Quick answer: If you love Virgin River, start with Sullivan’s Crossing on Netflix, which comes from the same author, Robyn Carr, or Sweet Magnolias on Netflix for small-town friendship and romance. Virgin River streams only on Netflix, where Season 7 arrived on March 12, 2026, and Season 8 began filming in April 2026 with no release date yet.
Virgin River has seven seasons on Netflix, and the seventh dropped all ten episodes on March 12, 2026. Netflix renewed the show for an eighth season back in July 2025, before Season 7 even premiered, and filming on Season 8 began on April 22, 2026. Netflix has not announced a premiere date, so the next trip to Mel and Jack’s town may not come until 2027. While you wait, plenty of shows offer the same mix of small-town warmth, healing romance and neighbors who show up for each other. If Virgin River sits on your list of the Netflix series everyone is binge-watching in 2026, the picks below are grouped by what you probably liked most, and each lists where it streams in the US right now.
If You Liked the Small-Town Romance and Comfort
1. Sullivan’s Crossing (Netflix)
Seasons: 4 · Renewed for Season 5
The closest relative on this list comes from the same writer. Robyn Carr wrote both the Virgin River books and the Sullivan’s Crossing novels, and the TV version follows Maggie Sullivan, a Boston neurosurgeon who retreats to her estranged father’s campground in Nova Scotia after a professional scandal. There she meets Cal, played by Chad Michael Murray, a quiet newcomer with his own past. Scott Patterson, Luke from Gilmore Girls, plays her father. Like Virgin River, it pairs a medical career with a slower life in the woods. The first four seasons stream on Netflix, and The CW picked up a fifth season in July 2026.
2. Sweet Magnolias (Netflix)
Seasons: 5 · Season 5 released June 2026
Three lifelong friends in Serenity, South Carolina, lean on each other through divorce, money trouble, raising teenagers and new romance, usually over margaritas. Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue open a spa together in the first season, and the town’s gossip, church events and high school games fill out the rest of the story. It has the same cozy, everyone-knows-everyone feel as Virgin River, with a bit more focus on friendship than on a single couple. Based on the novels by Sherryl Woods, the show is a Netflix original. Season 5 premiered on June 11, 2026, and all five seasons stream on Netflix.
3. Chesapeake Shores (Hallmark+)
Seasons: 6 · Complete (2016 to 2022)
Abby O’Brien, a divorced mother of twins working in finance, goes home to her family’s seaside town in Maryland and has to face her complicated parents, her siblings and the old flame she left behind. Jesse Metcalfe plays that former boyfriend, now a musician, and Treat Williams plays her father. Like Sweet Magnolias, it is based on books by Sherryl Woods. Fans of Virgin River’s family secrets and slow-burn romance will feel at home in the O’Brien family’s big house by the water. All six seasons stream on Hallmark+, which you can add through Amazon or Apple TV.
4. Gilmore Girls (Hulu and Prime Video)
Seasons: 7 · Complete (2000 to 2007)
Stars Hollow, Connecticut, is the town every small-town drama since has tried to copy. Lorelai Gilmore and her teenage daughter Rory talk fast, drink too much coffee and spend a lot of time at Luke’s Diner, run by the grumpy Luke Danes. If Jack’s bar is your favorite spot in Virgin River, Luke’s will feel very familiar, and the town meetings, festivals and quirky neighbors give it the same sense of community. The romance builds slowly over years. All seven seasons stream on Hulu and on Prime Video in the US.
If You Liked the Medical Drama and Frontier Life
5. Doc Martin (Acorn TV)
Seasons: 10 · Complete (2004 to 2022)
Martin Clunes plays Dr. Martin Ellingham, a gifted London surgeon who develops a fear of blood and takes a job as the only doctor in Portwenn, a tiny fishing village in Cornwall. He is rude, blunt and has no bedside manner, which makes him the opposite of Mel Monroe, but the setup will sound familiar: a big-city doctor, a small town full of odd patients, and a slow, awkward romance with the local schoolteacher, Louisa. It is lighter and funnier than Virgin River, with a British sense of humor. All ten seasons stream on Acorn TV in the US.
