Fan opinion about the Virgin River spinoff has been divided – but what if the wrong characters are leading a brand-new story?
Season 5 Part 2’s unexpected cliffhanger means that Virgin River is set to give Mel’s estranged biological father, Everett, a new backstory. Though he’s the new kid on the block, he’s set to play a significant role after turning up on Mel’s doorstep, claiming to have something important to tell her.
Now, the role’s set to become even more significant after it was revealed that Everett and Sarah, Mel’s late mother, would be the subjects of a new Virgin River prequel, following their younger selves before the days of Virgin River. It’s not like fans to take issue with having more episodes to watch – if Reddit is anything to go by, far from it – but viewers haven’t been too happy with the choice of spinoff plot.
As Everett has only just been introduced, it’s not too surprising that fans are showing little to no interest in finding out more about his origin story. As a town with a rich wealth of characters who each come with colorful backgrounds, there’s arguably a litany of more engaging spinoff material ready to use. Sure, Everett and Sarah’s backstory is incredibly likely to evolve Mel and Jack’s present, but is it the best use of everyone’s time?
The Virgin River spinoffs we’d rather see
Given that the popular answer to that question is “no,” we’ve taken the liberty of compiling a shortlist of characters we’d prefer to see take the Virgin River spinoff slot. Dare to dream with us that these picks could indeed widen the Virgin River-verse in the best possible way.
Brie
Introduced to viewers in Season 3, Brie quickly established herself as one to watch after falling for the hedonistic charm of local bad boy Brady. As Jack’s younger sister, the hotshot lawyer had an incredibly promising legal career before moving to Virgin River, fleeing to the woodland town after being raped by one of her format colleagues. While we see the consequences of the traumatic incident play out across the series, there’s certainly more to dig deeper into prior to Brie’s arrival.
The main point of pursual for a prequel is the fact that Brie’s assaulter was never charged, nor did he face any consequences. As Virgin River fans know, Brie has continued to suffer at the hands of what happened to her – but who was she before her life changed for good? And does any of this explain why she’s continually drawn back to Brady?
Doc and Hope
As the Doctor and Mayor of Virgin River, Vernon “Doc” Mullins and Hope McCrea are essentially the town’s “it couple”. Both are incredibly popular and well-respected in the community, continuing to be instrumental in various plotlines across the seasons so far.
Therefore, it is odd how neither of them has an established backstory. Almost nothing is known about Hope before her arrival in Virgin River, although it’s heavily implied that Doc cheated on her around 20 years before the present day. There’s certainly more mileage in what’s been hidden away – particularly if it ends up implicating other residents.
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Preacher
Ah, lovely Preacher – what has he done to deserve his fate? Prior to the end of Season 5, he’s been stuck between a rock and a hard place after helping Paige in the aftermath of her abusive relationship. Now that Paige has left Virgin River for safety reasons, Preacher is left to pick up the pieces of a crime he didn’t commit.
As a former U.S. Marine, there are plenty of potential angles to take with Preacher’s story, especially because he isn’t predicted to have a huge deal of involvement in Season 6. If Virgin River can’t do Preacher the justice he deserves, then surely a spinoff series can.
Muriel
Another friendly face who doesn’t have much of a comprehensive backstory – but does have a tasty plot in the current show – is Muriel, who works as a secretary at the Doc’s surgery. Not only has she been sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong, but she’s also started an incredibly unexpected relationship with Cameron, who is at least 15 years her junior.
As possibly the only person in Virgin River who has had a fiery relationship with Hope, it could be a funny addition to explore their often-scathing friendship. At the same time, establishing some sort of background for Muriel could also help to strengthen her role in the main cast going forward.
Mel
Of course, the obvious spinoff is the one that deals with the original story – how Mel made the decision to move to Virgin River in the first place. Without her, none of us would be watching the show, so surely it makes a great deal of sense to honor the story we never saw. In the pilot episode, we meet Mel as a nurse practitioner who is in desperate need of a change of scene, drawing her to the quiet bliss of the woodland town… or so she thought.
This kind of spinoff could also be expanded by the source material – the popular book series by Robyn Carr. As many fans have pointed out over the years, the original novels differ greatly from the script that ended up being adapted for Netflix, with entire characters and plotlines being ruled out in favor of new additions. Establishing the changes in a spinoff could be a satisfying way of proving that Virgin River has more to offer than what’s already been seen.
While you wait for Virgin River Season 6, you can check out all the best new TV shows coming out in March here and catch up with the show’s essentials here:
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