Virgin River season 7 might be one of the most highly anticipated new seasons of a Netflix original series currently awaiting release. It feels like fans have been waiting forever for the romantic drama series to make its return, but a full year hasn't even passed since Mel and Jack tied the knot in season 6. You can't blame us fans for wanting to return to Virgin River as soon as possible!
Thankfully, filming has already wrapped on the upcoming season. Production began on Virgin River season 7 back in March 2025 and later wrapped in late June, though filming continued with Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson shooting additional scenes in Mexico for what's expected to be Mel and Jack's honeymoon trip. Obviously, fans have been hoping the season would drop this year.
There have been conflicting reports on when Virgin River season 7 could release, especially given Netflix's silence on the release date as of this writing. Some suggest there's still a chance that the season could arrive before the end of the year, but in a recent interview, Breckenridge made a case to hold the season for next year that basically confirms what we already expected.
While chatting with Entertainment Weekly about her upcoming Netflix Christmas movie My Secret Santa and that shocking Charmaine cliffhanger at the end of season 6, Breckenridge spoke to the biggest question everyone has about the show: When is season 7 coming out? Of course, the Virgin River star had no news to share, but she did reveal a theory that makes sense.
"There is a lot going on this year for Netflix. The finale of Stranger Things as a series is going to be a big deal. If I was an intelligent person, guessing, I would say I wouldn't rollVirgin River out until the new year," Breckenridge said to Entertainment Weekly.
She's not wrong. Netflix still has a lot on the docket for the remainder of the year, and the three-part Stranger Things season 5 release is only scratching the surface, even if it is the main event. Nobody Wants This season 2, The Witcher season 4, and Emily in Paris season 5 are some of the major originals returning with new seasons, and that's not even including the new series debuts.
Fitting Virgin River season 7 in sometime in November or December wouldn't be impossible and could still very well happen, but why would Breckenridge be suggesting a release date in 2026 if the show was set to come out this year? If Virgin River was coming back this fall, promotion for the series would likely already be on the calendar for its stars. So, Breckenridge just gave us a huge hint.
Netflix holding Virgin River season 7 until 2026, while slightly frustrating, isn't the end of the world. It would be the show's longest hiatus to date, as the show has been released annually since its premiere in 2019. But we likely wouldn't have to wait very long into 2026. The show has always dropped in either fall or summer, but early 2026, either January or February, would be our guess.
Virgin River will be in good company in early 2026, as Netflix has already announced release dates for Bridgerton season 4, which drops in two parts in January and February, and the upcoming psychological thriller His & Hers, which arrives in January. The romantic drama would further ensure Netflix would begin the new year with another surefire hit. We'll have to wait for the official reveal.