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‘Virgin River’ Makes Netflix History With an Early Renewal That No Other Scripted Drama Has Ever Earned

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Few shows have pulled off what ‘Virgin River’ has done at Netflix. The small-town romantic drama premiered in December 2019 and has quietly become one of the streamer’s most reliable hits, renewal after renewal. Now it has a new record.

The show has a habit of getting renewed early. Netflix renewed it for Season 8 one week after Season 7 wrapped production. Season 7 arrived on Netflix on March 12, 2026, and spent 4 weeks in the global top 10, with 175.6 million viewing hours and 21.2 million completed views.

Now Netflix has gone one step further. The streamer has renewed ‘Virgin River’ for Season 9, months before Season 8 has even arrived, cementing the Robyn Carr adaptation as Netflix’s longest-running original scripted drama series by number of seasons. Season 9 will have 10 episodes, bringing the show to 94 episodes in total.

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No other Netflix original series has aired more than 8 seasons to date. With the renewal, the show edges past Spanish teen drama ‘Elite’, which ran for 8 seasons. The road to this milestone has been long.

With Season 8, ‘Virgin River’ became the first adult Netflix original drama to reach an eighth season, moving past the 7-season runs of ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and ‘Grace and Frankie’. Season 9 will also take it past ‘Big Mouth’, which ended with its eighth season in 2025.

The numbers explain why Netflix keeps saying yes. The streamer shared Friday that the series has passed half a billion views across its 7 seasons, spent 28 weeks in the Global Top 10 and reached the top 10 in more than 80 countries.

The show’s leading couple was quick to celebrate. “I’m incredibly proud of our show and couldn’t be more thrilled to have the opportunity to continue into Season 9!” Alexandra Breckenridge, who plays Mel, told TVLine.

Her co-star was just as excited. “It’s staggering to think we are still making ‘Virgin River’ after all these years, and I’m delighted to get to play the role of Jack for the ninth straight season!” said Martin Henderson.

Jinny Howe, Netflix’s Head of Scripted Series for the U.S. and Canada, described the town as a place that feels like coming home for viewers around the world. She added that reaching this milestone shows how much fans love being part of the show’s community. Patrick Sean Smith returns as showrunner and executive producer for Season 9.

Fans still have plenty to look forward to before then. Season 8 wrapped production over the summer and is slated to launch in 2027. Last season ended on a major cliffhanger: Mel and Jack finally became parents, but had to rush their newborn son into emergency surgery.

Alongside the renewal, TODAY.com shared an exclusive first-look photo from the Season 8 premiere episode, showing Mel and Jack sharing a sweet moment with their baby boy. It’s a hopeful sign for anyone worried after that cliffhanger.

The renewal also comes during a period of change at the streamer. It arrived a month after Peter Rice joined Netflix as Chief Content Officer, and was handled by Jinny Howe, who stayed in her role after the executive shakeup and now reports to Rice.

The show hasn’t always been a favorite with critics, but its audience keeps showing up. ‘Virgin River’ has consistently been one of Netflix’s most-watched English-language shows. With 2 more seasons guaranteed, Mel and Jack’s story isn’t wrapping up anytime soon.

Are you excited that 'Virgin River' has been renewed for a record-breaking ninth season?

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