*Warning! Contains spoilers for Virgin River season 4*
Virgin River season 5 will follow on from the latest series, which has been a huge hit!
Virgin River season 4 finally arrived on Netflix and fans were delighted to get the answers they've desperately been waiting for.
The hit romantic drama follows Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner who packs her bags and leaves Los Angeles behind for a fresh start in the titular sleepy town where she unexpectedly falls in love with Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson).
Despite the idyllic exterior, Virgin River still manages to pack in plenty of small-scale drama and season 4 was no different.
Season 4 was an emotional rollercoaster, with Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) dropping some huge baby daddy drama about her twins, Mel and Jack's pregnancy palaver and an unexpected newcomer in the form of Doc's grandson.
Now, fans are wanting to know more about Virgin River season 5 and if it'll answer their burning questions, including who is the father of Charmaine's twins?
Here's everything we know about Virgin River season 5...
Virgin River season 5 release date
Virgin River season 5 was renewed at the same time as season 4, but there's currently no official release date for the upcoming series.
However, we can guess that season 5 may be released around summer in 2023 seeing as seasons 3 and 4 were both released in July 2021 and 2022.
Filming for season 5 got underway in July with Virgin River favorite Martin Henderson posting a photo on his Instagram with the caption: "Jack’s back! Day 1 of shooting #virginriver Season 5 - feels good to slip back into jacks boots. Hope y’all enjoy season 4 tomorrow!!!! 😀😀🎉🎉"
The Virgin River cast has since announced the exciting news that they have wrapped filming for season 5.
Actor Mark Ghanimé, who plays newcomer Dr. Cameron Hayek in the series hinted at what's to come for season 5, teasing that there's "something special in store" as he revealed he had finished filming.
He shared a behind-the-scenes picture of his character smiling on-camera with the caption: "That’s a season wrap for #DrCameronHayek on @virginriverseries! I had such a lovely time once again and built some more solid friendships along the way, @kaibury @themarcograzzini @trevorlerner and plenty of tennis 🎾 with @dominicdobrzensky on our off days!
"Boy oh boy @patrickseansmith and the team have something special in store. Can’t wait for you all to see what the town and the good doctor have coming for you! Might be some 🩺 some 🌶🔥 and a couple firsts for me as an actor too! 😬😅Cameron looks happy here, doesn’t he? Any guesses why?"
Last season, fans blasted Dr. Cameron as his arrival threatened Mel and Jack's relationship when he showed interest in Mel. Could season 5 see Dr. Cameron cause problems for the fan-favorite couple's engagement?
Martin confirmed the July release date estimate in a Cameo video, announcing that: "Season five [is] coming out, I think, probably in July." Meanwhile, Alexandra also echoed the same, saying: "The fifth season [will] come out probably, I don't know, maybe July again?"
Virgin River season 5 cast
We can assume that the majority of the cast will return, including Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe, Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan, Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins, Annette O'Toole as Hope McCrea, Benjamin Hollingsworth as Brady, Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie, Colin Lawrence as John "Preacher" Middleton, Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan, Jenny Cooper as Joey Barnes and Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts.
Also potentially reprising their roles are Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela, Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler, Mark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek, Teryl Rothery as Muriel, Nicola Cavendish as Connie, Gwynyth Walsh as Jo Ellen, Stacey Farber as Tara Anderson and Chase Petriw as Christopher.
According to What’s on Netflix, four new cast members have joined Virgin River season 5. Susan Hogan (Liar, Liar), Elise Gatien (Tower Prep), Paolo Maiolo (Nancy Drew) and Kandyse McClure (Hemlock Grove) will be appearing in season 5, but details on their characters have not yet been shared.
Head of drama Jimmy Howe revealed to Deadline that there will be "more diversity and inclusion" in season 5.
He said: "Without getting specific, I will say that that continues to be a focus. Some of our early casting conversations for Season 5, I think it’s fair to say that that is going to continue to be a focus and something the audience will get to experience more in Season 5.
"It’s definitely a priority, and I think you will see, as we expand the Virgin River community, that there will be more diversity and inclusion.”
We do know that Patrick Sean Smith will be replacing showrunner Sue Tenney for the fifth season, whose notable work includes Supernatural, Chasing Life and Dolly Parton's Heartstrings.
If you can't wait until season 5 to see your favorites on your screen again, you can check out our other article where else can I watch the Virgin River cast?
What is the plot of Virgin River season 5?
Once again, season 4 left fans on a huge cliffhanger when Charmaine confessed that Jack wasn't the father of her twins like we had thought.
So far, no specific plot details have been given away, but new showrunner Patrick Sean Smith revealed to TVLine that: “Season 5 picks up right after Season 4. There’s no time jump between four and five.”
As for our beloved couple, Mel and Jack finally got engaged following the discovery that Jack was the father of Mel's unborn baby. So hopefully we'll see their wedding in season 5.
In short, it sounds like season 5 will unearth some secrets and get the answers we've been waiting for.
Martin also teased some exciting season 5 details to Glamour revealing that: "The baby stuff gets really interesting. Obviously, I’m speaking without having read any of those actual scripts, but we’ve got some really nice…a lot of stuff gets wrapped up and then there’s a whole bunch of new beginnings, new story lines.
"I can’t give too much away. I know someone might move away. Someone might leave."
However, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith hinted that we may or may not get to find out who the father of Charmaine's twins are in season 5 as he doesn't want to waste the huge cliff-hanger.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, he said: "In season 5, it's such a great mystery. That's what was so interesting when I watched it, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe it.'
"And I was like, 'Well, what do I do with that? What's the best way to use that big twist?' But then also do what the show does so well, which is carry mysteries for multiple seasons and questions and keep the audience guessing.
"So, I can't say it will be in 5, and I can't say it won't. But it's definitely something that I would rather hold off on and not waste. Because it's that good."
Alexandra also hinted at what's to come for season five, teasing to New Beauty that: "I think this season has started out well, and we're getting into a few episodes soon that are pretty heavy. They're really intense and I think that they're some of the best episodes we've ever done. I never say that either!"
She added: "I think that there's a high sense of drama that starts to come up this season that it's going to leave people on the edge of their seats. At least, I hope. I'm excited to get into that."
We could also seen an appearance from Jack's ex wife Mandy in season five, who we've heard about but haven't met — yet?
Speaking to Glamour, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith said: "I would say, check out season five and see if Mandy makes an appearance."
How many episodes will Virgin River season 5 have?
Virgin River season 4 consisted of 12 episodes, which was a change to its usual 10 episodes from the previous seasons.
Similarly to season 4, Virgin River season 5 will also have 12 episodes, which was confirmed by Alexandra Breckenridge in a live stream.
Is there a trailer?
There's currently no trailer out for this upcoming series, but you can follow the official Virgin River Instagram account where they frequently share behind-the-scenes photographs and footage if you're interested in keeping up with the latest updates.
