Preparations for the filming of Season 6 of Virgin River have already begun, and filming is scheduled to take place from February 2 to May 17, 2024, as announced a few weeks ago.
In case you are interested, we collaborated with our friends at What’s On Netflix and shared our top five predictions for Season 6.
Today’s post focuses on our personal wish list for the upcoming season.
Episode count and cast
Before we list our hopes for season 6, we want to highlight a few aspects.
As we exclusively reported in our interview with Ildiko Susany back in November 2023, the season 6 episode order was reduced to 10 episodes. Seasons 4 and 5 were increased from 10 to 12 episodes.
Thanks to the show being in its fifth season and to the bigger episode order in the previous years, we ended season 5 with 12 series regulars: Breckenridge, Henderson, Lawrence, Hollingsworth, Dugdale, Allen, Grazzini, Ghanimé, Bradbury, McClure, O’Toole, and Matheson.
Season 6 will center on Mel and Jack
Fans and viewers had given negative feedback about Henderson and Breckenridge not having enough screen time in season 5, part 1, compared to previous seasons, and the lack of romance.
In our reviews of parts 1 and 2, we didn’t enjoy this aspect either.
After the writer’s strike ended, the writers went back and made some changes and adjustments to the storyline to address this issue. In our reviews, we didn’t enjoy this aspect either.
A prominent storyline for Mel and Jack in season 6 was confirmed by executive producer Patrick Sean Smith in numerous interviews promoting season 5 part 2. Henderson confirmed season 6 would be centralized on Mel and Jack during his interviews promoting season 6.
Too many series regulars?
It’s a bit worrisome that a 10-episode show has 12 series regulars, considering it’s not an ensemble series. We know, by now, that such a format doesn’t work well for this specific show. Other storylines may suffer with less runtime in season 6 and the focus shifting back to Mel and Jack.
Although cast exits are unlikely at the beginning of the series, some regulars may become recurring for season 6.
Smith confirmed a time jump at the beginning of season 6. Initially, we estimate between 5 to 7 months.
While Smith didn’t mention the exact duration, during the interviews promoting season 5 part 2, it was expected to be similar to the time between the end of production of season 5 in November 2022 and the initial filming date (before the strikes) scheduled for July 2023.
He also confirmed that Lizzie will be “pretty pregnant” at the beginning of season 6 to support this theory. During the Christmas episodes, viewers will remember Doc telling Mel that Lizzie is due the following spring.
As the show is set to begin filming in early February, it is unclear if the anticipated time jump will be shorter than expected. It is highly likely that snow will be present in British Columbia during the months of February and March.
Five things we want to see in Virgin River Season 6
1- A proper farewell to the cabin
Season 6 of the show is expected to begin with Mel and Jack still living at the cabin, either already settled in or preparing to move into their new home. Breckenridge has hinted that the wedding will likely take place in the new property. We hope that the wedding will occur in the middle of the season, rather than towards the end, so we can get a glimpse into the lives of the newlywed.
We hope the cabin will receive a proper send-off, with some flashbacks of the most beautiful and meaningful moments for the couple. Mel’s cabin is a central element of Mel and Jack’s love story. It was Jack’s first beautiful love gesture for Mel, where they shared their first kiss. The cabin has become a must-see location for fans visiting the series. Even though we know it’s owned by Hope, we still hope that no other character or couple will live in it. The cabin for us will always belong to Mel and Jack.
2- Starting a family
The most heartbreaking moment of season 5 was when Mel and Jack lost their baby girl.
The couple’s determination to start a family remains undeterred, and they have decided to pursue adoption as a means to achieve their goal.
While some viewers may have found the storylines in season 5 difficult to watch, especially after season 4 ended, we appreciate how the show handled Mel and Jack’s storyline. It is rare for feel-good and escapism shows to feature plotlines about child loss and adoption.
As such, we hope that in the second half of season 6, they will revisit Mel and Jack’s family aspirations and perhaps consider adopting or fostering a child or even siblings. We admire the show’s progressive stance, and we hope that they will continue to push boundaries by opting for an older child rather than an infant, who is statistically the most commonly adopted age group.
