Mel and Jack’s love story is going to continue for at least one more season on Virgin River!
As first reported by Deadline, Netflix has handed out an early renewal to its hit drama, picking up Virgin River for season 8 ahead of its forthcoming seventh season. Netflix continues to bet big on the franchise, continuing the streak of renewing the show early to help cut back on the gap between seasons. In fact, Virgin River is one of the only Netflix scripted series that has managed to release a new season annually since its premiere in 2019!
Not only has Virgin River been renewed, but with the show’s season 8 pickup, the Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson-led series has made Netflix history! With its season 8 renewal, which will consist of 10 episodes, Virgin River becomes Netflix’s longest-running scripted series! With season 8, Virgin River will have run for 84 episodes, and it’s likely that number will grow as this renewal order is not being billed as a final season pickup.
The renewal is more than historic; it’s a promising change of pace from a streamer who has historically been known to end shows around their fifth or sixth season. A large factor in Virgin River’s sustainability stems from the show being a cost-effective production. There are no major special effects needed, and the show films primarily in the same locations in Canada.
Not only does the show carry a reasonable cost, which is a key factor in today’s TV landscape, but Virgin River remains one of the most successful shows on Netflix. The show has routinely topped and cracked the Global Top 10 upon its release, and interest in the show only seems to keep growing. Season 6 debuted at No. 1 on Netflix and remained in the Top 10 for four weeks amid a busy lineup.
The season 8 renewal comes with additional exciting news for fans in that Deadline has also confirmed filming on season 7 has come to an end! With production complete, it’s looking likely that we will see the seventh season arriving sometime this fall on Netflix, rather than having to wait until 2026 for the next season!
While Netflix does have NFL and Stranger Things on hand for Christmas, we imagine Virgin River could still slot into the December slate as well. After the success season 6 enjoyed with its December release ahead of the Christmas holiday, we have to imagine Netflix could be looking to release Virgin River season 7 ahead of the holiday once again this year. Should they follow a similar release, we have to wonder if a Dec. 18 release date could be in store for the show.
Regardless of when Netflix chooses to release the show's seventh season, we're certain Virgin River fans will show up to help the show once again debut at No. 1 and prove Netflix made the right decision with its early renewal!
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