Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Virgin River Season 6!
During the newest season of Virgin Riverone episode serves as a backdoor pilot for the first spinoff set in Virgin River universe. Since its debut in 2019, Virgin River has gained a significant fanbase, leading to six seasons, with season 7 already on the way. The show follows Mel, a nurse, who moves to the titular town and falls in love with Jack Sheridan, a Marine turned bar owner.
Virgin River had potential for different main characters, considering Robyn Carr's books switched main characters, but Netflix chose to focus on Mel and Jack. However, this leaves a lot of room for spinoffs set in the same city. Fortunately, one is already in the works, and Virgin River Season 6 provided a backdoor pilot that helps audiences know what to expect.
Virgin River Season 6 Episode 2 Is Essentially a Backdoor Pilot for the Sarah & Everett Prequel Show in Development
In Virgin River In Season 6, Episode 2, viewers get an insight into the story of Sarah – Mel's mother – and Everett – her father. The flashbacks take place in 1972. Everett stops to pick up Sarah, who is hitchhiking to a peace march in San Francisco. Along the way, the pair end up in the town of Virgin River – the place they will eventually call home. After the mechanic fixes the car, he takes her to his gear and they part ways. Sarah tells Everett that she will find him instead of giving him a direct way to contact her.
Since Mel wants to know more about her parents' past, the inclusion doesn't feel forced. Her parents' story also furthers Mel's character, helping her find closure over the loss of her mother in the Virgin River season 6 finale. However, the episode actually functions as a backdoor pilot for the first spinoff. The books change main characters, maintaining the same setting. Likewise, the Virgin RiverThe Sarah and Everett prequel will follow Sarah and Everett's romance in the town of the same name before she meets Joey's biological father.
Virgin River showrunner Patrick Sean Smith was smart to introduce the prequel through a backdoor pilot rather than releasing it separately from the original. There's an inherent challenge with spinoffs and prequels when they focus on characters who aren't central to the original show. It's an uphill battle to convince audiences to watch. Following the path of a backdoor pilot, viewers get a sense of the look, mood, and personality of the show's characters.
Who Plays Young Sarah and Everett in Virgin River Season 6
In season 6 of Virgin River, Young Sarah and young Everett are played by actors Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerrrespectively. Jessica Roth was born in Denver, Colorado on May 28, 1987, and got her big break playing Tree Gelbman in the 2017 horror comedy. Happy death day and the 2019 sequel Happy Death Day 2U. Although she started out on TV, she has mostly appeared in films. In addition to her prominent role, she is best known for acting in La La Terra (2016), All my life (2020), Valley Girl (2020), and Boy kills the world (2023).
Callum Kerr is less established than his counterpart, but shows as much promise in his performance as Everett. Kerr was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 11, 1994, and got his big break playing PC George Kiss in the soap opera Hollyoaks from 2020 to 2021. He is best known for performing in shows Monarch (2022) and Flowers in the attic: the origin (2022). Kerr will play Smoker in season 2 of Netflix's live-action film One piece adaptation and Lord Galad of House Trakand in The Wheel of Time season 3.
Will Virgin River's Sarah & Everett Prequel Show Happen? What the cast and crew said
Virgin River Season 6 changes the books by expanding the focus on Mel's parentage, a decision that allows the network to explore options for a prequel. Although Netflix officially confirmed the spinoff, not much information has been released since then. The showrunner confirmed Deadline which is in development now. He also told Swooon that he thinks there are a lot of stories to explore in the prequel, including the love between Sarah and Everett, as well as Hope's story (via Collider).
To be clear, there is no guarantee that Netflix will pick up a show in development for production. However, if it does make it to production, viewers can expect a roughly year-long turnaround based on Virgin Riverprevious production and release schedules. A significant factor in Netflix moving forward with the spinoff will be the success of seasons 6 and 7 of the original show.