‘Virgin River’ secures historic place in Netflix history with ninth season renewal

The series has accumulated over 500 million views across its first seven seasons

Virgin River has been renewed for a ninth season at Netflix, securing its place as the streaming platform’s longest-running original scripted series by number of seasons.

The announcement arrives ahead of the release of Season 8, which completed production over the summer and is scheduled to premiere in 2027. The upcoming ninth instalment will consist of 10 episodes, taking the romantic drama’s total episode count to 94.

According to Variety, the only other Netflix original series to reach eight seasons so far are animated comedy Big Mouth and Spanish drama Elite. With its latest renewal, Virgin River will move ahead of both in the platform’s scripted television history.

Netflix also revealed that the first seven seasons have collectively generated over 500 million views. The figure is calculated by dividing the total hours watched by the series’ overall runtime.

Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith welcomed the renewal, expressing gratitude to Netflix, the cast, crew, writers and viewers. He said the production had built a world audiences continued to return to and described the opportunity to expand the story as something meaningful.

Alexandra Breckenridge, who plays Melinda Monroe, also celebrated the announcement, saying she was thrilled to continue into Season 9. Martin Henderson, who portrays Jack Sheridan, shared his excitement about returning for another season and thanked viewers for their continued support.

Based on Robyn Carr’s book series, Virgin River follows nurse practitioner Melinda Monroe as she moves to a remote California town seeking a fresh start. The novels have sold over 13 million copies, with more than 20 books published in the series.

Smith is returning as showrunner and executive producer for Season 9. With the next two seasons secured, the drama is set to extend its run while continuing the stories of Mel, Jack and the residents who have kept viewers invested in the fictional community.