Netflix's Virgin River is returning for a fourth season. And it isn't the last season: fans can expect a season five, too. The series follows Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge), a widow trying to find herself after the tragic loss of her husband. When she moves to the small town of Virgin River to work for a cranky old doctor at a small clinic, her life changes completely. Virgin River isn't the small, quiet, sleepy town she thought it was.
From finding love to nearly being involved with a cartel spat, Mel has certainly had enough to take her mind off the life she was trying to leave behind. It's doubtful that season 4 will be any different. Here's everything we know about the upcoming season so far.
Virgin River Season 4: The Plot
Like any season, it isn't Virgin River if there isn't a large event taking place. This time, audiences are heading to the Renaissance Faire. What will happen at the faire isn't clear, but it gives an idea of where a particular relationship ended up.
Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) and Ricky (Grayson Gurnsey) seemed to be over at the end of season 3, with Lizzie using the past tense to refer to her feelings for him and Ricky planning to leave Virgin River to follow his dream of becoming a marine. The released images show them in good spirits at the faire, though Lizzie is riding in a boat with someone else in the trailer. Ricky and Lizzie share a look from across the bar in the trailer. Maybe the faire brings them back together.
It looks like Jack (Martin Henderson) and Mel will, once again, be put through the wringer. Fresh off the news that Mel is pregnant, Jack admits to not wanting to know who the father is, worried that if it's her deceased husband Mark's that he won't care for the baby the same. To top off that struggle, Jack's father comes to town, causing him to question his ability to be a father and return to drinking. Mel finds out that Mark's family is trying to legally gain custody of their two remaining embryos (one of which Mel used to try and become pregnant at the end of the last season).
The synopsis says that Brie (Zibby Allen) is working on getting Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) out of prison, and the voiceover in the trailer has Jack saying he didn't shoot him, and they need to get him out of jail. The synopsis says Brie works with Mike (Marco Grazzini) to make this happen, which results in the two becoming closer. She may also be recovering from what happened to her last season, which took a pretty significant emotional and physical toll.
Then there's Preacher (Colin Lawrence), who was drugged and left in the forest. After Connie (Nicola Cavendish) brings Christopher (Chase Petriw) home, unsure of where Preacher is, Wes/Vince (Steve Bacic) appears from the darkness. Jack and Preacher are working on figuring out what happened to Christopher and Paige (Lexa Doig), with a private investigator sending them images of Wes/Vince. Will the season finally see the end of this storyline?
The end of the last season also dropped a bomb: Vernon (Tim Matheson) has a grandson. While struggling with his worsening eyesight and helping Hope (Annette O'Toole) recover from her car accident, it looks like more is going to be piled on his plate when a young boy claiming to be his grandson checks into the town's bed and breakfast. Where that storyline could go is anyone's guess, but it seems like the season is planning to really break the doctor down before building him up again.
It's also likely that the town as a whole is still mourning the death of Lilly (Lynda Boyd). Very few people knew she was sick before she passed, with her best friend not even knowing until it was too late. What isn't clear is how Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) and her new husband will play into the season. Audiences watched them get married and plan a move to Eureka, but it still isn't clear if Jack will be going through a custody battle this season just to see his twins. Perhaps the mysterious grandson is the result of the affair Vernon had with Charmaine's mother all those years ago.
Virgin River Season 4: The Cast
Based on the trailer, it seems most of the main cast is returning. Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel, Martin Henderson as Jack, Colin Lawrence as Preacher, Jenny Cooper as Joey, Annette O'Toole as Hope, Tim Matheson as Vernon, Benjamin Hollingsworth as Brady, Grayson Gurnsey as Ricky, and Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie all appear in the trailer in some way, confirming their presence in the upcoming season.
Based on the synopsis, Zibby Allen will return as Jack's sister Brie and Marco Grazzini will return as Mike. It isn't clear if Lauren Hammersley will return as Charmaine, though it is likely. Mark Ghanimé is joining the cast as Dr. Cameron Hayek, the new doctor Vernon has brought on to help at the practice as his eyesight continues to get worse.
The trailer also shows Nicola Cavendish as Connie, Teryl Rothery as Muriel, and Steve Bacic as Wes/Vince. Based on the synopsis, it's likely Daniel Gillies will appear in flashbacks as Mark, and Stacey Farber will return as Tara. Others that could make an appearance include Lexa Doig as Paige, Chase Petriw as Christopher, Gwynyth Walsh as Jo, Ian Tracey as Jimmy, and Lynda Boyd as Lilly in flashbacks.
Release Date
The season will be available to stream starting July 20, 2022, consisting of twelve episodes, according to Deadline. While you wait, you can catch up on the first 30 episodes or watch Martin Henderson as a doctor in Grey's Anatomy.