Inspired by classic small-town series like "Friday Night Lights" and "Dawson's Creek," Netflix's hit "Virgin River" has an old-school feel. The pace is leisurely, relationships are slow burners, and electronics rarely appear, but Netflix moved quickly to capitalize on its unexpected success, renewing Virgin River for seasons 4 and 5 soon after the release of season 3. Now that Season 4 of Virgin River is out in the world, fans are itching to know when Season 5 will be released and what that season will be like.

There is good news and bad news on that front: filming for the fifth season has been unexpectedly pushed back four months, from March 2022 to July 2022. Alexandra Breckenridge, who plays Mel, divulged to Glamour magazine in a conversation about This Is Us that Virgin River has been postponed: "They've been trying to bring me back since I was on Virgin River," she said of This Is Us, which ended earlier this year. This Is Us," she said. Filming for season 5 of Virgin River was supposed to start in March, but it got pushed back to July. So I don't know if Sophie and Kevin (from This Is Us) would have gotten together had they started when they were supposed to."

Good news: As of July 18, What's on Netflix has confirmed that season 5 of Virgin River has begun filming in British Columbia. In an interview with PureWow, Annette O'Toole, who plays Hope, revealed, "We are actually leaving for Canada tomorrow to shoot season 5. And the Virgin River Instagram account congratulated the cast for the news, writing on July 18, "Cast members for the SEASON 5 table read. Yes, you heard it right folks. We have now begun production on SEASON 5." (Fans noted that Ricky, played by Grayson Gurney, was at the table read even though he joined the Marines at the end of the fourth season.)

Season 5 of Virgin River will follow Season 4 and Seasons 1 through 3 with 10 It is expected to boast 12 episodes instead of the 12 episodes.

Henderson has just finished filming the beginning of the fifth season and spoke to Glamour about the future. 'The baby stuff is going to be really interesting. Of course, I'm talking without having read the actual script, but it's really nice ...... 'A lot of things are coming to a close, and then there's a new beginning, a lot of new story lines,' he said. 'I can't tell you too much. Someone might leave. Someone might leave." [What I'm hoping for in Season 5 is that [Mel and Jack] will become closer through adversity rather than being pushed away. There needs to be some conflict, but it would be nice to see them mature and grow in love."

Speaking to Screenrant, O'Toole said, "I expect to see more scenes of (Hope) doing the mayor's job than we've seen so far. Politics at the local level is really interesting and we haven't seen that side of her. I wish I could say more about it, but it's a more important event than just a gathering so far."

"Virgin River" season 4 spoilers. At the end of the fourth season, we learned that Doc's grandson, Denny, has Huntington's disease. Tim Matheson, who plays Doc, noted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the news would of course affect his own character: most doctors think, "I could cure him." There is that conflict. But the great thing is that Hope invites Denny into her home, and he becomes part of their home. More than medical care, being surrounded by that love may be as important as medical care for his illness."

We also saw Bree confront her abusive ex, Don. 'Without revealing anything, I can at least tell you that Bree is a man of her word. I can't reveal where it will take her," Zibby Allen told TODAY. It will be part of a journey that will continue to heal that part of her world, not something she just said in the void." She also told People about her relationship with Brady. 'I think they've had very different lives. So the big question mark is, 'Can they make it last and have a real, everyday relationship? Jack and Mel are very different. We've seen them work it out. So I'm rooting for [Bree and Brady]."

Meanwhile, at the end of season 5, we learned that "Preacher" may or may not have killed Vince. Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told EW, "I think we're going to find out." That's something we'll pick up on soon. We pick up right after that incident in Season 5." We know how important that relationship is. Not just between Preacher and Paige, but between Preacher and Christopher.

As for Melissa showing up to cast a shadow over Mel and Jack's future, Sean Smith noted: "She came in as the new big bad of the season. It was fun to delve into that. When she came on the scene, we knew very little about her character. So it was fun to fill in that hole and understand that she operates in a different way than the men who have been primarily responsible for that part of the show. She is a threat to Jack, and a threat to many people in the town. I've learned more about Fentanyl than I ever thought I would in my life."

Seasons 3 and 4 were released a year apart, in July 2021 and July 2022. This means that Season 5, with any luck, could be released as early as July 2023.