Mel and Jack’s story isn’t over yet! Virgin River season 7 arrived in March 2026 with the next chapter of their lives, kicking off after their wedding and tracking their path toward parenthood. But if you’re worried that the season 7 ending cliffhangers won’t be resolved, there’s great news to share with fans. Yes, there’s another season in the works and on the way!
Netflix announced the Virgin River season 8 renewal long before season 7 even premiered, way back in July 2025. Being renewed for season 8 earns the romantic drama series the bragging rights of becoming one of the longest-running scripted Netflix original series. The early renewal also allowed the creative team to start crafting the next season, and we already have updates.
On the heels of the Virgin River season 7 release, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith shared a number of teases for season 8 in an interview with Deadline, including when production is slated to start, what to expect after that shocking season finale, and which characters will be back (and have surprise new romances!) in season 8. Let’s take a closer look at the current season 8 updates!
Filming reportedly begins in April 2026
There’s not a long wait until the cast and crew get back to work on filming Virgin River season 8, and that’s great news for fans! According to Deadline, season 8 begins filming on April 22 in Vancouver and is expected to wrap by sometime in August 2026.
Obviously, that’s a pretty quick turnaround time since season 7 filmed between March and June 2025 and the season just premiered in March 2026. The romantic drama series tends to stick to an annual production schedule, but don’t expect season 8 to drop later this year.
After production wraps late this summer, post-production will then take place throughout the remainder of 2026. As much as fans would love for a double dose of Virgin River in 2026, we can currently predict that season 8 will likely premiere sometime in early to late spring 2027.
There will be a time jump to kick off season 8
Smith confirms that Virgin River season 8 won’t pick up in real time with Mel and Jack’s son’s surgery. Rather, the showrunner shares that there will be a four-month time jump. The season 8 premiere will reveal how the baby’s procedure went and what the future path is for his health.
The time jump will also allow for various storylines to progress without immediately dealing with the ramifications, like Brady’s accident. Since we know Ben Hollingsworth will be back as a series regular, we can pretty much guess his fate, but his status will also be revealed by the time jump.
Other teasers for season 8 include Denny looking into medical schools after receiving his MCAT scores. (By the time we catch back up in season 8, Koko will be almost halfway to one year old!) Meanwhile, Hope will continue to have a complicated road ahead between Doc and Roland.
Some new faces and romances are in store
Virgin River season 8 will also be bidding farewell to a few familiar faces. Marco Grazzini and Lauren Hammersley, two long-time cast members, have officially been written out following season 7. Mike and Charmaine will not be in season 8, though the door remains open for future appearances.
Apart from Grazzini leaving the series, the rest of the main cast remains unchanged going into season 8, with no other main cast exits or additions expected ahead of production’s start. However, Austin Nichols and Cody Kearsley will continue to recur as new characters Eli and Clay.
Beyond the new faces set to take the place of others, Virgin River will be getting a new couple that will surely shake things up. Smith suggests that Muriel will begin dating Mel’s birth father Everett. But there are no weddings planned for season 8, so don’t get too ahead of yourself yet!
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