“There’s a Lot of Big Events and Milestones That Can Happen”: 'Virgin River's Showrunner Teases Young Everett & Sarah Prequel Spin-Off Series

It’s no longer news that Netflix intends to expand the acclaimed Virgin River franchise as a prequel series connected to Season 6 was announced earlier in February. In the season, fans have gotten a glimpse of younger versions of Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) parents, Everett (Callum Kerr) and Sarah (Jessica Rothe), whose love story will be at the center of the upcoming project. Although not much has been shared about the prequel, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith recently gave a status update while teasing what’s next for Everett and Sarah to Swooon.

According to the series exec, the Virgin River prequel series is “still currently in development”, but viewers will still get to see the lovebirds Everett and Sarah back in Season 7, which has no premiere date yet. Elaborating on the characters’ future, Smith said:

"I think there’s more opportunity to fill out their story dramatically. There’s so much that was presumed, and some things that have been referenced, but that’s where I think the more we can fill out this love that spans almost 40 years, if not 40-plus years, the better. I think there’s a lot of big events and milestones that can happen along the way that we can highlight as we fill that out."

Hope’s History Will Be In Focus in Upcoming Virgin River Chapters

Discussing the potential Virgin River prequel series further, Smith mentioned exploring other characters besides the leading duo, particularly Hope (Annette O'Toole) and her family legacy. We can expect more of Hope’s story in Season 7 as well, which will link to the prequel, as explained by the showrunner:

“The intent in the prequel, too, and we get a hint of it in Season 7 through Hope’s character is just filling out more of the history of Hope’s family, her relationship to the area. In the pilot, she says the McRae cabin is a place that everybody within 50 miles knows, but we’ve never really explored her family legacy to that and what her relationship is with her family. In Season 7, we’re really doing a bigger deep dive into Hope’s character and her past, which would then coincide with a lot of the events of what could potentially be in the prequel.”

Speaking of connections, Young Everett and Sarah’s love story will continue to connect Mel to her family. However, there will likely be no standalone flashback episodes in the spinoff because the Virgin River boss believes “they were most effective in that they were supporting and really connecting Mel and Everett in a more profound way through her mom. So I wouldn’t want it to feel trope-y or just do it just to do it.”

Virgin River Season 6 is streaming on Netflix.

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