some of the information for this article.
Are you looking forward to watching Virgin River season 5 on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.