Following the unquestionable success of Virgin River, Netflix has ordered a prequel, and one similar show on the streaming service has set the bar exponentially high for the upcoming series. Virgin River premiered in December 2019 and was an immediate hit among critics and subscribers, resulting in multiple renewals. The romantic drama television show, developed by Sue Tenney and based on Robyn Carr’s book series of the same name, is going on its sixth season, which likely won’t be released until 2025. However, fans can expect a lot more from this universe in the future.

The Virgin River prequel will revolve around Mel Monroe’s parents’ romance, decades before Mel arrived in the small California town in the original show’s pilot episode. As fans might recall, Virgin River season 5, part 2 ended with Mel finally meeting her biological father, Everett “Champ” Reid. Season 6 will undoubtedly explore the father/daughter relationship between Mel and Everett. Meanwhile, the prequel will take viewers back to the days before Mel was born and feature the budding romance between Everett and Sarah.

Virgin River Is Another Netflix Romance Prequel After Queen Charlotte’s Huge Success

The Bridgerton prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story received positive reviews and performed extremely well on Netflix worldwide. Plus, it received a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, it makes sense why the streaming service would want to develop a Virgin River prequel. According to CNBC, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was Netflix’s fifth most-watched show in 2023, with subscribers logging in over 500 million hours spent watching the historical romantic drama limited series’ six episodes. Given its dominance and the already-established popularity of Virgin River, a prequel of the romantic drama show just makes sense.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ s success proves that Netflix can produce high-quality spinoffs of its shows.

Since Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was an impressive triumph, Netflix will likely take the prequel approach with many of its prominent original series. Of course, there will likely be more Bridgerton spinoffs and the streaming service has greenlit the new Virgin River show. However, one shouldn’t be surprised if Netflix orders additional prequels (or spinoffs) of its hit series.

Queen Charlotte’s Quality Bodes Well For The Virgin River Prequel

Bridgerton and Virgin River have many differences, as one takes place in the late 1700s and 1800s while the other is set in the present. However, both of their stories are rooted in romance, and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story‘s success proves that Netflix can produce high-quality spinoffs of its shows. The Bridgerton prequel was enthralling from beginning to end, and its narrative thoughtfully enhanced the original series. Consequently, expectations for the Virgin River prequel are high (but the future show is still promising).