Meet the 'Virgin River' Season 7 Cast: Who's Who, Including the New Characters

One of Netflix’s longest-running dramas is Virgin River, an adaptation of the Robyn Carr eponymous romance book series. Virgin River charts nurse and midwife Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) arrival in town as she runs from a traumatic past, and tracks her journey as she gets acquainted with life in a small town. Over the course of the six-season run, she meets and falls in love with Jack (Martin Henderson), a barkeep and former Marine, and by the end of season 6, they’re happily married.

Thankfully, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith plans to keep it that way, though he teased a few other shake-ups for the characters. “I can’t imagine creating a scenario where you think Mel and Jack are going to break up,” Smith told Netflix. “It forces you to dig a little bit deeper into, well, what other issues can they have in their relationship?” Some of those obstacles might come in the form of new characters, at least one of whom is promised to be a fixture from Mel’s past who reappears in Virgin River.

Ahead, with season 7 out March 12, we’re refamiliarizing ourselves with the Virgin River cast and getting acquainted with the new faces we’ll be seeing around town in the feel-good series.

Your Guide to the Main 'Virgin River' Cast

Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe

Virgin River primarily follows Mel, a midwife and nurse practitioner who moves to the small town looking for a fresh start at the start of the series. By the end of season 6, she married her longtime boyfriend, Jack. According to showrunner Patrick Sean Smith, season 7 will “explore the honeymoon phase for them as they’re building their lives on the farm, which can come with its own obstacles.”

Alexandra Breckenridge, 43, began her career with the iconic teen comedies She’s the Man and Big Fat Liar. Before Virgin River, she starred in American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, and This Is Us.

Instagram: @alexandrabreck

Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan

Mel’s other half, Jack, is a local bar owner and Marine vet with lingering PTSD. While season 7 will bring challenges to their relationship, Smith reassures fans that any obstacles will be “resting on emotional stakes as opposed to will they, won’t they.”

Martin Henderson, 51, is probably best known for playing Dr. Nathan Riggs on Grey’s Anatomy. He also starred in Grey’s creator Shonda Rhimes’s short-lived drama Off the Map. He’s appeared in horror films like The Ring and X, and the cross-cultural romance drama Bride and Prejudice.

Instagram: @martinhendersonofficial

Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins

Doc is a local doctor in town and the husband of Virgin River’s mayor, Hope.

Tim Matheson, 78, is best known for starring in the comedies National Lampoon's Animal House and Van Wilder, and the TV dramas The West Wing and Hart of Dixie. He also voiced the 1960s animated series Jonny Quest. Matheson is also a TV director, helming episodes of shows including The Twilight Zone, Criminal Minds, Suits, Virgin River, and more.

Instagram: @tim_matheson_official

Annette O'Toole as Hope McCrea

Hope is the town’s mayor, and the wife of Doc. Smith expressed excitement about telling the story of their rekindled romance to Tudum because “it feels like nothing else anybody is doing on television.”

Annette O’Toole, 73, starred in Nash Bridges, Smallville, and the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s It. She also had recurring roles in shows like The Punisher and Halt and Catch Fire.

Instagram: @annetteotoole4152

Colin Lawrence as John "Preacher" Middleton

“Preacher” is a fellow Marine and close friend of Jack’s, and is the chef at Jack’s bar.

Colin Lawrence, 55, has appeared in hit shows like Battlestar Galactica, iZombie, The Killing, and Riverdale. In film, he appeared in the comic book adaptations Watchmen and Fantastic Four, as well as Fifty Shades Darker and Rememory.

Instagram: @colinlawrence97

Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady

Brady is another of Jack’s Marine veteran friends who is having a difficult time adjusting back into his civilian life. He has a romantic history with Jack’s sister Brie.

Aside from Virgin River, Benjamin Hollingsworth, 41, is best known for starring on the television dramas Code Black and Suits. Hollingsworth has also appeared in a handful of Christmas Hallmark movies, like Love Under the Olive Tree and The Christmas Ring.

