“Babies and wedding bells are never off the table on Virgin River,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith teased of what’s to come in season 6
Buckle up, Virgin Riverfans — it’s time for Mel and Jack to finally tie the knot.
On Oct. 7, Netflix released the first photos from season 6 of the hit series, which will finally see Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) say “I do” after years of build up, but also promises plenty of other drama in the quaint Northern California town.
Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told Netflix’s Tudum that the upcoming episodes will “hit all the milestones of the pre-wedding planning,” including “the bachelor and bachelorette parties” and “the rehearsal dinner.”
Virgin River season 6 — which premieres December 19 — will pick up a few months after the two Christmas-themed episodes that closed out season 5 last year and take place “deeper into springtime,” Smith said.
He also teased that fans will get to see Mel and Jack “advance on their path to parenthood while also turning Lilly’s (Lynda Boyd) farm into their ultimate dream home,” as they decided to buy the farm in the season 5 finale.
“Babies and wedding bells are never off the table on Virgin River,” Smith teased.
Per the official synopsis, season 6 “promises fresh twists and turns, escalating love triangles [and] delightful wedding drama” and is set “against the backdrop of Mel and Jack’s romantic spring wedding season.”
Another major plot point of the upcoming season will be Mel’s biological father, Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson), whose identity shocked fans in season 5.
Everett is “carrying a long-held secret,” Smith told Tudum, and per the synopsis, fans will get to see Everett’s story through flashbacks that will “transport us to the magic and mystique of Virgin River in the 1970s.”
To tell the story of Mel’s parents, Sarah and Everett, two new faces — Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr — joined the cast to play the younger versions of the couple when they met in 1972 as star-crossed lovers.
Sarah will find herself “chasing an instant spark” with Everett, and the “handsome and freewheeling singer-songwriter” also finds himself reevaluating life after a chance meeting with Sarah, who “may just show him there’s more to life than he ever thought possible.”
There’s more to come from Mel and Jack’s close friends, too. Smith told Tudum that fans can expect “new directions” for characters like Preacher (Colin Lawrence), Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) and Kaia (Kandyse McClure).
“Brady will be volunteering at the Virgin River fire station under Fire Chief Kaia, who is pulled into. Preacher’s past sins,” Smith said.
Season 6 will also see some “returning favorites from the past,” he teased.
