Virgin River season six saw Preacher cleared of murder charges after just one day in court, but fans couldn’t help but mock the ‘unrealistic’ storyline.

The sixth season of Virgin River was a rollercoaster, featuring everything from an idyllic wedding to shocking betrayals and medical crises.

As Mel Monroe (portrayed by Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) were busy planning their wedding, Jack’s best friend Preacher (Colin Lawrence) found himself fighting to clear his name.

With the help of his new girlfriend Kaia Bryant (Kandyse McClure) and sharp-witted lawyer Brie (Zibby Allen), Jack’s sister, he faced trial for the murder of Wes (Steve Bacic), the abusive former husband of Preacher’s ex Paige (Lexa Doig).

Jack, initially called in to testify against him, vouched for his best friend’s character and, thanks to a compelling speech from Brie, he was acquitted of murder and walked free with some community service.

Fans were likely delighted with the outcome, although one puzzled viewer couldn’t resist pointing out how conveniently Preacher escaped the tricky situation, reports the Mirror US.

Virgin River fans blast ‘unrealistic’ plot hole that made them ‘laugh out loud’ (Image: NETFLIX)

They took to Reddit with a post titled “One day murder trial”, highlighting the absurdity of the scenario out of context.

“I got such a good laugh at the one day murder trial,” the fan added. “In another show maybe they could have pulled off a murder trial in one episode.

“But in VR, a woman was pregnant for [five] seasons and here is something that would normally take months boiled down to one episode and what appeared to be one day in the characters’ lives. Lol. Timelines on this show are so funny.”

Jack’s former sweetheart Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) and her prolonged pregnancy have left Virgin River audiences bemused, with her only having the twins at season five’s conclusion.

Jack Sheridan defends his best friend (Image: NETFLIX)

US murder trials typically span weeks, or even months, leaving some fans perplexed when the events were hastily concluded within a solitary episode.

One perplexed fan retorted: “I laughed out loud when that episode ended with a mistrial and then Brie just being like ‘How about 300 hours of community service?’ and the prosecution being like, ‘eh, okay sure.’ WHAT!?”

Another added their confusion: “And he gets to be home the whole time! No way.”

To which another exclaimed in disbelief: “Without even an ankle monitor!! Did he spend ANY time in jail?!”

A further viewer criticised the disproportionate duration of Brie’s harrowing ordeal with Don (James Kot).

Preacher’s trial was seemingly over within a matter of hours (Image: NETFLIX)

“Don’s sexual assault trial lasted longer than Preacher’s murder trial! LOL,” they declared with irony.

Highlighting additional flaws, they noted: “It was so unrealistic that Paige was not there. It was in the prosecution’s interest for her *not* to appear so they could pin it on Preach, so I get that part, but any good defense attorney would have told him that they didn’t care how badly he wanted to protect her, she needed to show up.

“Brie messed up in more ways than just missing the voicemail from Jack’s phone.”

While viewers are undoubtedly relieved to see Preacher avoid jail time, the swift resolution of what could have been a captivating subplot throughout the season has left some fans feeling somewhat let down.

Virgin River is available to stream on Netflix.