Skip to main content

Virgin River has become one of the biggest shows on Netflix, surpassing even some of the seemingly more popular shows like Disney+’s Loki. From the outside looking in, the series has a cheesy Hallmark-like tone, but fans know that it has a lot more substance than that. Set in the fictional Northern California town of Virgin River, the series follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse and midwife who leaves her life in Los Angeles behind after suffering two unspeakable tragedies.

Though Mel heads to Virgin River for a fresh start, she doesn’t expect to encounter the many personalities of the small town including her surly boss, town doctor Doc Mullins (Tim Matheson). Mel is also taken aback when sparks fly between herself and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a former Marine who owns the only bar in town.

As fans await news of a possible season 4, many have been stunned to learn that Virgin River has an unexpected connection to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan and Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe sit outside watching the sunrise in 'Virgin River
Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan and Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in ‘Virgin River’ | Netflix

‘Virgin River’ is based on Robyn Carr’s book series

Before many of us knew what Virgin River was, the series already has a massive built-in fan base. The show’s source material is based on New York Times Best Selling author Robyn Carr’s 22-book series that extends well beyond the characters of the show. Though Carr has penned well over 50 books in her career, the Virgin River series, which she began writing in 2007 are by far her most popular books.

The books have sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Fans have also noticed that through many of the characters are familiar, Netflix’s Virgin River writers and series showrunner Sue Tenney haven’t been shy about putting their own stamp on the characters.

From small changes to massive ones, the TV series doesn’t always follow the same narrative as the books. As fans of both the books and show know, Jack’s ex-girlfriend Charmaine Roberts (Lauren Hammersley) is barely even in the book series.

‘Virgin River’ has an unexpected connection to Meghan Markle

Even fans of Carr’s novels who have diligently watched the Netflix series for all three seasons might be shocked to learn about Virgin River’s connection to the Duchess of Sussex. It all stems from Matheson who portrays Doc on the show. Back in 2011 during its first season, the actor directed an episode of Suits, the hit USA drama series that Meghan starred in until 2018 when she married into the British royal family.

Like most people who have actually encountered the duchess, Matheson only had wonderful things to say about her. “She was charming and she had an aura about her that was special,” he told Page Six via Hello! “I could see that she had a very unique quality and the camera loved her. For me as a director, she was easy to shoot. Just point it in that direction, it’ll be fine. She was great, very down to earth and there were no airs put on.”

Unfortunately, Meghan has retired from acting, but she is now working with Netflix so there could be a chance for her and Matheson to cross paths in the future.

Related

‘Virgin River’: Jack Might Not Be the Father of Charmaine’s Babies

Tim Matheson just updated fans on ‘Virgin River’ Season 4

In addition to the gem that he dropped about Meghan, Matheson is also giving fans a glimmer of hope about a possible fourth season of Virgin River. “Well, Netflix is quite quiet about all that [production updates] – I just hesitate to say anything that they might get upset [about],” Matheson told Radio Times via Hello! Magazine. “My understanding is that it will be like any day now.”

In fact, it has been rumored that Virgin River Season 4 is already underway and filming is slated to conclude in November 2021.

Best in Entertainment