3- Mel with a short haircut
Breckenridge has been sporting a beautiful bob haircut lately. She has expressed her desire to keep it while filming season 6. However, the showrunner, Smith, wants the lead actress to have long hair. If some fan accounts start a petition, we will sign it. Jokes aside, we see no reason why Mel couldn’t have a haircut.
Firstly, a haircut would be a more effective indicator of a time jump. Secondly, it is a natural action for any woman to take.
Do we really need to perpetuate the idea of the leading lady with long, perfectly curled hair in 2023? Is it even realistic for our nurse practitioner?
If the problem is the wedding hairstyle, we recommend checking out Pinterest for inspiration. There are plenty of stunning options available.
4- It’s time to say goodbye to Charmaine
We don’t have anything against Lauren Hammersley; However, it’s time to say goodbye to Charmaine.
As the regular cast members will likely receive less screen time, Charmaine, who is only a recurring character, has completed her story arc on the show. Mel and Jack forgive her rather quickly in season 5, but this character has been quite a nightmare for the previous four seasons.
Our hope is that Mel and Jack will assist her against Calvin, and she will decide to begin a new life elsewhere with her twins.
5- More Preacher and Kaia
If we have to pick a couple for an interesting storyline in season 6 after Mel and Jack, we will go with Preacher and Kaia. We are starting to feel a little tired and annoyed with the love triangle turning into a love square involving Brie, Mike, Brady, and Lark.
Preacher and Kaia have a fascinating dynamic, showing a lot of potential, and we grew very fond of the new Virgin River Fire Chief.
It would be great to see a few scenes featuring Mel, Jack, Preacher, and Kaia together. The friendship between Preacher and Jack and the on-screen chemistry between Henderson and Lawrence are unparalleled and truly enjoyable to watch.
Now it is your time. Let us know what you wish to see in Virgin River season 6
Read our post on Everything You Need To Know On Virgin River Season 6.
Read our post on the series prequel spin-off.
Please could Jack shave for once? He perpetually has like a 3 day growth.
We need to see more romance between Mel & Jack season 5 was awful it was like they were siblings and they need to have a child of there own doesn’t have to happen in season 6 maybe if we have a season 7 they can make that happen.
Eu quero ver Mel bem grávida e com um barrigão enorme e Jack todo bobo mimando sua esposa. Sem mais!…♥️
I don’t want Mel & Jack to adopt a child, I want them to have their own child, that’s what Mel wants is to have her own child.As Mel said when they went on the hike to the Peek she wants to see in her baby is her mother’s eyes & her dads smile, so why can’t we have that, & I am sure a lot of the fans of this Beautiful Show want the same for Jack & Mel. So please let this happen as there are families that have a lot of miscarriages, but some do finally have their own child, so why can we not have the same Please.
I would like to see a bit more attention given to certain “facts,” i.e. – Jack’s scars represent a crucial part of his life, and they should appear in every scene in which his back is exposed (this was missed a few times in season 5); other details also changed, which made some episodes seem choppy. Charmaine’s illness could have had more accurate descriptions and portrayals; her illness was almost “skimmed over.” One thing I have not been able to understand is in (season 4) episodes 2 and 4: After Mel delivers the stillborn baby, she doesn’t actually tell Jack about it, but he refers to it in episode 4. I strongly agree with other comments about wanting to see Jack and Mel a great deal more in Season 6. Although it may seem trivial to other viewers, I was surprised and disappointed in episodes 11 and 12 when Mel hinted to Jack that she wanted jewelry for Christmas; honestly, this never seemed indicative of Mel’s character at all; I was surprised to see something like that “dropped” into the story. On the other hand, I loved Mel’s request to “Santa” for a pony (followed by Jack giving her a puppy); this was well done and very sweet. I must say that the sharp contrast between screen time for Brady/Brie versus Jack/Mel was disappointing; there should have been more “romance” and displays of love and desire given to Jack and Mel. I hope we’ll see that in Season 6. And although it may seem a crazy to other viewers, I have always believed that (somehow) baby “Chloe” would eventually be adopted by Jack and Mel – a bit of symmetry perhaps.
Of course more Mel and Jack💜 but more Brie and Brady too! Not a fan of Preacher and Kaia… love Doc and Hope and Lizzy and how she is handling being pregnant
Brady and Brie back together