6. When Calls the Heart (Hallmark+)
Seasons: 13 · Renewed for Season 14
Elizabeth Thatcher, a wealthy young teacher from the city, takes a job in a small coal mining town in western Canada in the early 1900s. She has to win over the locals, survive frontier life and, of course, fall for a Mountie. The show is set a century before Virgin River, but it shares the same themes: an outsider who becomes part of a close town, romance that takes its time, and neighbors who rally in a crisis. It is based on the books by Janette Oke. Season 13 premiered in January 2026, Hallmark has renewed it for Season 14, and all thirteen seasons stream on Hallmark+.
7. Heartland (Netflix)
Seasons: 19 on Netflix · Ongoing
After her mother dies, teenager Amy Fleming finds she has inherited her mother’s gift for healing traumatized horses, and she helps run the family ranch in the foothills of Alberta with her grandfather and older sister. The show follows the Fleming and Bartlett family across many years, through marriages, losses and new babies. It has the outdoor scenery, family loyalty and steady romance that Virgin River fans tend to love, and with this many seasons, it can keep you busy for a very long time. If you also enjoy ranch life with more danger, try our list of shows like Yellowstone. Season 19 arrived on Netflix in the US on September 1, 2026.
If You Liked the Found Family and Second Chances
8. Ransom Canyon (Netflix)
Seasons: 2 · Season 2 released July 2026
Josh Duhamel plays Staten Kirkland, a grieving rancher in the Texas Hill Country who is fighting to protect his land from a powerful rival while slowly opening up to Quinn O’Grady, played by Minka Kelly, a woman who runs the local dance hall. The show mixes a love story with family feuds, small-town secrets and big land fights. Like Virgin River, it is based on a book series, this one by Jodi Thomas. The first season premiered in 2025, and Season 2 dropped all eight episodes on July 23, 2026. Both seasons stream on Netflix.
9. Firefly Lane (Netflix)
Seasons: 2 · Complete (2021 to 2023)
Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke play Tully and Kate, best friends who meet as teenagers in the 1970s and stay close for three decades, through careers, marriages, children and one serious falling out. The story jumps between time periods, slowly revealing what broke them apart. It is more emotional than cozy, but anyone who loves the friendships in Virgin River, especially between Mel and Hope, will find a lot to connect with here. Based on the Kristin Hannah novel, the series ended with its second season, which was released in two parts. Both seasons stream on Netflix.
10. Ginny & Georgia (Netflix)
Seasons: 3 · Renewed for Season 4
Georgia Miller, a young mother with a shady past, moves her teenage daughter Ginny and young son Austin to Wellsbury, a picture-perfect New England town, hoping for a fresh start. The town’s charm hides plenty of drama, and Georgia’s secrets keep catching up with her. It is sharper and more comic than Virgin River, with a darker edge, but it has the same idea of starting over in a small community and the same pull of a woman running from her past. For more feel-good options with heart, see our list of shows like Ted Lasso. All three seasons stream on Netflix, and Season 4 is expected in 2027.
Which One Should You Start With?
| If you liked… | Watch | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Robyn Carr’s storytelling | Sullivan’s Crossing | Netflix |
| Friends who show up for each other | Sweet Magnolias | Netflix |
| A big-city doctor in a tiny town | Doc Martin | Acorn TV |
| Jack’s bar and quirky neighbors | Gilmore Girls | Hulu and Prime Video |
| A slow romance in a frontier town | When Calls the Heart | Hallmark+ |
| Family life with years of episodes | Heartland | Netflix |
| A grieving widower finding love again | Ransom Canyon | Netflix |
| Something you can finish quickly | Firefly Lane | Netflix |
Availability last checked November 9, 2026.
FAQ
Where can I watch Virgin River in the US?
Virgin River is a Netflix original, so all seven seasons stream only on Netflix. Season 7 was released on March 12, 2026.
Is there a Virgin River Season 8?
Yes. Netflix renewed Virgin River for an eighth season in July 2025, and filming began on April 22, 2026. Netflix has not announced a release date.
What show is most like Virgin River?
Sullivan’s Crossing on Netflix is the closest match. It is based on novels by Robyn Carr, who also wrote the Virgin River books, and it follows a doctor who starts over in a small town in the woods.
Are there other shows based on Robyn Carr or similar romance novels?
Yes. Sullivan’s Crossing is adapted from Robyn Carr’s books. Sweet Magnolias on Netflix and Chesapeake Shores on Hallmark+ are both based on novels by Sherryl Woods, and Ransom Canyon on Netflix is based on books by Jodi Thomas.