Mel and Jack look worried in Virgin RiverCourtesy of Netflix
By
Dani Kessel Odom
Published 22 minutes ago
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer on the New TV team, focusing on writing and content planning for streaming shows. They often assist with Classic TV coverage, as well.
They have covered events, such as Denver Fan Expo. Their articles have also been shared by professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale.
In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.
Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.
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Netflix’s Virgin River may have a dedicated fanbase, but it will soon face some serious competition. The romantic drama is the ultimate cozy show actively releasing right now, and it ranks up there with Sullivan’s Crossing and Gilmore Girls as one of the coziest TV shows in existence.
The series capitalizes on small-town romanticization, an ensemble cast of lovable characters, and the “comfort food” style of storytelling. Although it doesn’t shy away from heavier topics, the show approaches them in an easy-to-digest way. Plus, the setting is picturesque, offering a sense of escapism from the real world.
The show became so popular that Netflix even has a Virgin River prequel in development, which soft-launched in Virgin River season 6. However, soon Virgin River will have some serious competition from not just one but two upcoming series that mirror all the positive attributes of the romantic drama.
Elsie Silver’s Wild Love & Chestnut Springs Series Are Becoming TV Shows
Two of the most exciting upcoming romance TV shows based on books are Wild Love and Chestnut Springs, which are both written by Elsie Silver. Wild Love is going to Prime Video, while Chestnut Springs is at Netflix. Both series are ensemble romance stories set in a picturesque small town, with each book focusing on a different couple.
Wild Love is set in the Rocky Mountain town of Rose Hill. The story includes plenty of emotional moments and twists for the characters, allowing them to see whether love is enough to get them through. Plus, they have romantic fluff and some steamy moments. It’s everything a romance fan could want.
Chestnut Springs is a western romance series set in the beautiful Canadian small town of Chestnut Springs, with a different main couple in each book. Rather than unrelated main characters, all of the leads in this series are siblings within the Eaton family and their friends. The books are heartwrenching, compelling, and include steamy moments as well.
The Wild Love & Chestnut Springs Books Are Spiritual Successors To Virgin River
Alexandra Breckinridge as Mel and Martin Henderson as Jack in Virgin River
As far as I’m concerned, Virgin River (and its sister series Sullivan’s Crossing) walked so that Wild Love and Chestnut Springs could run. They are built from the same literary DNA. Before it became a TV show, Virgin River was also a romantic drama book series that changed the main characters with each book while maintaining the same small-town setting.
The characters face hardships that would challenge their love for one another. Each couple has at least one steamy but not racy scene together, with some getting multiple in their respective books. They even follow the same format where the main characters of one book are minor characters or briefly mentioned in another. This helps create a throughline.
This makes the three series feel like they’re related, even though Virgin River is actually written by Robyn Carr, not Elsie Silver. The similarities will undoubtedly make them competitors. However, it’s also good for the two new shows because Virgin River offers the basic framework for adapting a series the town is the connecting thread rather than the main characters.
Wild Love and Chestnut Springs would be smart to follow Virgin River's example by choosing one main couple to serve as the de facto leads while also making the other couples prominent in the story. As the show goes on, it can give more time to the other couples without entirely shifting to them as the lead couple.
Virgin River, Wild Love, & Chestnut Springs Will Likely All Run At The Same Time
Zibby Allen as Brie in Virgin River season 6, episode 10
Beyond the narrative similarities between the books, Virgin River will face serious competition because all three shows will likely air at the same time. Virgin River is six seasons deep with absolutely no signs of stopping. The show has continued to grow in popularity with each season, rather than fans falling off.
It’s probable that it has at least a few more seasons before Netflix cancels it. However, there’s potential for it to last much, much longer, given the fact that there are 21 Virgin River books, not counting anthologies or the Christmas novellas.
Its biggest competitor up to this point is Sullivan’s Crossing, but that doesn’t really feel like a competitor since the same author wrote both series. Instead, the success of one feels like a boost to the other. They both lift each other up instead of one having to “win.”
Wild Love and Chestnut Springs are still in development, but realistic romances tend to have a shorter turnaround time than other genres. As such, they will likely debut before Virgin River ends. It will be great for the genre to have so many small-town romantic dramas going at once, but it will create competition between authors, shows, and streamers.
Could Elsie Silver’s Shows Beat Virgin River?
Doc and Hope in Virgin River season 6Image via Deadline
While Elsie Silver’s shows are bound to be popular, I doubt they will be able to beat Virgin River. Robyn Carr’s adaptations have a massive head start over Elsie Silver’s upcoming TV shows. There will be at least seven seasons of the OG show. Plus, the prequel is in the works, and a spinoff called Thunder Point is coming. Even Sullivan’s Point, which the same author created, is struggling to reach the same success as Virgin River.
By the time Wild Love and Chestnut Springs debut, there will be a massive Virgin River connected TV universe to compete with. On top of that, it will be tough to get the Elsie Silver shows right because they’re much more driven by internal thoughts and contemplation than the Virgin River books. That being said, it's possible the Elsie Silver shows be the underdog who wins in the end.
I also think Virgin River could potentially help boost the popularity of the two upcoming shows. While competition between shows is inevitable in our capitalistic world, cooperation is possible. Virgin River fans could offer Chestnut Springs and Wild Love a hand up, helping boost viewership. There’s enough room for all the shows to succeed.
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Virgin River
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Romance Release Date December 6, 2019 Network Netflix Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith Directors Martin Wood, Andy Mikita, Gail Harvey, Monika Mitchell, Tim Matheson, Jann Turner, Felipe Rodriguez, Nimisha Mukerji, Jem Garrard Writers Jackson Sinder, Jackson Rock, Richard Keith, Erin Cardillo, Tesia Joy Walker, Talia Gonzalez, Natasha M. Hall, Mary Page Keller, Thomas Ian Griffith, John LoweCast
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Alexandra Breckenridge
Melinda Monroe
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Martin Henderson
Jack Sheridan
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