Virgin River season 7 release date confirmed by Netflix with first look at new episodes

It's been a long old wait but Virgin River is finally returning for a whopping seventh season on Netflix.

That's right, we're headed back to the charming fictional town to reunite with newlyweds Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) and Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge).

The series makes a return to screens on Thursday 12th March, and fans have been treated to a first-look image (above), confirming that Jack and Mel are very much still in love.

Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith has confirmed that season 6 will follow the lead up to Mel and Jack's wedding, and will "explore the honeymoon phase for them as they’re building their lives on the farm, which can come with its own obstacles".

"I can’t imagine creating a scenario where you think Mel and Jack are going to break up," Smith told Netflix's Tudum. "It forces you to dig a little bit deeper into, well, what other issues can they have in their relationship?

"Especially when you want to keep it through the romance lens. I think Alex and Martin play all of those [moments so well], it’s just resting on emotional stakes as opposed to ‘will they, won’t they.'"

There will be some new faces arriving in Virgin River too, with Netflix previously confirming that Sara Canning (The Vampire Cast) has joined the cast as former police officer Victoria, who comes to Virgin River to look into Doc’s practice but runs into a friend she wouldn’t mind catching up with... or maybe even pursuing something more.

Elsewhere, Cody Kearsley (Riverdale) joined the cast as Clay, the kind of guy who gets noticed when he enters a room. He grew up in foster care with his younger sister, who he hasn’t seen since he was a teenager and has been looking for ever since.

Returning cast members also include Tim Matheson, Annette O’Toole, Colin Lawrence, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Zibby Allen, Sarah Dugdale, Marco Grazzini, Kai Bradbury and Kandyse McClure.

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And there is plenty more Virgin River to come, as the streamer announced back in July that the cosy series had been renewed for an eighth season, thus the series has become Netflix longest-running live-action scripted series, surpassing both Grace and Frankie and Orange Is the New Black.

"On behalf of myself and the whole Virgin River family, we’re eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," Smith told Tudum.

Virgin River returns season 7 launches on Thursday 12th March on Netflix.

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