''Virgin River'' is an American romantic

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series, produced by Reel World Management, filmed in British Columbia, Canada, and based on the ''Virgin River'' novels by

Robyn Carr Robyn Carr is an American author. She is the writer of the ''Virgin River'' series of books and has written more than fifty novels. Her novels have been on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, including titles such as ''The Hero''. She is a ...

. The first season premiered on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

on December 6, 2019. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth and fifth season. The fourth season was released on July 20, 2022.

Premise

''Virgin River'' follows Melinda "Mel" Monroe, who answers an ad to work as a

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

and

nurse practitioner A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse and a type of mid-level practitioner. NPs are trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease, formulate and prescribe ...

in the remote Northern California town of Virgin River, thinking it will be the perfect place to start fresh and leave her painful memories behind. But she soon discovers that small-town living isn't quite as simple as she expected.

Cast

Main

Alexandra Breckenridge Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films '' Big Fat Liar'' (2002) and '' She's the Man'' (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series ...

as Melinda "Mel" Monroe, a nurse practitioner and midwife who recently moved to Virgin River from Los Angeles *

Martin Henderson Martin Henderson (born 8 October 1974) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for his roles on the American medical drama series '' Off the Map'' as Dr. Ben Keeton (2011), the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Nathan Riggs (2015–201 ...

as Jack Sheridan, a local bar owner and former

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

, who suffers from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

Colin Lawrence Colin Lawrence is a British-born Canadian actor known for his roles in film and television. Early life Lawrence was born in London and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is of Jamaican descent. Career Since 1994, he has parti ...

as John "Preacher" Middleton, a close Marine friend of Jack, who works as the chef at Jack's Bar *

Jenny Cooper Jenny Cooper (formerly credited as Jenny Levine) is a Canadian actress. She made her professional debut in 1995 as series star Molly in the Canadian TV series ''Jake and the Kid'' as the series regular Molly, went on to star in the Showtime ser ...

as Joey Barnes (season 1; recurring season 2–present), Mel's older sister who lives in Los Angeles * Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts, Jack's friend with benefits * Annette O'Toole as Hope McCrea, the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Virgin River *

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated '' Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 19 ...

as Vernon "Doc" Mullins, the local physician * Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady (season 2–present; "also starring", season 1), a fellow younger veteran who served in the Marines with Jack and is struggling to readjust to civilian life * Grayson Gurnsey as Ricky (season 2–4; recurring season 1), a young man who works at Jack's Bar and wants to join the Marines as soon as he graduates from high school * Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie (season 2–present), Connie's troublemaking niece from Los Angeles * Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan (season 3–present), Jack's sister * Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela (season 3–present; recurring season 2), a Marine friend of Jack's who works as a police detective * Mark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek (season 4–present), the new doctor at Doc's clinic * Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler (season 4–present; guest season 3), Doc's grandson

Recurring

Daniel Gillies Daniel John Gillies (born 14 March 1976) is a New Zealand-Canadian actor, film producer, director and screenwriter. He played the role of Elijah Mikaelson on the television series '' The Vampire Diaries'' and its spin-off '' The Originals,'' as ...

as Mark Monroe (also starring season 1; recurring season 3; guest seasons 2, 4), Mel's late husband who is shown in flashbacks *

Lexa Doig Alexandra Doig (born June 8, 1973) is a Canadian actress. She played the title role in the science fiction television series '' Andromeda'' (2000–2005). She also played the lead female role of Rowan in the science fiction-action horror film ...

as Paige Lassiter (seasons 1, 4; guest season 2), the owner of a bakery truck named "Paige's Bakeaway" * Chase Petriw as Christopher Lassiter, Paige's son *

Lynda Boyd Lynda Boyd (born January 28, 1965) is a Canadian actress, singer, dancer, musician, and writer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films '' Final Destination 2'' (2003), '' An Unfinished Life'' (2005), ''She's the Man'' (2006), and ' ...

as Lilly (seasons 1–3; guest season 4), a friend of Connie and Hope *

Nicola Cavendish Nicola Cavendish (born 11 November 1952) is an English-born Canadian theatre and film actress. Early life Cavendish was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England and brought up in British Columbia, Canada. She began her acting career in ...

as Connie, one of Hope's friends who runs the town's general store and a member of Virgin River's knitting circle *

Ian Tracey Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

as Jimmy (seasons 1–2; guest seasons 3–4), Calvin's right-hand man *

David Cubitt David Cubitt (born 18 March 1965) is an English-born Canadian television actor. Born in England in 1965 to a Dutch mother, Jette, and an English father, David, he moved with his parents to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six months ol ...

as Calvin (seasons 1–2, 4; guest season 3), the man who runs the illegal pot farm on the other side of Virgin River *

Teryl Rothery Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress of stage, television, and film. She is best known for portraying Janet Fraiser in the TV series ''Stargate SG-1''. She co-starred as Grace Sherman in '' Cedar Cove'', and has had major roles as Muriel in ''Vi ...

as Muriel, an actress and a rival of Hope's and a member of Virgin River's knitting circle *

