Fans of the popular drama Virgin River are already expressing their discontent with the introduction of two new characters, who are set to appear in multiple flashbacks and potentially even land their own spin-off series.
The show, which primarily revolves around nurse practitioner Mel Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge) and her romance with local bar owner Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) in the quaint Northern California town, took an unexpected turn in season five.
One of the major plot twists was the revelation of Mel’s biological father, Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson). It has been confirmed that the story of how Everett met Mel’s late mother, Sarah, will be explored in the upcoming season, with actors Callum Kerr and Jessica Rothe taking on the roles.
Furthermore, Virgin River’s producers are considering a spin-off series to delve deeper into their backstory.
However, this news has been met with scepticism from the Virgin River fanbase, with many labelling the upcoming flashbacks as a “waste of time”, reports the Mirror US.
One fan shared their predictions for season six on Reddit, stating: “But, beyond the basic and expected: we know we’re going Mel/Jack romance, the whole perfect wedding, the story of Mel’s parents (totally unnecessary and a waste of screen time IMO), the triangle between Brie (Zibby Allen)/Mike (Marco Grazzini)/Brady (Ben Hollingsworth).”
Several fans have taken to social media to voice their criticisms of the prequel scenes, which are quickly becoming the most contentious aspect of the upcoming season.
“I think I’m going to hate these purported flashbacks this season. Fast forwarding through that [poop emoji],” one viewer responded.
Another chimed in: “I agree. Nor, am I interested in a spin off focused on their story.”
The introduction of flashbacks has been a bone of contention amongst fans, particularly as there’s reports that characters Everett and Sarah might be getting their own spin-off.
One Reddit user succinctly summarised a recent article about the backlash: “It’s clear [the showrunners] want to make a claim on their very own show whilst riding on the series’ inherited popularity.
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Sky“Apparently that spin off hasn’t been green lit yet, they may need [to] wait to see the viewers’ reaction to the flashbacks introduced in S6 before getting the go.
“I tend to agree with the article that they may have missed a trick by not choosing already known and loved characters and exploring their backstories in the early days of Virgin River.”
Should Netflix have perhaps delved into the backstory of Vernon ‘Doc’ Mullins (Tim Matheson) and Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole) or another fan-favourite duo?
Regardless, the potential Virgin River spin-off is still anticipated to be a hit for the streaming giant, especially as it recently became its longest-running ongoing English-language series with the confirmation of a seventh season.
Virgin River season 6 is available to stream on Netflix.