Virgin River ‘ruined’ as fans slam ‘soap opera’ storylines in show’s downfall
Virgin River fans are divided over the show’s future as they slam ‘soap opera’ storylines, ahead of the highly-anticipated release of season six on Netflix

Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge

Virgin River ‘ruined’ as fans slam ‘soap opera’ storylines in show’s downfall

Loyal fans of Netflix’s Virgin River are voicing their displeasure about the increasingly “soap opera” like storylines as the wait for season six continues.

The show, which is inspired by Robyn Carr’s novels, follows protagonist Mel Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge), who settles in a picturesque Californian town after facing personal tragedy.

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As Mel steps into her new role as nurse practitioner and finds love with ex-Marine Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), she encounters more challenges than anticipated in the quiet town.

With each season, Mel and Jack’s complex love story has captivated viewers alongside the unfolding drama involving other townsfolk.

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However, some long-time watchers are questioning if Virgin River has lost its way with recent plot lines straying from the beloved books, reports the Express.

Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge
The popular Netflix series is based on the books by Robyn Carr (
Image:

(Image: NETFLIX))
A disgruntled fan shared their thoughts on Reddit declaring: “The show is ruined now.”

Despite confessing their continued affection for the series and looking forward to binge-watch the upcoming season, they expressed significant discontent over deviations from the source material.

“I’m on the 5th book in the Virgin River book series, and holy c**p, the show completely ruined the books!!!!” they expounded in the post.

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Their dissatisfaction extended to those familiar with the novels. “For anyone who’s read the books I think you can relate. I don’t get why they strayed from the book so much.

“There are 20+ books in the series with endless amounts of ways to create stories and the books do it so well.

“There are so many plots in the series on TV that are from the books but are from different characters in the books and put into characters in the show and it makes the show so overly dramatic like a soap opera.”

One storyline in particular from the latest season had this viewer pulling their hair out when Mel finally reunited with her biological father Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson).

“The final straw for me was in season five when Mel finds out her mother had an affair with a guy in Virgin River and that man still HAPPENS to be there and Mel HAPPENED to come to virgin river for her job,” they wrote.

“I mean like cmon, really? That’s making it soooo soap opera-y.”

Mel finally met her biological father in the latest episodes (
Image:

(Image: NETFLIX))
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Sky has brought back its viral free trial, meaning you can bag a Netflix subscription and Sky Stream for £0 for the first month, offering customers a saving of £31.

This means members can enjoy binge-worthy shows like House of the Dragon, The Walking Dead and Bridgerton without paying a penny.

Several more fans took to the comments to agree with the criticisms, though confessed they’ll still be seated when season six is finally released.

“Yeah the storyline about Mel’s dad is incredibly cheesy and unnecessary. I’ll still watch it tho lol,” one viewer said. “I’ll have to get my hands on some of the books.”

“Yeah, I love the books! ” another said. “I binged after the first season so I was not loving how the show plotted out.”

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“However, I do love the characters and the actors who play them in the series (at least the ones through the first season) because I imagined that I was reading.”

Will you be checking out the next season or has Virgin River officially gone off the rails?

Virgin River is available to stream on Netflix.

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