What we know so far.

If you’ve ever wished you could spend more time in Virgin River, the charming and idyllic fictional Northern California town featured in the Netflix series of the same name, we’ve got good news! According to Deadline, a Virgin River prequel is in the works!

“[The prequel is] still in development, so I’m working on that now,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith revealed to the outlet in December. “I personally see it a little bit like Queen Charlotte to Bridgerton. I think if there’s an opportunity to take what Virgin River as a book series was, which was each book was focusing on one couple and expanding the world outside of it, to put Sarah and Everett in the foreground of their own story, while populating, as Virgin River has, the world with supporting characters and other relationships—but all still running it through the romance lens—to me, is what defines a lot of what an expansion of the show and the franchise would be.”

Courtesy of Netflix

For those that haven’t watched the latest season of Virgin River—season 6 dropped on December 19—Sarah and Everett are Mel’s mom and birth father. In the new season, scenes pan back and forth between the modern day and the 1970s, when her parents met and fell in love. And just over the course of a few flashbacks, it’s clear to see that the pair shared a romance that could easily be made into its own storyline.

“It’s still keeping things romance-forward, character-based, solid story engines, the beauty of the area, but then putting that in a time period that can inform some of the issues of the time, and that can still speak and feel relevant to issues of today, which I think is what Virgin River itself has done beautifully in its balance of not being so boxy, but also having something to say that still matters,” Smith added.

As it currently stands, Smith hasn’t revealed a timeline for when fans can expect the series to drop. Nevertheless, we remain thrilled for news of a Virgin River universe expansion, whenever it may be.