Virgin River’s showrunner has revealed plans for a brand new prequal series, delving into the past and focusing on Mel Monroe’s parents – although not all fans are happy.

Set to explore the backstory of Mel’s parents, Everett and Sarah, which was hinted at in the sixth season, the upcoming series has managed to create a buzz among viewers.

Season six showed Mel attempting to connect with her biological father, Everett, after revelations about her mother’s affair, offering glimpses of a younger version of her parents through flashbacks set in the 60s. This paved the way for the announced prequel.

Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith reassured fans that the prequel will stay true to the original series by being “romance-forward” and “character-based,” tackling Sarah and Everett’s saga along with touching upon the era’s cultural and social challenges.

A Virgin River prequel is in the works ( 
Image:
NETFLIX)
As Patrick told Variety, “We wanted to dissect more of Everett and Sarah’s relationship, not just their romance but also the origins of Virgin River itself in the 1970s.”

However, as the news made it to fans, some turned to Reddit to voice their opinions, questioning the focus on Mel with one user posting, “Why a Mel based prequel? She’s not even a likeable character,” prompting a thread of similar sentiments.

One fan expressed their preference for a different backstory, commenting, “Agreed! ! A prequel about Doc, or about a Virgin River at the beginning would be much better. I hate that Mel’s parents show up… after that in my opinion the whole series is sinking.”

Meanwhile, another viewer was less than impressed with the recent season’s storytelling, remarking, “The flashbacks were a snooze-fest this season. The thought of a spin-off based on those two is just ‘NO THANKS.'”

And a third added their critique, saying, “Those flashbacks were horribly boring. I felt like the writers were grasping for straws on that one and should’ve just not done it. It was also just dumb and not remotely believable.”

Some viewers also noted discrepancies between the show and its source material, the novels by Robyn Carr. One fan pointed out, “This storyline was created for the prequel. In the books Mel’s parents were her biological parents. Didn’t like any of it and definitely would not watch the prequel.”

Echoing this sentiment, another fan emphasized the richness of the original material, stating, “They have such good source material – the books – which they are ignoring.”