Virgin River season 5 release date, release time, cast, trailer, and everything to know

We have amazing news to share with fans of the Netflix Original Virgin River! The fifth season is coming out this week! The first 10 episodes of the season will be released this Thursday, Sept. 7, with two additional holiday episodes then coming out in November. Can’t wait to start binging the new season? Read everything to know ahead of time below!

Virgin River season 5 was expected to hit Netflix in summer 2023, but the streamer announced that the season had been pushed to fall. Netflix officially gave the green light to a fifth when they renewed the show for season 4. (And Virgin River season 6 is happening, too!)

The series, which is based on the series of novels by Robyn Carr, centers on nurse practitioner and midwife Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) as she relocates to the remote Northern California town of Virgin River and assimilates into the close-knit community.

What could happen in season 5? We only have a few more days to find out! For now, let’s look at all the details we do have for season 5, including the release date and time, cast, synopsis, trailer, and much more!

FanSided Entertainment’s Reed Gaudens, Natalie Zamora, and Bryce Olin contributed to the report. The latest update was on Sept. 4, 2023.

Virgin River season 5 release date

The Virgin River season 5 release date is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. The first 10 episodes of the 12-episode season release in in a few days, while the final two episodes of the season premiere on Thursday, Nov. 30. Those two episodes are holiday episodes.

According to Deadline, Netflix announced that Virgin River season 5 would be coming in fall 2023, not July like we, the fans, and members of the cast had been thinking the season was coming to Netflix. Virgin River season 4 premiered Wednesday, July 20, 2022, and filming for the new season wrapped in November 2022.

In February 2023, Alexandra Breckenridge shared in a Cameo video to a fan that she expected season 5 to be released in “maybe July again.” She noted that she hadn’t been given an update on when the season will be released. Also, in the same month, the official Virgin River Instagram account reshared photos of Sarah Dugdale and Zibby Allen completing ADR for the new season, which is typically one of the final steps in getting the episodes ready for release.

Since premiering in December 2019, Virgin River has aired one season per year. Virgin River season 3 debuted in July as well as season 4, so a July release for season 5 would have made sense. But, that’s not the case with season 5.

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2023 (part 1), Nov. 30, 2023 (part 2)

Virgin River season 5 release time

Staying up all night to start watching the first 10 episodes of Virgin River season 5? We don’t blame you! This show is so addicting, you can’t miss a minute of it. Like most Netflix releases, the fifth season will arrive on the platform at 12:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 a.m. CT / 3:00 a.m. ET this Thursday morning.

If you’re tuning in from another country, you can expect to start watching the new season at 7:00 a.m. BST, 8:00 a.m. CEST, 9:00 a.m. IDT, 9:00 a.m. SAST, 12:30 p.m. IST, and 5:00 p.m. AEST on Sept. 7. To check out a full breakdown of the Netflix release time by different world time zones, check out our list here.

Virgin River season 5 trailer

Watch the exciting and dramatic trailer for the first 10 episodes in the video below!

Virgin River season 5 episode count

Previous seasons of Virgin River have contained 10 episodes each, but that’s all changing with the new season. As we’ve confirmed, Virgin River season 4 has a whopping 12 episodes, and the same can be said for season 5! But remember, only the first 10 episodes will be released on Sept. 7.

Virgin River season 5 episode titles

Before the season or even a trailer for a new season is released, the best way to predict what’s going to happen in a new season of a show is by reading the episode titles. While episode titles aren’t always released ahead of a show’s release, we’re lucky when they are. And athough they haven’t been confirmed by Netflix just yet, rumored episode titles for season 5 have surfaced.

According to What’s on Netflix, these are reportedly the titles of all 12 season 5 episodes:

• “A Second Chance”
• “Songbird”
• “Calculated Risk”
• “Never Gonna Be the Same”
• “Angel’s Peak”
• “From the Ashes”
• “Full Moon”
• “Heroes Rise”
• “Labor Day”
• “Trial by Fire”
• “Father Christmas”
• “The More the Merrier”

One of the first things to note about these rumored episode titles is “Angel’s Peak,” which is also the title of one of the novels in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. Also, there’s an episode titled “Labor Day,” which could be in reference to the holiday that arrives the same week season 5 is released, or it could mean that Charmaine will finally give birth to her twins.

Among the running themes in the episode titles, there are a lot of references to fire, including “Trial by Fire” and mentions of ashes and heroes rising. Alexandra Breckenridge previously teased that the season will contain some of the series’ heaviest episodes yet, and that certainly checks out with some of the themes contained in the episode titles.

