Virgin River, Wednesday & 5 More Netflix Hits Delayed Till 2025

Summary

• As a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, many scripted shows are only now beginning filming, and some have not even begun production.
• Even the most anticipated shows that were originally scheduled to debut in 2023-2024 have been pushed back to 2025.
• This has affected many of Netflix 's hits.

The Hollywood labor disputes that erupted last May were unprecedented in their duration and in the massive public support they generated. Fortunately, both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA labor unions were able to reach agreements with the AMPTP, and production resumed on many highly anticipated films and series. However, in addition to the disrupted schedule, a number of other factors contributed to the significant postponement of originally scheduled releases.

In 2023, the impact of the strike was felt primarily in traditional broadcast television, as theaters and streaming services were flooded with other films and scripted shows that were produced before May. But 2024 will be the year we feel the full impact — the most popular projects that were supposed to be released this year have been delayed until 2025. This has affected many of Netflix's hit productions, which we'll talk about today.

Sweet Magnolias

One of the many shows that felt the effects of the strikes was this romantic cozy drama starring JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley. Season 3 ended without any major cliffhangers, and while Sherryl Wood's novels don't end here, and there are still plenty of romantic lines to be resolved, including those of Helen and Eric and Ty and Annie, many worried if this was the end. Fortunately not, as Netflix has renewed the series for Season 4.

Production is set to run from January to July 2024, so expect a new season in early 2025.

Ginny & Georgia

The show starring Brianne Howey and Antonia Gentry has been simultaneously renewed for a third and fourth season, but despite its massive ratings, don't expect it soon, as filming is not scheduled to begin until sometime this summer. Massive post-production is certainly not necessary for a character-driven series but considering the production time spent on the previous seasons, Season 3 should not be expected until the summer or fall of 2025 at the earliest.

Virgin River

The biggest loss for the cozy drama genre is that Virgin River Season 6 will not be released this year. It was announced that filming would take place from February 2 to May 17, but it seems that due to the weather in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, production will not begin until spring. Therefore, we should expect the new season in the summer of 2025, similar to when seasons 3 and 4 were released.

The Lincoln Lawyer

The third season was announced almost immediately after the second season, in August 2023, which shows how much of a priority Netflix is giving it. Unfortunately, it won't be released until 2025. But there is some good news, as filming has already started on January 18, 2024.

Wednesday

The strikes have also affected Wednesday with Jenna Ortega, co-produced by Tim Burton. Last year, it was reported that filming would begin in April 2024, but given Ortega's prolific work as an actress and executive producer, the active production phase could begin later. Well, Season 2 won't be released until 2025 anyway, so we're looking at a gap of more than two years.

Stranger Things

But the one that will have an even bigger gap is Stranger Things. The second half of Season 4 wasn't released until July 2022, so our wait will be an agonizing three years. Fortunately, production began in January, but given the show's emphasis on extensive VFX, post-production will take many months of work, meaning the earliest likely release window is summer-fall 2025.

One Piece

The new series, which joins the list of Netflix's flagship series based on the world-famous manga by Eichiro Oda, has been renewed for a second season just a few weeks after the first season was released, so the script for Season 2 is now complete. Although no details have been released, filming is expected to begin very soon. In any case, the hit fantasy series won't be released until 2025.