Virgin River season 7 snags early renewal and makes Netflix history

The exciting news for Virgin River fans just keeps coming! After finally receiving the release date for season 6, which arrives on Dec. 19, and the first teaser for the new episodes, Netflix has unwrapped another early Christmas present: Virgin River season 7 is happening!

Netflix announced the early renewal on Oct. 23, about two months ahead of the season 6 release date, with a video featuring the entire Virgin River cast. The cast members excitedly shared the renewal news with fans about the forthcoming 10-episode seventh season. Apart from the news itself and the episode count, Netflix hasn't revealed when filming begins.

Watch the cast announce Virgin River season 7 in the video below!

With the season 7 renewal, Virgin River becomes one of the longest-running English-language Netflix original series, matching the season lengths of series of Orange Is the New Black and Grace and Frankie. That's Netflix history! There's even a chance for the romantic drama series to extend that title, as Netflix didn't mention that season 7 would be the final season.

Virgin River season 7 officially happening

It's certainly not at all shocking that Netflix has opted to continue Virgin River for many more seasons to come. The romantic drama series has built a large and loyal fanbase that always turns out in droves when a new season premieres. Because of these fans, it's become one of Netflix's most popular original series.

Netflix has also been looking to expand the Virgin River universe with a prequel spinoff that's in the works about Mel's mother and birth father in the 1970s. Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr will appear in a flashback sequence in season 6 that sets up the premise for the potential spinoff series.

Because the renewal was just made official, it's too soon to predict when filming could begin or when season 7 could eventually land on our watch lists. If writing has already begun with showrunner Patrick Sean Smith and the writing team, that could put season 7's production schedule on a quicker pace for a release sometime in late 2025.

Prior to Netflix making the official announcement on Oct. 23, What's on Netflix published a report alleging that Netflix had renewed Virgin River season 7. According to a video posted and then deleted by Virgin River star Tim Matheson, which What's on Netflix then obtained, the Doc actor shared with fans that Netflix had picked up season 7. The clip was featured in the renewal video.

Stay tuned for more Virgin River season 7 news and updates from Netflix Life!