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Sure, you could visit small-town America, but what’s the need when you have shows like Virgin River that’ll transport you through your TV screen? Between the gripping storylines and cozy backdrop, Virgin River is the perfect mix of heartwarming and dramatic. And season 6 is no exception! The latest episodes brought back familiar couples like Mel and her now-husband Jack, but it also introduced new characters—most notably, Mel’s biological parents, Sarah and Everett. Their arrival stirs up questions about Mel’s past and the town’s history, adding new layers to an already complicated story. Thankfully, the upcoming Virgin River prequel series is expected to fill in the blanks.

Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith teased the prequel in an interview with Deadline in December. But before you get too excited, take a moment to comb through a few important details about the new series ahead.

As of Smith’s most recent statement, the Virgin River prequel series is definitely in the works, but the production timeline remains up in the air. The good news is that the main cast is set in stone, with season 6 alums Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr set to reprise their roles as young Sarah and Everett. So, if the flashbacks featuring the couple in the 1970s caught your attention, you can look forward to the expansion of their love story in the prequel.

“[The prequel is] still in development, so I’m working on that now,” Smith told Deadline. “I personally see it a little bit like Queen Charlotte to Bridgerton. I think if there’s an opportunity to take what Virgin River as a book series was, which was each book was focusing on one couple and expanding the world outside of it, to put Sarah and Everett in the foreground of their own story, while populating, as Virgin River has, the world with supporting characters and other relationships—but all still running it through the romance lens—to me, is what defines a lot of what an expansion of the show and the franchise would be.”

Those who’ve watched Virgin River know that Mel’s mother, Sarah, passed away when Mel was a child. Her biological father’s identity long remained a mystery but was finally revealed to be a man named Everett (which we found out in the latter half of season 5). Season 6 revealed that Sarah and Everett met in the beautiful town of Virgin River, making them the town’s OG romance. The spinoff series will continue to explore how the two sparked a relationship and what ultimately went wrong in the end.

“So it’s still keeping things romance-forward, character-based, solid story engines, the beauty of the area, but then putting that in a time period that can inform some of the issues of the time, and that can still speak and feel relevant to issues of today,” he continued.

There is no confirmed premiere date for the prequel series; however, you can binge-watch all of Virgin River season 6 on Netflix.

Stay tuned for more info!