Virgin River Season 6 Release Date Delayed by Writers Strike; Filming Halted
If you thought the wait for Virgin River Season 5 was too long, we have some bad news: the next hiatus may be even longer.
Netflix recently sent the Virgin River fandom into a frenzy by announcing that Season 5 of the beloved romantic series will premiere on 7 September this year. While this is two months later than when new seasons premiered in past years, and some fans were outraged, the streaming giant quickly dampened the blow by confirming Season 6.
Originally, Season 6 was supposed to have begun filming this summer and premiere sometime in 2024. However, that schedule will most likely be disrupted due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
Back in May, Annette O'Toole, who portrays Virgin River's effervescent mayor and town gossip, Hope McCrea, shared some details about Season 6 production on her Instagram account.
‘Some roses to celebrate the good news: #VirginRiver season 5 will air in the fall and we’re going to film season 6 as soon as the strike is settled. #WGAStrong!’ she wrote under a photo of blooming roses.
The Writers Guild of America strike erupted on 2 May, with thousands of television and film writers putting their keyboards aside and rallying outside some of Hollywood's biggest studios to demand better working conditions and increased pay in this new era of streaming services and the rise of artificial intelligence. A number of popular shows have already experienced production setbacks, and it appears that Virgin River will be among them.
According to Annette O'Toole's post, Season 6 won't commence filming until the WGA and the studios reach an agreement, which could take some time. The last WGA strike occurred in 2007 and lasted 100 days, causing many shows to put off premiering their seasons and cut down on the number of episodes. This time around, according to some industry insiders, the strike could last even longer, possibly into the fall.
The cast of Virgin River voiced their support for the WGA and encouraged their fans to do the same. Martin Henderson, who plays Jack Sheridan, joined Annette O'Toole on the picket lines outside the Netflix headquarters and documented it on his Instagram.
‘I'm here on the picket lines outside Netflix with my working buddies, my writer friends, as you can see there,’ he said to the camera while showing his co-star holding a sign that read, ‘SAG-AFTRA Unions stand together Writers Guild’.
Alexandra Breckenridge, who plays Mel Monroe, also took a stand, reposting Martin's video, captioning it with words of support.