‘Virgin River’ Showrunner Calls New Cast Gold

‘Virgin River’ is really holding its own against a slew of dramatic new series being released everyday, and if the prequel is going to hold any water, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith believes the casting has to be perfect. Luckily, he found his dream duo in the way of Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr.

‘Virgin River’ Boss On Finding The Perfect Couple To Play Sarah Jensen and Everett Reed

When you meet the right stars, you just know, and Patrick Sean Smith is convinced he’s found the perfect duo that will help the franchise expand into a prequel.

Who did the production find to play Mel’s parents, Sarah Jensen and Everett Reed? Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr, and if we are to believe Smith, they are pure “fire” together.

“It was a search. It was always the plan that this could potentially be a back-door pilot, introducing this new timeline, so we cast with that in mind,” he told Variety ahead of ‘Virgin River’s’ season 6 premiere, which will see the aforementioned duo make their series debut. “We did chemistry reads with them and a couple of other actors who were really incredible. But Jess and Callum had such a spark together, such a fire together that it felt like we had hit gold in casting them.”
The spinoff will have more than romance on the table, as it will also explore “the origins of Virgin River in the 1970s.”

Yellowstone Season 4 Surprise For Fans Before The Premiere

View Story

While Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) mother died when she was young, her biological father was introduced in a Christmas special when she went on a search for him only to learn that he’d been in Virgin River all these years.

The present-day character is being played by John Allen Nelson, whose portrayal of the character managed to convince the show’s writers that they need to do a more indepth treatment of his relationship with Mel’s mother.

“He was in two scenes, and he was perfect,” Smith said. Season 6 has a lot in store for fans, as it will see Mel walk down the aisle again while trying to establish a relationship with her father.

Premiering in 2019, ‘Virgin River’ was so much an instant hit that though the sixth season just recently dropped on Netflix this Thursday, December 19, a seventh season has already been given the greenlight.

Who can say no to more ‘Virgin River?’

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Virgin River right now. Come back here often for all Virgin River spoilers, news, and updates.