‘Virgin River’ Actor Leaves After Playing [Spoiler] — But Could They Return in the Future?

Virgin River is going full steam ahead for season 7 — minus one actor who has officially left the hit Netflix series.

After the sixth season premiered on Thursday, December 19, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith was asked about actor Mark Ghanimé‘s future on the show as Cameron, to which he exclusively told Us Weekly, “I love that relationship, and, I think this season saw a little bit of a sendoff for Cameron. In terms of Mark, the actor who I adore, he unfortunately won’t be coming back for season 7.”

Smith didn’t rule out a potential return in the future. “But that’s not to say that Cameron’s not a part of our world forever,” he added. “I would love to bring him back, and bring his character back when the story presents itself.”

Ghanimé, 47, joined Virgin River in season 4 as a new face at Doc’s clinic and a love interest for Mel. Things fizzled out for Cameron and Mel quickly and he subsequently reconnected with Muriel but had to part ways when his ex reentered the picture. Cameron and Muriel initially called it quits in season 5, but he came back after finding out about her breast cancer diagnosis.

Elsewhere in the season, Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally got married. The pair were in for a surprise, however, when a local teen girl asked Mel to adopt her baby.

Tim Matheson as Doc, Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler and Mark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek

“With Marley and that situation, we will continue to see Mel and Jack move down their path towards parenthood,” Smith explained to Us. “We get to live in the newlywed bliss that they have and the challenges that come with that as a new married couple.”

He added: “I think that with the pace at which we’re moving comfortably gives us a lot of opportunity to just keep telling more and more stories for as many seasons to come as possible.”

There’s also a love triangle to worry about after exes Brie (Zibby Allen) and Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) slept together. Fans of the fictional couple didn’t get to see them ride off into the sunset, however, after they broke the news of their infidelity to Brie’s boyfriend, Mike (Marco Grazzini). Instead, Mike chose to propose to her, which left Brie conflicted.

“A good love triangle is only as strong as the options you’re presenting, and also looking at the influence that [Brie’s] choice would have on her life,” Smith noted to Us. “So imagining what her future could look like with Brady compared to what it could look like with Mike. And I think that’s where it works really well.”

Virgin River is currently streaming on Netflix and has already been renewed for season 7.