Netflix has officially renewed its hit romantic drama Virgin River for an eighth season, a move that establishes the show as the streaming service’s longest-running original scripted series. The renewal comes before the series’ upcoming seventh season has even premiered, signaling Netflix’s deep commitment to the property. Virgin River is based on the extensive book collection by author Robyn Carr and follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner who relocates from a major city to the titular remote town in Northern California. In Virgin River, she finds a new community and a complicated romance with Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a local bartender and former Marine. Since its premiere in 2019, the show has been a consistent global performer for Netflix, building a large and loyal audience.
Virgin River Season 8 renewal comes as the cast and crew have already completed production on the ten-episode seventh season, which was filmed in Vancouver and included a brief production stop in Mexico. Season 7 is anticipated to continue the story from the conclusion of Season 6, where Mel and Jack were finally married and preparing to build their life together. The next chapter will also reportedly follow the efforts of Doc Mullins (Tim Matheson) and Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole) as they contend with external pressures on the town’s clinic and community. While an official release date for Season 7 of Virgin River has not yet been set, it is expected to debut on the service in 2025.
“On behalf of myself and the whole Virgin River family, we’re eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith stated to Netflix’s Tudum platform regarding the renewal, confirming the renewal. There are still no plot details about where Virgin River will take its characters for Season 8.
Virgin River‘s Path to a Netflix Record
Virgin River‘s path to becoming Netflix’s longest-running scripted series is backed by years of formidable viewership data. The show has consistently proven its value by capturing a massive audience with each new season, having appeared in the streamer’s Top 10 list for over 30 weeks during its run. Most recently, the sixth season, which premiered in December 2024, continued this trend, debuting at the number one spot on the most-watched English-language TV shows list for Netflix and accumulating 8.1 million views in its first six days alone. The season’s popularity held strong, spending four weeks on the Netflix Top 10 and reaching a peak of 9.2 million views in its second week. This sustained viewership, a key metric for Netflix, is a crucial factor in the decision to grant it a historic eighth season.
With its renewal, Virgin River sets a new Netflix record for longevity, becoming the platform’s first original scripted series to be ordered for an eighth season. It surpasses the previous benchmark of seven seasons held by both the comedy Grace and Frankie and the drama Orange Is the New Black. However, while the eighth season cements its place in Netflix history, Virgin River‘s planned total of 84 episodes will still trail the final counts of Grace and Frankie (94 episodes) and Orange is the New Black (91 episodes). Still, as the show is adapted from Robyn Carr’s book series, which includes more than 20 individual novels, there’s plenty of opportunity for Virgin River to break some more Netflix records in the upcoming years.
Seasons 1-6 of Virgin River are now streaming on Netflix.
What are you most excited to see in the future of Virgin River? Let us know in the comments below!
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