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Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson in 'Virgin River' Season 7.

Published Mar 25, 2026, 6:20 PM EDT

Lade Omotade is a News and Feature Author at Collider with a passion for exploring the ever-evolving world of the Film & TV industry. Her work centers on covering the latest news, from casting announcements and franchise scoops to streaming updates and behind-the-scenes shifts that shape the way stories are told.

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Before that heartbreaking twist in the final episode of Virgin River Season 7, Mel (Martin Henderson) and Jack had more than their fair share of heartache. Most significant is their enduring journey to parenthood, which has included a stillbirth, multiple miscarriages, and a dramatic IVF process. While the couple's struggle across multiple seasons indeed adds more drama to the show, several fans have argued that they've been through enough. Even a major fan-favorite agrees — Martin Henderson.

Henderson has portrayed Jack Sheridan since Virgin River's very first episode, and he hasn't failed to speak out constantly about wanting more happiness and less misery for Mel and Jack. If the actor even had his way, his character would have become a father long before now. Henderson said as much in an interview with TVLine about the show's latest season, revealing one devastating storyline he did not support.

"I wanted a pregnancy in Season 6. The miscarriage was in Season 5, right? I was very angry, and I made it known that I did not support that idea creatively. But I'm not the writer, and I do give credit to [showrunner Patrick Sean Smith] because, obviously, the show continues to be successful. Part of that is luring people back every season, so there has to be something meaningful enough that leaves people with an 'oh, s**t' moment. I think he's pretty clever at coming up with those."

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Martin Henderson "Did Not Support" the 'Virgin River' Miscarriage

Mel and Jack have admittedly been through a lot in Virgin River, including in Season 7, which premiered earlier this month. Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith has defended putting these characters through constant suffering, and eventually, Henderson realized the bigger picture, after giving himself some distance from the miscarriage storyline. "Having calmed down about how incensed I was that they lost their baby, I think what [showrunner Patrick Sean Smith] is doing really well is creating an example of a beloved couple where the audience can witness a love that's not happy ever after," Henderson admitted. "It's a little more realistic. We all know that the hallmark of a really good relationship is actually how you endure adversity, right? Of course, it's easy to be in love when everything's going well, but it creates another opportunity to witness these characters actually dig deep into their own traits."

Virgin River streams on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Release Date December 6, 2019

Network Netflix

Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith

Directors Martin Wood, Andy Mikita, Gail Harvey, Monika Mitchell, Tim Matheson, Jann Turner, Felipe Rodriguez, Nimisha Mukerji, Jem Garrard

Writers Jackson Sinder, Jackson Rock, Richard Keith, Erin Cardillo, Tesia Joy Walker, Talia Gonzalez, Natasha M. Hall, Mary Page Keller, Thomas Ian Griffith, John Lowe

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