Following season five's shocking twist, Netflix is developing a Virgin River prequel series
Prepare for a second helping of small town angst.
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Can’t get enough of the drama and angst of Virgin River? Then you’ll be pleased to know that Netflix is hard at work giving to give you more. Not only has the sixth season of the show already been greenlit by the studio, but Netflix has a prequel series to Virgin River in development.
Virgin River follows the small Northern California town of the same name, though its sleepy nature hides the plethora of scandals waiting just beneath the surface. Mel, a nurse who moves to Virgin River from Los Angeles, discovers that these scandals sometimes hit close to home. The season five finale in 2023 ended with the shocking reveal that Everett Reed is her biological father.
Now, Netflix wants to show you exactly how that twist came about with a prequel series to Virgin River that follows Mel’s mother Sarah, who died when she was young, and Everett, presumably with a focus on their ill-fated relationship. Of course, if it is anything like the main show, getting to that moment won’t be a straightforward journey. No release date or even a title has been announced for the Virgin River prequel, so we expect to see the fallout of that reveal before we get to see how it happened.
According to Deadline, Netflix is currently casting the younger versions of Sarah and Everett for flashback portions of season six, presumably to set those actors up to play the characters in the potential prequel series. While we question the wisdom of explicitly showing such a crucial twist to the audience rather than allowing it to simmer in our imagination, it's hard to argue with Netflix’s decision to expand on the world of Virgin River. The show has been consistently popular, with each season performing well on the streamer’s weekly charts. Everyone loves a shocking twist, after all.
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