A Fan-Favorite Netflix Series Just Became Their Longest Running Show Ever

by

Netflix has announced that the popular romantic drama series “Virgin River,” based on Robyn Carr’s extensive book collection, will return for an eighth season, making it Netflix’s longest-running original scripted series. This renewal is significant as it happens before the show’s seventh season has even aired, demonstrating Netflix’s strong dedication to the property. “Virgin River” tells the story of Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner who moves from a bustling city to the small, secluded town named Virgin River in Northern California. There, she discovers a new community and becomes entangled in a complex romance with Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a local bar owner and former Marine. Since its debut in 2019, the show has been a consistent hit for Netflix, amassing a large and devoted fanbase worldwide.

The renewal for Season 8 of “Virgin River” has been announced, with the cast and crew having finished filming the ten-episode seventh season in Vancouver and a brief stint in Mexico. In Season 7, we can expect the story to carry on from where it left off at the end of Season 6, with Mel and Jack getting married and planning their life together. The upcoming season is also said to delve into the struggles faced by Doc Mullins (Tim Matheson) and Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole) as they deal with challenges to the town’s clinic and community. As of now, an official release date for Season 7 of “Virgin River” has not been finalized, but it is expected to premiere on the service in 2025.

Patrick Sean Smith, the showrunner, expressed his heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the entire ‘Virgin River’ team and himself to Netflix and the fans for enabling us to continue this adventure with our cherished characters,” Patrick Sean Smith stated in a post on Netflix’s Tudum site, confirming the renewal. At present, there are no details available about where the characters of ‘Virgin River’ will head in Season 8.

Virgin River‘s Path to a Netflix Record

Virgin River, over the years, has solidified its place as Netflix’s longest-running scripted series by consistently attracting large audiences with each new season. The show has been a regular on the Top 10 list for more than 30 weeks, and its latest sixth season, released in December 2024, continued this trend. Debuting at the top of the most-watched English-language TV shows list, it garnered 8.1 million views within its first six days alone. The popularity persisted, spending four weeks on Netflix’s Top 10 and reaching a peak of 9.2 million views in its second week. This consistent viewership, which is significant for Netflix, played a crucial role in the decision to renew it for an unprecedented eighth season.

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to witness the renewal of “Virgin River,” setting a new milestone on Netflix by securing an eighth season. Breaking the previous record of seven seasons shared by both “Grace and Frankie” and “Orange Is the New Black,” this series is carving out its unique place in Netflix history. Yet, with 84 planned episodes, it’s destined to fall short compared to the final episode counts of “Grace and Frankie” (94 episodes) and “Orange is the New Black” (91 episodes). Nevertheless, as the show is based on Robyn Carr’s extensive book series featuring over 20 individual novels, there’s immense potential for “Virgin River” to shatter even more Netflix records in the coming years.

Seasons 1-6 of Virgin River are now streaming on Netflix.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/underrated-netflix-dramas-streaming-nobody-talks-about-black-doves-lincoln-lawyer/embed/#

Read More

2025-07-11 12:09