But it wouldn’t be Virgin River if season 4 didn’t end on another huge cliffhanger. Turns out Jack may not be the father of Charmaine’s twins after all! Virgin River follows midwife and nurse practitioner Mel Monroe, who moves to the small rural town from Los Angeles to work at the practice owned by Doc Mullins (Tim Matheson). There, she ends up falling for bar owner/former Marine Jack and gets caught up in medical crises, town intrigue and fun hijinks. Mel and Jack had a lot to deal with in season 4, including alcohol dependence, PTSD, childhood trauma and legal issues. While they’re now engaged, somehow we suspect that their happily ever after won’t happen without more drama. Here’s everything we know so far about Virgin River season 5.
Virgin River season 5 release date speculation
Netflix has not set a Virgin River season 5 release date yet. In September 2021, the streamer officially renewed Virgin River for both season 4 and season 5. However, the seasons did not film back-to-back. In fact, Martin Henderson recently told Glamour (opens in new tab) that he had just filmed the first two episodes of season 5. “Season 5’s great, by the way,” he raved. “It’s the best season yet.” That’s quite a high bar to set, considering Virgin River season 4’s success — it even topped Stranger Things on Netflix’s Top 10 list! Filming on Virgin River season 5 is scheduled to wrap in November. That puts it on a similar production timeline as season 4. Seasons 3 and 4 both dropped in July (2021 and 2022, respectively), so we fully expect Virgin River season 5 to premiere in July 2023.
Virgin River season 5 cast
The cast of Virgin River season 4 is led by Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a nurse practitioner and midwife originally from Los Angeles. Alongside her is Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, a restaurant/bar owner and former U.S. Marine. In season 5, they will likely be joined by:
Tim Matheson as Vernon “Doc” Mullins, the town doctorColin Lawrence as John “Preacher” Middleton, Jack’s bar partner who is a former MarineZibby Allen as Brie, Jack’s sister and a lawyerAnnette O’Toole as Hope McCrea, the mayor of Virgin River and Doc’s separated wifeLauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts, Jack’s ex-girlfriend who claimed to be pregnant with his twinsBenjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady, a former Marine who served with Jack and Brie’s boyfriendMarco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela, a former Marine who served with JackMark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek, a new doctor at the practiceGrayson Gurnsey as Ricky, a young man who is enlisting in the MarinesSarah Dugdale as Lizzie, Connie’s niece and Ricky’s ex-girlfriendKai Bradbury as Denny Cutler, Doc’s grandson and Lizzie’s new love interestNicola Cavendish as Connie, owner of the town’s general storeGwynyth Walsh as Jo Ellen, owner of the town B&BTeryl Rothery as Muriel, a local actress and Hope’s rivalChristina Jastrzembska as Lydie, Ricky’s grandmotherStacey Farber as Tara Anderson, daughter of the deceased LIllyJenny Cooper as Joey Barnes, Mel’s older sister who lives in Los AngelesDaniel Gillies as Mark Monroe, Mel’s late husband seen in flashbacksLexa Doig as Paige Lassiter, the owner of a bakery truck who went on the runChase Petriw as Christopher, Paige’s sonLucia Walters as Julia, an Aikido instructor and Preacher’s new love interestKeith Mackechnie as Nick, Jo Ellen’s husband Barbara Polland as Melissa Montgomery, leader of a local drug ring and Nick’s sisterTom Butler as Sam Sheridan, Jack’s father
Virgin River season 5 plot and season 4 ending explained
Virgin River season 5 will have quite a few threads to pick up, following the cliffhanger ending of the season 4 finale. In the finale, Mel says “yes!” to Jack’s proposal. The morning after, they wake up to good news: the paternity test reveals that Jack is the father of Mel’s baby. Now, they won’t have to worry about a custody dispute with her late husband’s mother. Back at the practice, Mel learns that Cameron is quitting after she rebuffed his opinion on Jack’s (lack of) reliability as a future parent. Later, Mel decides to leave the practice instead, so that Doc can still have Cameron’s help. Mel and Jack have dinner with Nick and Jo Ellen to celebrate the men’s partnership in the Airstream rental business. They are joined by his sister, Melissa. Unbeknownst to any of them, she has taken over the leadership of the local drug ring from Calvin. All five of them seem to unaware they are being watched and photographed by someone outside the restaurant. Dinner is cut short when a hysterical Charmaine calls. Jack and Mel head over to her house. They discover her in distress that her husband Todd is going to leave her. Sobbing, she reveals that Jack is not the father of her forthcoming twins. Elsewhere in the finale:
- The entire town bids Ricky farewell as he leaves for boot camp. The Knitting Circle gathers to console Lydie.
- With Christopher safely sleeping at Connie’s house, Preacher goes back to Vince’s cabin to retrieve Paige. After a confrontation, Preacher manages to knock out Vince and save Paige.
- Brady is officially cleared of any wrongdoing in Jack’s shooting.
- Brie stands up to her rapist ex-boyfriend from Sacramento, refusing to sign his nondisclosure agreement.
- Denny reveals to Lizzie that he has Huntingdon’s disease, which is terminal. When Virgin River season 5 begins, it “picks up right after season 4,” new showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told TVLIne (opens in new tab). Several storylines need resolutions. The first, of course, is the truth about the paternity of Charmaine’s twins. Is Jack really not the father? Or is she just upset about Todd? And if Jack isn’t the father, then how will he react? Another major plot point will be Mel’s decision to resign. It’s unclear if Doc will accept it or if it’ll change Cameron’s mind. And if she does leave, what will Mel do? She may work at a local clinic or even start her own midwifery practice. She’s also proven she’s good in emergencies, so maybe she’ll join the town’s medics. Preacher’s multi-season arc involving Paige and Christopher seems to finally be resolved, though new issues will undoubtedly pop up. If Paige and Christopher stay in Virgin River, Preacher may be torn between them and his new love interest, Aikido teacher Julia. Doc and Hope seem to be in a good place, though her recovery from traumatic brain injury is slow. Additionally, Doc is likely to be rocked when he learns of his grandson Denny’s condition. Lastly, drug queenpin Melissa has rather ominously become a part of Mel and Jack’s life (not to mention Brady’s, and by extension, Brie’s). We’ll see what nefarious things she’s got planned for our Virgin River favorites.