Will Virgin River season 5 have a Christmas episode?

Along with the rumored episode titles, there’s also the seeming confirmation that Virgin River season 5 will feature storylines during the Christmas episode. We have long advocated for a Christmas episode or special for the series, and that wish very well might be coming true.

“Father Christmas” and “The More the Merrier” are two episodes that, if true, hint at a Christmas celebration in Virgin River. Hopefully, these episode titles are real and fans will finally get the holiday season setting they have been waiting for from the romantic drama series.

On July 25, it was finally confirmed that season 5 will in fact contain two holiday episodes!

Virgin River season 5 wrapped filming in November 2022

On Nov. 21, 2022, the official Virgin River Instagram account announced that season 5 had wrapped filming. The announcement arrived with a video of the cast dancing and celebrating to the tune of “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge.

After the season wrapped filming, episodes then went into post-production. That includes editing, sound mixing, ADR, and all the behind-the-scenes magic that makes the episodes ready for fans to binge-watch.

Production on Virgin River season 5 officially began in July 2022. The show’s Instagram account shared a screenshot of a virtual table read with the cast, declaring that season 5 was underway. They also announced there is a new showrunner for the series with season 5, introducing fans to Patrick Sean Smith, who has previously worked on shows like Greek, Supernatural, and Chasing Life.

See the exciting post below which was shared on July 18, 2022:

Alexandra Breckenridge shared the update in January 2022 that filming for season 5 was delayed from its planned March start date, but fortunately, everything worked out.

Virgin River season 5 cast

You can expect the following cast members to appear in Virgin River season 5:

• Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe
• Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
• Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
• Tim Matheson as Dr. Vernon Mullins
• Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
• Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan
• Gwynyth Walsh as Jo Ellen
• Colin Lawrence as  John ‘Preacher’ Middleton
• Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
• Jenny Cooper as Joey Barnes
• Nicola Cavendish as Connie
• Chase Petriw as Christopher
• Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
• Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela

According to What’s on Netflix, the following actors will be added in the fifth season: Susan Hogan, Elise Gatien, Kandyse McClure, and Paolo Maiolo.

Virgin River season 5 synopsis

Check out the season 5 synopsis from Netflix via TV Line:

"“Surprising new relationships, a shocking break-up, a difficult court trial, a heartbreaking goodbye and a wildfire that threatens the town, as issues of motherhood push Mel to make a big decision about her future at the clinic while her pregnancy unexpectedly sparks an emotional connection to her past. To further prove himself to Mel, Jack squares off with some long-overdue confrontations — with his own demons, and of course, Charmaine. And as Doc and Hope’s respective impairments throw their identities into question, the doctor and the mayor must find solace in their community, in their young new family and in each other.”"

Based on where the Virgin River season 4 finale left off, the fifth season could go in a number of directions. Charmaine’s revelation, that Jack isn’t the father of her twins after all, will surely send shockwaves through town. Hopefully, we will find out who fathered her twins and get to see her finally give birth after waiting for such a long time.

Elsewhere, Mel and Jack will continue to savor their engagement, as it’s been hinted at by the new showrunner that the couple won’t be rushing down the aisle in season 5 — even with their baby girl on the way. It’s unlikely that Mel will give birth in the upcoming season, though you never know what could happen in Virgin River. We’ll have to wait and see!

The fifth season could also further the relationships between Brady and Brie, Lizzie and Denny, and Preacher and Julia, though again, we’ll have to see what the future holds for these couples. There’s also the mounting tension bubbling to the surface with Jack’s upcoming business plan. It’s bound to be a sticky situation for the father-to-be in season 5.

Is this the last season of Virgin River?

If you’re watching Virgin River season 5 and wondering if it’s the final season of the hit Netflix series, you don’t have to worry. The fifth season isn’t the last season of Virgin River. There are two more episodes of season 5 to come later this year, and Netflix has already renewed the show for a sixth season. Beyond season 6, we’ll have to see what’s next for Virgin River.

Virgin River season 6 is also happening

Netflix officially renewed Virgin River for season 6 during its 2023 Upfronts presentation in May 2023. This is great news for fans, and it should cut down the time between season 5 and season 6. The WGA and SAG strikes could delay the season, however, but we don’t have any more information on that to share right now.

Keep up with us at Netflix Life for our full coverage of Virgin River season 5 when the first 10 episodes come out this week! We’ll be sure to update this post when we get additional information about the holiday episodes.