Season 4 of Virgin River has wrapped filming and will be available on Netflix in 2022, though the exact date has yet to be determined. Season 5 is also in the works, with production set to begin this summer. Here’s a rundown of everything we know about Virgin River season 4 so far, including the plot, production updates, cast, and more!
This preview was first published in July 2021, but it has since been updated monthly to reflect new developments, with the most recent update occurring in April 2022.
Before we get into the future of the series, let’s do a quick recap. Virgin River is a drama series based on the novels by Robyn Carr. Mel, a young midwife and nurse practitioner, relocates to a small rustic town in Northern California from the big city. Mel has been introduced to a variety of different people throughout the town as she lays down her roots over the course of the show’s three seasons.
Netflix confirmed to USAToday on September 20th that season 4 would be produced, and that the show would also be renewed for a fifth season. Netflix rarely orders multiple seasons of a show, so this is a testament to how popular it is.
The best part is that Colin revealed that Season 4 would be even longer than the previous seasons. Virgin River’s fourth season has been expanded from ten to twelve episodes.
Earlier in 2021, we reported that the show was set to return for a fourth season, according to several production listings. Even better, we later learned that season 4 filming would begin at the end of July 2021. The show is shot entirely in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Following “soundpost,” we typically see shows appear on Netflix within months, indicating that a release is imminent.
Now that we know that season 5 will begin filming in July 2022, we’re predicting that season 4 of Virgin River will premiere on Netflix between May and August 2022.
For fans of the show, a quick renewal shouldn’t come as a surprise. Seasons 2 and 3 were previously renewed ahead of their Netflix premieres. This was especially true for season 3, which was shot concurrently with season 2.
We can see why Netflix decided to give the show a two-season order thanks to new top 10 figures.
According to newly released viewing hour figures, the show drew in over a quarter of a billion hours of viewing on the platform between July 4th and August 15th, 2021. It was watched 255,120,000 times on Netflix during the time period mentioned.
The show has spent 75 days in the top ten in the United States. Season 3 was the most popular show in the United States for just over two weeks before dropping out of the top ten a month later.
Between July 12th and July 18th, Nielsen’s top 10s ranked the series as the most watched, with 2,109 million minutes watched, beating out Manifest (on Netflix) and Loki (on Disney+).
Netflix announced two new characters for season 4 of Virgin River in late October 2021.
Dr. Cameron Hayek will be played by Mark Ghanimé, best known for his role on Helix. “Armed with eye-catching good looks, a razor-sharp intellect, and a smile that could light up the world, Cameron makes an immediate splash in town – especially with the ladies of Virgin River,” he says.
Kai Bradbury will also appear in the film as Denny Cutler, Doc’s long-lost grandson. Denny arrives with a secret, despite his best efforts to rekindle his relationship with his grandfather.
Because filming began so early, we shouldn’t have to wait an inordinate amount of time for the new season. That being said, don’t expect Season 4 to be released in 2021.
Instead, we anticipate that Virgin River season 4 will premiere in 2022, most likely in Q2-Q3 of that year (anywhere between April and July 2022).
Hope will undoubtedly return in season 4 following her notable absence in season 3. She was absent for Season 3 because she was not permitted to travel to film, but it was later revealed in the show that she was visiting her aunt in another state. However, on the way back, she was hospitalized after an accident in the storm while returning to Virgin River.
Crossing over to Doc Mullins (Hope’s husband), he’ll keep fighting his disease (macular degeneration), which has been slowly progressing throughout season 3. Sue Tenney, the showrunner for Virgin River, told Entertainment Weekly about what we can expect from Hope in season 4:
As previously stated, there will undoubtedly be a season 5 of Virgin River. Details are scarce for the time being, as the script is most likely still being written.
Alexandra Breckenridge revealed in an Instagram live that filming was originally scheduled to begin in March 2022 but has since been pushed back.
“We were supposed to start in March, but it’s been pushed, so I don’t know,” the actress explained, adding, “I’m hoping that maybe we’ll start in the summer.” It would be nice to film in Vancouver in the summer rather than the winter because, to be honest, I’m pretty done filming in the winter.”
Season 6 is still too early to tell. It will all come down to performance on Netflix.
