Streaming

Everything To Know About Virgin River Season 5

Bonus holiday episodes? Yes please.

by Gretchen Smail and Grace Wehniainen
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson on 'Virgin River.' Photo via Netflix
Netflix

Don’t expect Jack and Mel’s rollercoaster love story to come to an end any time soon. In September 2021, Netflix renewed the romantic drama Virgin River for a fourth and fifth season, per TVLine. Based on the Virgin River novels by Robyn Carr, the series follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse who leaves Los Angeles for a fresh start in the small town of Virgin River. While trying to escape her painful past and mourning her dead husband, Mel falls for Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a retired Marine and the town’s resident bar owner.

According to Nielson’s ratings, Virgin River has amassed a solid fan base, with Season 3 being the most-watched Netflix show in the month it debuted. Season 4 premiered on July 20, 2022 and kicked off with Mel happily pregnant. But things soon became complicated, considering she was still unsure if the baby belonged to Jack or her deceased husband, Mark. Complicating matters was the fact that Jack’s ex, Charmaine, was also seemingly pregnant with Jack’s kids, and Mark’s mom wanted to sue Mel for custody if the baby was Mark’s. And on top of all that, several other dramas unfolded during the season, leaving plenty of plots open for Virgin River Season 5. Here’s everything we know so far, including the newly announced release date.

Virgin River Season 5 Plot

Netflix

A fifth season will pick up from the major cliffhangers of the Season 4 finale. The major win of Season 4 is Mel and Jack finally get engaged. A day after, she confirms Jack is the biological father of her baby girl, meaning that Mark’s mom is unable to move ahead with a custody case, which was one of the major dramas of the fourth season.

On Jack’s end, we find out that Charmaine was lying about her twins being Jack’s. She also reveals that her fiancé Todd left her because she lied. But the season ends right after we find this out, meaning this is likely to be a major plot point in Season 5. The finale also finally reveals who shot Jack back in Season 2: Vince, Wes’ twin brother. But Preacher takes him down, wrapping up that particular storyline.

We will likely see what unfolds for Brie as she presses charges against her ex in Season 5. Finally, Denny, Doc’s grandson, reveals to Lizzie the reason he didn’t want to get into a relationship with her is because he has Huntington’s disease, and it’s terminal.

When asked about where the show was heading, showrunner Sue Tenney told US Weekly that she wants to do “as many seasons as we can.” She added that Season 4 sets up how everything is intertwined. “The webbing of that story goes all the way back to the first season, so it’s a connective tissue that goes through.”

Per the official synopsis, Season 5 “features surprising new relationships, a shocking break-up, a difficult court trial, a heartbreaking goodbye, and a wildfire that threatens the town, bringing some people of Virgin River together while tearing others apart.”

Netflix

As for Mel and Jack’s growing family, “Issues of motherhood push Mel to make a big decision about her future at the clinic while her pregnancy unexpectedly sparks an emotional connection to her past.”

Virgin River Season 5 Cast

Given how Season 4 ends, we can safely assume all the main characters will return. This includes Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel, Martin Henderson as Jack, Annette O'Toole as Hope, and Tim Matheson as Doc. We can also expect Preacher (Colin Lawrence), Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), Brie (Zibby Allen), Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth), Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale), Joey (Jenny Cooper), Mike (Marco Grazzini), Cameron (Mark Ghanimé), and Denny (Kai Bradbury) to appear in the fifth season. Kandyse McClure also joined the cast in a new role, Netflix announced.

Virgin River Season 5 Premiere Date

Netflix shows take about a year between each season, but it seemed there would be a slightly longer wait for Season 5. In a January 2022 Instagram live, Breckenridge explained that filming for Season 5 has been delayed. “Season 5, we were supposed to start in March. But we’ve been pushed, so I don’t know,” she said, per the Daily Express. She later revealed in an April 2022 Glamour interview that filming would begin in July.

Fortunately, by the next summer, Netflix dropped a more conclusive Season 5 announcement — and there will be two parts! The first 10 episodes of Season 5 will drop on Sept. 7, with two holiday episodes to come on Nov. 30.

Virgin River Season 5 Trailer

The official trailer for Virgin River Season 5 dropped on Aug. 9 — teasing a new relationship and a fiery disaster for the town.

This post will be updated with additional details as more information on Virgin River Season 5 becomes available.

This article was originally published on