The Virgin River the season 7 finale has left me well and truly scarred. We’ve traded the five epic cliffhangers from Season 6 for three brand new problems thanks to Episode 10.
Virgin River Season 8: Key Info
– Was renewed before season 7 came out on Netflix
– Becomes the streamer’s longest-running original series of all time
– Almost all the main cast are expected to return, Marco Grazzini and Lauren Hammersley will not return
– Release date and plot details are yet to be confirmed
This makes it the longest-running Netflix original series of all time, beating previous shows such as The house of cards and Orange is the new black. The people want a cozy soap opera style drama and who are we to deny them?
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There’s still a lot to find out, but here’s everything we know about it Virgin River season 8 so far.
Virgin River Season 8 Release Window Predictions
Virgin River always catches me off guard and I was convinced that season 7 would air in December, just like seasons 5 and 6.
Because Season 8 is set to pick up shortly after Season 7 left off, I’d put my money on a spring 2027 release at the earliest. However, nothing has been confirmed at this point.
We know that season 8 will have 10 episodes as usual and will have a four month time jump, according to Deadline.
Speaking to Tim Matheson (Doc), Season 8 is still in the very early stages of planning and is set to begin filming in April 2026.
“We’ve just had little rough discussions about Season 8, so we kind of know what’s going to happen, but mostly just with our characters,” he told me. “I mean, they don’t discuss in detail what’s going to happen with everybody. You just have to wait and see until you get a script.”
We can expect production to end around August.
Virgin River Season 8 Trailer: Is There One?
Virgin River season 8 hasn’t even started filming yet, so don’t expect a full trailer (or even a teaser) for a while. We’ll probably get one about a month before new episodes come out.
Starring in Virgin River Season 8
Here’s who we can expect to return Virgin River season 8:
- Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda Monroe
- Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
- Tim Matheson as Vernon Mullins
- Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
- Colin Lawrence as John ‘Preacher’ Middleton
- Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan
- Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
- Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
- Kandyse McClure as Kaia
- Cody Kearsley as Clay
You will notice that a few key names are missing from this list. Deadline has also confirmed that Marco Grazzini (Mike) and Lauren Hammersley (Charmaine) will not return next season.
We saw Mike set to follow his new love interest to LA, and Charmaine has to recover from everything… so maybe that’s not a bad thing. Rachel Drance (Marley) is also “out for now.”
There is also a big question mark surrounding Ben Hollingsworth (Brady). Although nothing has been confirmed, Brady has been left for dead after a motorcycle accident in the Season 7 finale. Whether he manages remains to be seen.
Virgin River Season 8 Plot Predictions
Spoilers for Virgin River Season 7 follows.
Unsurprisingly, we have a whole new set of cliffhangers heading into the already confirmed Virgin River season 8.
Thanks to the help of Doc and the Grace Valley doctors (more on that later), the group learns that Marley’s baby has a serious congenital heart defect that means he’ll need surgery as soon as he’s born, and many more after that.
In Season 7’s final shot, we see Marley successfully give birth, with Mel and Jack darting into the back of an ambulance with a baby boy, ready to be taken straight to a nearby pediatric specialist center (conveniently run by Mel’s ex-boyfriend).
Also in episode 10, Doc tentatively approaches him about a potential partnership, with Virgin River and Grace Valley working together instead of against each other. While Dr. Hayes is open to it, Hope goes into meltdown mode and claims that Doc has gone behind her back to open the floodgates for corporations.
We later learn that this is due to her relationship with her father, having believed that he sold out his local lumber business for most of her life. Roland tells her the truth – her father drowned in debt and did what had to be done without bringing her down with him because he loved her too much.
We have yet to see if Doc and Hope make up. Then we have the motorcycle accident with Brady. It’s all gone.
The biggest burden is what happens to Marley’s baby if the surgery works and if Mel and Jack decide to keep him (which I’d assume is pretty much a dead cert).
We also need to know if Brady survives his bike crash and if Hope and Doc can reunite after Doc’s decision to partner with Grace Valley.
There is still a big question mark over whether Preacher and Kaia will also stay in town while Muriel’s treatment continues.
Will there be more seasons of Virgin River?
Currently there are no more seasons of Virgin River is confirmed. But if any Netflix series is going to continue for years to come, it’s going to be this one.
It’s popular, cheap to make, and still has plenty of source material to adapt (even though the show diverged from Robyn Carr’s original book series years ago). There’s really no reason for it to slow down.
We’ll keep an eye out for announcements when Season 8 begins filming, so watch this space.
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