🎬 Catchy Title (10 Words):
Virgin River Season 7 Filming Underway: Meet Two Drama-Stirring New Characters! 🌲🎥🔥

📝 Body Sentence (15 Words):
Filming for Season 7 started; Sara Canning and Cody Kearsley join, promising mystery, new romance, conflict. 🎭🌟💥

🌟 1000-Word Article: “Virgin River Season 7 Begins Filming – Meet the 2 New Faces Set to Shake Up the Series!”

Virgin River is officially rolling cameras on its seventh season—and it’s bringing not one, but two compelling new characters into the heart of the idyllic town. With filming underway in picturesque British Columbia since March 12, 2025, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith is ready to deepen the drama as Mel and Jack navigate married life and potential parenthood. And now, Sara Canning and Cody Kearsley will join the ensemble, ensuring new tensions and emotional arcs to enrich the storyline timesofindia.indiatimes.com+159meters.com+15showsnob.com+15civic.lk+11people.com+11reddit.com+11.

🎥 Filming Kicks Off: What’s Behind the Cameras?

On March 12, 2025, the cast and crew began shooting for Season 7, with plans to wrap around June 26 businessinsider.com+6reddit.com+6timesofindia.indiatimes.com+6. Alexandra Breckenridge (Mel) captured the mood on Instagram, joking about feeling like they’d been filming forever—“day 857”—while excitedly teasing table reads at Jack’s Bar businessinsider.com+10civic.lk+10timesofindia.indiatimes.com+10. Production is off to a brisk pace, and insiders are already buzzing about the inject of fresh energy from the new cast additions.

🧑‍⚕️ New Face #1: Sara Canning as Victoria

Sara Canning, known for her role as Aunt Jenna in The Vampire Diaries, is joining the cast as Victoria, a former cop-turned-state-medical-board investigator timesofindia.indiatimes.com+15people.com+15civic.lk+15.

• Backstory: Shot in the line of duty, Victoria’s transition from badge-wearer to clinical auditor hints at a character scarred by trauma—and driven by its consequences.

• Plot Role: She’s in town to scrutinize Doc’s medical practice, coming on the heels of Season 6’s cliffhanger surrounding his suspended license hellomagazine.com+89meters.com+8marieclaire.com+8showsnob.com+8whattowatch.com+9meters.com+8.

Victoria’s arrival suggests high-stakes tension. With authority, complexity, and emotional ties, she could either repair or unravel the fragile dynamics at the clinic—and possibly stir the hearts of key characters.

🤠 New Face #2: Cody Kearsley as Clay

Cody Kearsley, familiar to audiences from Riverdale, enters Season 7 as Clay—a rugged, athletic figure from the rodeo circuit with a personal mission hellomagazine.com+4showsnob.com+4reddit.com+4.

• Backstory: Raised in foster care, Clay is searching for his long-lost younger sister, introducing a heartfelt and mysterious emotional thread.

• Plot Role: His arrival could provide family reunification drama, blending hope with emotional urgency.

Clay’s rugged cowboy ethos and emotional mission inject fresh energy to the town’s interpersonal dynamics, giving new sides to characters who may be connected to his past.

🏡 Where Storylines Might Go

With Mel and Jack forging new paths in marriage, they may find themselves at emotional crossroads as Victoria’s investigation and Clay’s family search collide.

• Doc’s Suspension Saga: Victoria’s medical-board role will bring intense scrutiny to Doc Mullins. Will the small-town physician be vindicated, or could this reveal deeper issues? reddit.com+3people.com+39meters.com+3marieclaire.com+5whattowatch.com+59meters.com+5

• Mike & Brie Crossroads: If Victoria reconnects with Mike, it could challenge the existing Mike–Brie–Brady triangle. Clay’s presence may further impact these relationships reddit.com.

• Family Secrets Unveiled: Clay’s foster-sister search may expose hidden kinships in Virgin River, shining a spotlight on family connections we’ve longed to explore .

📣 What the Fans Are Saying

Enthusiasm is building, though some fans worry that new characters could overshadow beloved arcs. Reddit users are hopeful that Clay’s subplot will reveal meaningful connections without cannibalizing existing stories . Meanwhile, Victoria’s investigative role promises to stir the pot in plot-heavy directions—perfect for those craving drama.

⏳ When to Expect Season 7

Season 7 is currently filming and anticipated for a late 2025 or early 2026 release—likely January 2026, based on Netflix’s typical rollout patterns en.wikipedia.org+15decider.com+159meters.com+159meters.com+15businessinsider.com+15reddit.com+15. Principal photography should wrap by June, followed by post-production.

🔮 Why These New Characters Matter

• Fresh Storytelling: Victoria and Clay bring adult trauma, mystery, and relational complexity—perfect for deepening the narrative beyond Mel & Jack’s core storyline.

• Small-Town Realism: They reflect Virgin River’s evolving tapestry of personal crises—from medical board audits to family reconnections.

• Expanding the Universe: The show’s growing cast offers room for future spin-offs, like the announced prequel involving Mel’s parents timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1countryliving.com+13people.com+13civic.lk+13.

🎬 Final Thoughts

As cameras roll on Season 7 of Virgin River, the show remains anchored by its central couple—Mel and Jack—while embracing broader, emotionally charged narratives through characters like Victoria and Clay. Filming in British Columbia, the production is building toward a tense, heartfelt season full of unresolved issues, investigation, family mystery, and fresh romance.

With these new faces, Virgin River enters a new chapter—ushering characters forward while honoring its emotional roots and loyal fans.