Virgin River – Picture: Netflix
The wait for Virgin River season 2 felt like an eternity when in reality it came to Netflix just a year after the first. Now eyes turn to season 3 which has been officially renewed and by our estimates, has already concluded filming. Here’s everything we know so far about Virgin River season 3.
Quick catchup for anyone not familiar with the show. The feel-good series is a cross between an ABC and a Hallmark show complete with a feel-good story, down to earth characters, and excellent acting and writing. The first season of Virgin River dropped on December 6th while the second season has just dropped on November 27th.
The series remains incredibly popular and featured in the Netflix top 10s in the majority of regions around the world although it eventually disappeared from the top 10s in early January 2021.
Popularity graph for Virgin River season 2
Virgin River season 3 renewal status
Official Netflix renewal status: Officially Renewed (Last updated: 12/18/2020)
The first we heard of season 3 of Virgin River was back in July 2020 when we got a production listing that confirmed that season 3 was not only in development but scheduled to go into production from August 2020 through to December 2020.
It wasn’t until December 18th, however, that Netflix gave the official thumbs-up to season 3 (despite the fact it had already begun filming). The announcement came with a couple of other goodies which we’ve included below.
Netflix Queue included a video alongside the season 3 announcement.
#VirginRiver fans — good news: the show was just picked up for a third season! pic.twitter.com/ingnnE8fP4
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) December 18, 2020
Before the renewal, the most compelling evidence for not only the existence of season 3 but that filming has actually started was when the two main cast members posted a video to say the new season was “releasing in 7 days”. You can see the pair what looks like to be on a film set.
You can see Martin and Alex in the video below on set. But wait, what are they on set for? 🧐#virginriverseason3 pic.twitter.com/VxezyCEPM6
— What’s on Netflix (@whatonnetflix) November 22, 2020
Filming for the series has been reported as early as September 2020, though. On September 7th, 2020 a Twitter user by the name of Jen Eggleston stumbled on a production notice at Cleveland Dam. What’s worth noting is that the notice actually lists 2019 on the day-to-day schedule although the actual days match up with 2020 dates.
Production notice for Virgin River season 3 – Picture: Jen_Eggleston/Twitter
Who will be in the cast for Virgin River season 3?
Beyond the core cast returning, we’ve already got one new casting for season 3.
The returning cast confirmed for season 3 includes Martin Henderson, Alexandra Breckenridge, Jenny Cooper, Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey, Tim Matheson, Benjamin Hollingsworth, and Colin Lawrence.
The first new casting we’ve heard so far is Jasmine Vega to feature as Stella from season 3 onwards. Vega has previous featured in titles such as Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as Lizzie and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Virgin River season 3 casting news!
Jasmine Vega who has featured in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and DC's Legends of Tomorrow will play the role of Stella. #VirginRiver pic.twitter.com/nOPmNSRtlT
— What's on Netflix (@whatonnetflix) November 26, 2020
Alongside the renewal, Netflix themselves unveiled two new cast members.
That includes Zibby Allen (The Flash) who will feature in all 10 episodes as Brie who is Jack’s sister who is a lawyer by trade.
Stacey Farber (Degrassi: The Next Generation) will play Lilly’s daughter, Tara Anderson.
Left: Zibby Allen – Right: Stacey Farber
Some of the other smaller cast members set to debut in season 3 include:
- Kerën Burkett as an ER Nurse
- Jessie Liang as Dr. Benson
- Janet Walmsley as Mrs. Gardner
What to expect from Virgin River season 3
Before we dive into spoiler territory for season 2 (please go and watch season 2 before reading this), it’s important to note that the series itself is based on the novel franchise which gives the writers no shortage of material being 21 novels strong.
Now, the big cliffhanger going into season 3 is what will happen to Jack. As season 2 draws to a close, Mel enters the bar to find Jack with a gunshot wound and slowly bleeding out. The other question, of course, is who shot Jack?
As far as we’re concerned there are 5 suspects:
- Brady
- Calvin
- Charmaine
- Vince
- And the most probable, Jamie
As NetflixLife notes, the series bringing back Martin Henderson means that Jack is almost certainly alive but what sort of condition he’ll be in remains to be seen.
Beyond the main story arc there, we need to know what happens with Preacher. Having had plans to leave Virgin River, seems to be constantly held back from ever leaving with Paige’s son Christopher now reliant on him.
What happens in the relationship between Mel and Jack will be a contentious subject too with Jack soon to become a father.
i need to see in virgin river season 3 Mel and Jack dancing again now as a couple in love #melck #virginRiver pic.twitter.com/VgJHXA5uIs
— #MELCK os PITICOS (@MelYJackVR) January 5, 2021
Hope and Doc seem to be a happy couple once again and Lizzie and Ricky could patch things up too.
When will Virgin River season 3 release on Netflix?
A release date has yet to be announced but given the production schedule the show is on, it’s highly likely we’ll once again be seeing a fall release date meaning we’re currently expecting season 3 of Virgin River to be on Netflix by the end of 2021.
The Virgin River Instagram account is rather vague when answering questions surrounding a release date with the best response saying: “We have a season three order but we don’t know when it’s coming out”.
Everything Else We Know About Season 3 of Virgin River
- IMDb is listing the third season to once again consist of 10 episodes
- The majority of the cast took to Instagram on January 1st to wish us all a happy new year! Video set 1 – video set 2.
- The audiobook series has been reissued with Therese Plummer narrating.
Awesome news to all you @VirginRiverseries fans out there. @HarperAudio has reissued the entire Virgin River Series Audiobook collection narrated by yours truly available as of 1/05/21. The perfect escape during these crazy times. #VirginRiver #netflix #audiobooks #robyncarr pic.twitter.com/v7ZWoXh3ih
— Therese Plummer (@tplummer76) January 8, 2021
Are you looking forward to season 3 of Virgin River on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below. While you’re waiting check out our other suggestions on what to watch that’s like Virgin River on Netflix.