Gwynyth Walsh Gwynyth Walsh (born 1956) is a Canadian actress best known for her role of the ''Star Trek'' character B'Etor, one of the Duras sisters. She also played constable Nimira in the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode " Random Thoughts", and provided the ...

as Jo Ellen, a member of Virgin River's knitting circle who puts Mel up while her cabin is renovated *

Steve Bacic Steve Bacic ( ; hr, Bačić ) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing the characters Gaheris and Telemachus Rhade on the Sci-Fi series '' Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda''. After guest starring in seasons 1-3 as both characters, he joined the ...

as Wes and Vince (season 2; guest seasons 3–4), Wes is Paige's estranged and abusive husband and Vince is his identical twin * Carmel Amit as Jamie (season 2), a woman who was visiting Virgin River * Chad Rook as Spencer (season 3; guest season 1) *

Patrick Sabongui Patrick Sabongui (born January 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor, stunt performer, theatre actor, and drama teacher. He is also known for his role as David Singh in the CW series ''The Flash''. Personal life Born to an Egyptian family, Sabongui obt ...

as Todd Masry (season 3) * Lucia Walters as Julia (seasons 3–4) * Stacey Farber as Tara Anderson (seasons 3–present), Lilly's daughter * Barbara Pollard as Melissa Montgomery (season 4) *

Kandyse McClure Candice McClure (born 22 March 1980), known professionally as Kandyse McClure, is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Anastasia Dualla in the SyFy series ''Battlestar Galactica'' and as Dr. Clementine Chasseur in the Netflix series ...

(season 5)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2020)

Season 3 (2021)

Season 4 (2022)

Production

Development

On September 27, 2018, it was announced that

had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was based on the ''Virgin River'' book series by

with executive producers: Sue Tenney, Roma Roth, and Chris Perry. Tenney was also set to serve as the series' showrunner with Reel World Management acting as the Production company involved in the series. On December 20, 2019, Netflix renewed the series for a 10-episode second season. On December 18, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a 10-episode third season. On September 20, 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a 12-episode fourth and fifth season. On July 26 2022, it was reported that Patrick Sean Smith replaced Sue Tenney as showrunner.

Casting

On December 19, 2018, it was reported that

, and Annette O'Toole had been cast in series regular roles. Additionally, it was further reported that

, Lauren Hammersley, Benjamin Hollingsworth,

, Trevor Lerner, and

had joined the cast in an undisclosed capacity. On May 29, 2020, Sarah Dugdale joined the second season as a series regular while Grayson Gurnsey has been promoted as a series regular for the second season. On June 11, 2020, Benjamin Hollingsworth was promoted to a series regular for the second season. Upon the third season renewal announcement, Zibby Allen was cast a new series regular and Stacey Farber was cast in a recurring role. On October 25, 2021, Mark Ghanimé and Kai Bradbury joined cast as new series regulars for the fourth season.

Filming

Principal photography for the series' first season commenced on December 3, 2018, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and ended on March 26, 2019. The series was also filmed on location in Snug Cove,

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...

, Squamish, Agassiz, and

Port Coquitlam Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...

, British Columbia. Filming for the second season began on September 9, 2019 and ended on December 17, 2019. Filming for the fourth season ended on December 7, 2021. Filming for the fifth season began on July 18 and concluded on November 21, 2022. The community of Virgin River is actually Snug Cove,

Bowen Island Bowen Island (originally Nex̱wlélex̱m in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), British Columbia, is an island municipality that is part of Metro Vancouver. Bowen Island is within the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. Located in Howe Sound, it is approximate ...

"with establishing shots including the local library, main streets and Artisan Lane", according to one report. The Watershed Grill, in

Brackendale, British Columbia Brackendale is a small community in the Canadian province of British Columbia just north of Squamish town centre, but still within the District of Squamish. It is located near the confluence of the Squamish River and the Cheakamus River. It is ...

stands in for Jack's Grill; some of the scenes involving Melinda and Jack were filmed in Squamish, near the river. The waterfalls in the show is in the Shannon Falls Provincial Park. Some scenes were filmed in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

at Fraser Foreshore Park and at

, both near Vancouver. The cabin in the series is the caretaker’s house in Murdo Frazer Park, in North Vancouver; this site has been used by other productions as well. Doc Mullins' practice is a Victorian home in New Westminster.

Release

The first season premiered on December 6, 2019. The second season premiered on November 27, 2020. The third season was released on July 9, 2021. The fourth season premiered on July 20, 2022.

Reception

On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the second season holds an approval rating of 90% with an average rating of 6.30/10, based on 10 critic ratings. The website's critics consensus reads, "Gentle as a babbling brook—and just as exciting, for better or worse—''Virgin River''s sophomore season offers up more of the comfort viewing that fans have come to crave." On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 56%, based on 9 critic ratings. The fourth season holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Virgin River 2010s American drama television series 2010s American romance television series 2010s romantic drama television series 2019 American television series debuts 2020s American drama television series 2020s American romance television series 2020s romantic drama television series American romantic drama television series English-language Netflix original programming Television series set in fictional locations Television shows based on American novels Television shows filmed in Vancouver Television shows set in California Works about nursing