The fourth season of hit Netflix romance series Virgin River welcomes back its existing cast—the oddball, tight-night community of Virgin River, a fictional town in Northern California—while introducing a handful of new characters to shake things up. Central to season 4 of Virgin River are leads Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, who play Mel and Jack, the on-again off-again couple orbited by small-town drama, wholesome comedy, and the odd car crash/kidnapping/untimely death. (Not too much, mind you. Virgin River takes its inspiration from "slower" small-town shows like Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls—an antidote to the high-octane glossiness of shows like Succession.)
Two new characters were teased in the season 3 finale of Virgin River, and both get expanded roles in season 4. Meanwhile, a beloved face missing from season 3 finally returns. Let's dig into who's who in season 4 of Virgin River.
Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda "Mel" Monroe
Carrying the show, along with Henderson, is This Is Us star Breckenridge, who plays Mel Monroe. The series began with Mel moving to Virgin River to work as a nurse in a local practice after suffering an unspeakable loss. After a shaky start in the tiny, insular town, Mel settles in—and falls for local veteran and bar owner Jack Sheridan, played by Henderson. Season three ended with Mel telling Jack she was pregnant, but that the baby might not be his.
Speaking about her character, Breckenridge noted to Parade: "I think that Mel is an extremely patient person. I think that that’s innate in Mel, it just comes to her, she is that way. That’s the difference between us...She’s obviously very nurturing and she’s a caregiver by nature, but I think the patience is what eclipses Mel."
Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
Martin Henderson, the New Zealand actor you'll remember from The Ring—yes, that was his face that haunts your nightmares—and Britney Spears' "Toxic" video, plays Jack, the handsome, haunted veteran and owner of Jack's Bar. Throughout the show's last three seasons, Jack has taken most of Virgin River's blows: He's been shot, suffered badly from alcoholism and PTSD, and can't seem to hold down a relationship (although season three ended with Jack proposing to Mel—she didn't give him an answer). Going into season four, we're likely to find out who shot him and why, and we'll follow his journey to try to get joint custody over his twins with his ex-girlfriend, Charmaine.
In her interview with Parade, Mel noted of Jack: "Jack is kind of the male romantic archetype. He’s this handsome, rugged, heartfelt, romantic man. But he’s not without his own faults. He has a hard time connecting with his personal past and his PTSD. That becomes a really big issue for both of them in Season 4. Mel’s really trying to help him figure out how to handle that PTSD, but he’s really reluctant to get into it with anybody but himself and a bottle of whiskey."
Annette O'Toole as Hope McCrea
She's back! Due to COVID-19 filming restrictions, veteran actress McCrea—who plays the town's beloved mayor, Hope—wasn't able to join the rest of the cast in Vancouver for the filming of season three. The show wrote in McCrea's season 3 absence, sending Hope away to care for an ailing relative—but for season four, Hope is confirmed to be joining the cast once more. Unfortunately, Hope was badly injured in a car crash at the end of season three driving back for her best friend Lilly's funeral (oof).
In her own interview with Parade, McCrea noted: "Both of us have a lot of energy. We both are independent. I think we're both only children. Neither of us takes criticism well, although I'm much better at accepting it than she is. How we are not is I think she much more articulate—not now because of her brain injury, but hopefully, she'll get some of that back. She's able to express herself and weep. I admire her for being able to say things and kind of have very strong opinions about things are not feel reticent about expressing them. I admire that a lot."
Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins
Another acting veteran, Matheson plays the grumpy, kind Doc Mullins, the local doctor of Virgin River. Doc is also the ex-husband and now-fiancé to Hope McCrea, and was devastated to learn about her critical condition at the end of the last season. He's also Mel's boss at the clinic and close with both her and Jack.
"[He] sort of escaped the world of big business hospitals," Matheson explained to Interviews Magazine. "He was running a hospital in Seattle, Washington, he just decided it was not fun, and he wanted to get back to treating people one-on-one. So he moved to Virgin River, set up a clinic, and he’s the only doctor in town. The patients are all his friends mostly. He’s just sort of a healer. He wants to help people.
Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
Benjamin Hollingsworth plays Brady, the bad boy with a heart of gold. Last season, Brady fell in love with Brie—Jack's sister—and was, simultaneously, accused of being the person who shot Jack. Brady has gotten himself mixed up with Virgin River's drug-dealing underbelly in the past, and although he's tried to better himself since falling for Brie, it's anyone's guess how Brady will fare in season four.
"In season 4, Brady has to navigate that balance between obligations of people that he needs to protect, and standing up and being a man to Brie in a way that is not what culture really understands as being a man," Hollingsworth told EW. "It's more about supporting. We don't see Brady take vengeance. We don't see Brady actively protect Brie. He does it passively, in regard to a number of threats that arise."
Zibby Allen as Brie
Grey's Anatomy alum Allen plays Brie, Jack's hotshot lawyer sister who traded the city for a slow life in Virgin River—and for Brady, who Brie unexpectedly falls for. Brie ended season three caught between her brother and Brady, who may or may not have shot him.
Speaking to TODAY, Allen said, "I think Brie has this really strong sense of right and wrong and justice — that’s what her whole career has been around. So regardless of whatever PTSD she’s suffering, and how she’s trying to sort of regain a sense of herself in this one area of her life, one thing she’s never (forgotten how to do is) listen to herself...I think it leaves a little bit of room for her to go, “Well, what’s really going on here? You know, Jack doesn’t remember all the details of that night. And I know Brady in this one way nobody else seems to know him.” She tries to play it cool, but she really puts on her lawyer hat in Season Four and helps with that."
Colin Lawrence as Preacher
Lawrence plays Preacher, the town's resident voice of reason. Preacher served with Jack in the military; now, he's the head chef and Jack's partner at the bar. Last season, Preacher took over custody of his romantic interest Paige's son, Christopher, when Paige went on the run from her abusive ex-husband. Unfortunately, the season ended with Preacher being tricked by a former friend of Paige's and drugged so that Christopher's father could kidnap him.
"Preacher's character has very strong feelings for Paige, " Lawrence told EW. "He's done some questionable things to keep her safe. He's got quite the moral compass, but he crossed the line for her safety. He tends to be a character who is loyal to a fault."
Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
Charmaine, Jack's former on-off girlfriend, finished season three as an (almost) villain in her own right, promising Jack a full-fledged custody battle over the twins—who are Jack's biological children—if he tried to seek rights to them. No spoilers here, but we see a dramatic twist in that storyline at the end of season four.
Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey as Ricky
Maxwell Gurnsey brought some youthful sweetness to the show in the form of Ricky, a devoted grandson to Lydie and a server at Jack's Bar. Last season, we saw Ricky reveal to his girlfriend Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) that he planned to join the Marines, effectively ending his and Lizzie's relationship.
Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
Joining the cast of Virgin River for season four is Denny, played by Bradbury, who showed up at the end of season three asking about Doc Mullins. The reason? He's Doc's grandson, he says. Which is unexpected, because Doc never had any children (well, that he knew of).
"You want Denny to be lovable, but yes, it was actually quite challenging to navigate the red herrings, the twists, the turns. Because Denny is hiding a very big secret and has been through a lot, this kind of mask was over him," explains Bradbury to TV Fanatic. "It was a challenge to reveal who Denny actually is to the core."
Speaking to EW, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith noted, "What we get in season 5 is a much clearer picture of who Denny is and what he's going through, and the relationships that he forms as people in the town and people close to him in his life start to become a support system for it and create stronger bonds between them all."
Mark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek
The only totally new face in the season 4 cast of Virgin River is Dr. Hayek, played by Ghanimé, who joins Mel and Doc as the clinic's second doctor. Per Deadline: "Armed with eye-catching good looks, a razor-sharp intellect, and a smile that could light up the world, Cameron makes an immediate splash in town—especially with the ladies of Virgin River."
Speaking to TV Line, Breckenridge said, "I was surprised in the [season premiere] at how bold [the character] was. In one of those first scenes, he says, ‘You called me attractive.’ Mel is like, “Wow, that’s not what I meant.’ He didn’t know she had a boyfriend at the time, but it was pretty forward. Mel really took it in stride and was relatively kind about it. The old Mel would have chewed him alive for it.”