Virgin River Severely Lacks Inclusivity, But Netflix Is Already On It
Tune in to season 5 to judge it for yourself.
When you're running a show with a focus on heterosexual romance where the majority of the characters are white, it's only a matter of time before the various allegations of bias start coming in.
While the topic itself is quite controversial, considering there are viewers who don't see a problem with some groups being underrepresented just because the story doesn't require their presence at the moment, Netflix has always taken such accusations seriously. That's why Season 5 of Virgin River might surprise you with new characters and storylines.
Back in 2022, after season 4 of the show was released, Netflix's head of drama Jinny Howe made a statement in an interview with Deadline about the current state of Virgin River and where the show is headed in terms of diversity and inclusivity:
“Without getting specific, I will say that that continues to be a focus. Some of our early casting conversations for season 5, I think it’s fair to say that that is going to continue to be a focus. <...> It’s definitely a priority, and I think you will see, as we expand the Virgin River community, that there will be more diversity and inclusion,” she said.
Fortunately, that turned out to be true. While Virgin River is still far from diverse, and not everyone will feel represented after watching it, the show has taken some steps to include more voices and stories.
For example, in the first 10 episodes of season 5, which premiered on Netflix on September 7, viewers were introduced to Tara's older sister Ava, who mentioned her coming out and ex-relationship with a woman who stole her cat, and a same-sex couple, Johnny and Adrian.
None of these characters are regulars on the show, so there's not too much to explore in terms of their backgrounds and stories, but it feels like a nice step forward and a promise to keep moving in the right direction. It's a shame it took Virgin River 5 years to take these steps in the first place, but better late than never.
If you haven't had a chance to watch the first part of Virgin River season 5, you can stream the episodes on Netflix. Be sure to mark November 30th on your calendar so you don't miss out on the two-part holiday special!
Source: Deadline