Virgin River, the beloved sleeper hit show, has become a staple in the hearts of fans. It has really found its groove on Netflix in particular, and the success of the recently released fifth season is proof of that.
Created by Sue Tenney and featuring stars like Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, the show has successfully woven a cheesy yet bankable tale of love, drama, and community against the backdrop of the picturesque Virgin River.
In the latest development, the second part of season five took an enchanting turn as it embraced the festive spirit with a couple of Christmas-centric episodes. Fans were treated to a surprise as the show leapt forward a few months to Christmas. Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) is seen preparing for her family’s first Virgin River Christmas with her sister Joey (Jenny Cooper).
The holiday-themed episodes, launched on November 30th, utilised the diligent efforts of the production team in bringing Christmas to life in Virgin River. A sneak peek shared by Netflix in a video highlighted the festive decorations, a Christmas tree light competition, and the town’s overall enchanting ambience during the holiday season.
Series director Gail Harvey told Netflix in the video, “Mel and Jack are decorating the tree. And then we’re doing a Christmas dinner. The entire family’s here, and it’s in Jack’s Bar. And Jack’s Bar is totally decorated for Christmas. It’s incredible.”
Henderson talked to Tudum a little bit about the festive episodes, “The community event [in Virgin River] is the Christmas tree light competition. So, of course, Hope and Doc are very competitive about that. Everyone’s trying to outdo each other.”
“We have ice skating, we have snowflakes,” Henderson continued. “What else do we have? The Sheridans come to town. Mel’s family’s not there, except for Joey and Nate and their kids. And there’s a bit of drama around that. And then we have the big Sheridan family Christmas, but of course, my parents are in the middle of a divorce, so there’s a little bit of tension there, to say the least. Jack and Brie have to be the brokers of peace. So there’s lots. It’s just your typical Virgin River Christmas!”
You can head over to Netflix to check out the behind-the-scenes video.
I love them so much 🫶🏻#virginriver pic.twitter.com/kP9HgyQMFF
— ilaria (@justafangrl_) December 2, 2023