Virgin River is reportedly gearing up for two major departures and some returns in Season 8. Over the years, the Netflix romantic drama has undergone significant cast shakeups. However, it has, for the most part, managed to remain stable.
The seventh installment recently premiered, throwing viewers back into Mel and Jack’s world. It takes place after their wedding, which occurred at the end of the last season. In the new chapter, the pair tries to adopt a baby after multiple failed attempts to conceive one of their own, tackling new challenges along the way.
Who is leaving and returning in Virgin River Season 8
Marco Grazzini, who plays Mike Valenzuela, and Lauren Hammersley, who plays Charmaine Roberts, are leaving Virgin River in Season 7 and will not appear in Season 8. The former recurred throughout Season 2 and was a series regular for Seasons 3-7. Meanwhile, the latter starred in the first four seasons and recurred in the subsequent ones.
With their exits, they join other cast members who have departed. These include Grayson Gurney (Ricky), who left after Season 4, and Mark Ghanimé (Dr. Cameron), who bid adieu after Season 6. Although neither will appear in the eighth installment, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told Deadline that the door would be open for their return after it.
Smith said that Valenzuela would be “on the back burner for a little while” until the creatives have written a storyline for him. He added, “We have so many relationships already that I think a little bit of that was just a sort of happy ending for this chapter for Mike to find his way back to Victoria and to explore what happens there. But I love Marco and could see his character coming back in a more substantive role if the creative is right.”
Meanwhile, for Charmaine, the showrunner said that, while she would not appear in Season 8, despite being absent for much of Season 7, he was interested in bringing her back at “the right time” for “something other than more cliffhangers and more lies on pregnancies.”
In addition to the pair, Sara Canning, who recurred in Season 7 as Victoria, Mike’s rebound love interest after Jack’s sister Brie rejected his proposal, is also not returning.
Meanwhile, expected to return for Season 8 are the rest of Virgin River’s series regulars, including Ben Hollingsworth’s Brady. Joining them is Cody Kearsley, who will reprise Clay, Jack’s mysterious ranch hand. Also returning in recurring capacities are Teryl Rothery as Muriel and John Allen Nelson as Everett, Mel’s biological father.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on ComingSoon.