Instagram: @hollingsworthb

Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie

An Angeleno, Lizzie is the niece of Hope’s friend Connie. She has had a troublemaking streak, and in season 7, she and Denny will navigate the highs and lows of expecting their first child.

Sarah Dugdale, 30, has appeared in episodes of Supernatural, Arrow, and Allegiance. She has also starred in several TV movies, including Death of a Cheerleader and the ripped-from-the-headlines movie The College Admissions Scandal.

Instagram: @sarahdugdale

Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan

Brie is Jack’s younger sister, who arrived in Virgin River to escape a traumatic past. Now, she’s embroiled in a love triangle between Brady and Mike, the latter of whom proposed to her at the end of season 6.

Zibby Allen, 45, has appeared in the CW series Nancy Drew, Scaredy Cats, The Good Doctor, The Twilight Zone, and For the People. She also starred in 30 Second Somebodies, a dramatization of the actors’s real lives as they go up for commercial jobs.

Instagram: @zibbyloo

Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler

Denny is Doc’s grandson and Lizzie’s partner, with whom he is expecting a child. In season 6, they grappled with Denny’s Huntington’s Disease and whether it might be passed on to their future daughter.

Kai Bradbury, 32, starred in the Canadian series Warigami and Motherland: Fort Salem. You may also recognize him from episodes of The Boys, The Terror, Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Imperfects, and Fire Country.

Instagram: @kaibury

Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela

Mike is the local police detective, another of Jack’s Marine vet friends, and Brie’s boyfriend. At the end of season 6, he proposes to Brie even though he knows she’s been sleeping with Brady.

Marco Grazzini, 45, had a memorable six-episode arc on the cult comedy hit Kim’s Convenience, and has also appeared in episodes of Heroes Reborn, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Murders. Like some of his costars, Grazzini has also starred in many Christmas-themed TV movies, including Designing Christmas, Lonestar Christmas, and Christmas Under the Lights.

Kandyse McClure as Kaia

Kaia is the fire chief of Virgin River. She’s been dating Preacher since season 5, when they came together during the town’s devastating wildfires.

Kandyse McClure, 45, starred as Anastasia Dualla in Battlestar Galactica and later appeared in the Netflix series Hemlock Grove. Her other credits include Higher Ground, Persons Unknown, Ghost Wars, and the 2018 Charmed reboot.

Instagram: @kandysemcclure

The New Cast Members in 'Virgin River' Season 7

Sara Canning as Victoria

One of the few new faces in season 7, Victoria is “a former cop now working for the state medical board investigating Doc's practice,” per Netflix.

Sara Canning, 38, notably starred on The Vampire Diaries, the TV adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the 2017 film War for the Planet of the Apes. She’s also appeared in a number of projects in her native Canada, including the rom-com The Right Kind of Wrong and the slasher Dark Match.

Instagram: @saracanning

Cody Kearsley as Clay

Clay is another new character in season 7. He’s described as “a tough, athletic kind of guy who gets noticed when he enters a room.” Clay worked on the rodeo circuit and is searching for his sister, whom he hasn’t seen in years, after they grew up in foster care.

You might recognize Cody Kearsley, 34, as Moose Mason from Riverdale or as Turbo Pokaski from Daybreak. Before those series, he appeared in the 2017 Power Rangers movie and the Bruce Willis film Breach.

Instagram: @codykearsley

Austin Nichols as Dr. Eli Kelly

At the start of season 7, little is known about Nichols’s mysterious doctor character—except that he’s a figure from Mel's past that will surely wreak some havoc in her blissful relationship.

Austin Nichols, 45, is best known for playing Julian Baker on the iconic 2000s teen drama One Tree Hill. He also appeared in the series The Walking Dead, Ray Donovan, Minx, and Bates Motel, as well as films like Wimbledon and The Day After Tomorrow. Most recently, he appeared in the 2025 slasher film sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Instagram: @austinnichols