Virgin River's Prequel to Repeat Bridgerton's Most Successful Trick

Summary

• Virgin River has proven to be extremely popular since its release in 2019.
• It has similarities to Bridgerton.
• Fans of Mel Monroe will learn more about her family history.

Virgin River has been a huge hit for Netflix, regularly racking up around 2 billion viewing hours per week. Fans were captivated by the love story of Mel and Jack almost as soon as the nurse moved from LA to the small town of Virgin River and laid eyes on the local bar owner.

At first glance, Virgin River and Bridgerton may seem worlds apart. But there are some similarities that the streaming service seems to have picked up on.

Small town, big story

In many ways, Virgin River and Bridgerton are nothing alike. One is a period drama set amid lavish opulence, while the other is a contemporary tale of small-town life.

But they share two major themes:

1. A love story that captures the audience's imagination
2. A supporting cast that adds depth to the show

Mel and Jack have certainly had their ups and downs in Virgin River, which adds authenticity to the relationship. But they're not the only couple trying to navigate life together.

Doc and Hope make a great pair, Preacher & Kaia are hiding a huge secret, and both Brie and Brady have had to move on from what once seemed like a solid relationship. Then there's the friends-with-benefits complication between Jack and Charmaine.

All of this has allowed the production team to explore life in Virgin River without showing everything through the lens of the main protagonists. There's no doubt that Mel and Jack are the main couple, but the rest of the story feels like it complements theirs, not just happens in the background.

Similarly, Bridgerton had a large cast of characters with multiple subplots that made the world (which, let's face it, didn't really look authentic) feel real.

Fans loved the Queen Charlotte prequel

Netflix struck gold with Queen Charlotte. After the success of Bridgerton, they decided to go further back in time and put meat on the bones of Queen's backstory, and despite initial fan concerns (everyone was waiting for their Benophie and Polin fix, who cares about Charlotte?), the prequel turned out to be heartfelt and heartbreaking, further cementing the Bridgeverse as one of Netflix's staples.

Now the streaming service is looking to replicate this success with a Virgin River prequel. And it looks like they're going to do so by leveraging one of the standout moments from season 5.

Mel's dad is back in her life for season 6

Season 5, Part 2 ended with Mel's dad coming back into her life and immediately dropping a bombshell.

'I have something to tell you,' he said just before the credits rolled. We don't know what that something is yet, but we're told it's going to be a major part of the story in Season 6. That almost certainly means we'll learn more about Mel and her dad's past. And things will be set up perfectly for the prequel, which will go back to before Mel was born.

The prequel will explore the beginning of Everett and Sarah's relationship

With a deceased mother and estranged father, Mel's family life and backstory has always been something of an unknown in the series. Everett's return to her life creates a new avenue for the show to explore. Regardless of what his big reveal is, there is a new dimension to Mel's life.

Rumor has it that there will be flashbacks throughout Season 6 that will help tell the story of how Everett and Sarah came together. Not only will this round out Mel's character, but it will also tie into the prequel that will tell the love story of Mel's mom and dad.

By introducing it this way, the two shows will be tied together and interest in the prequel will be heightened before we know anything more about it.