When “Virgin River” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith selected to increase to the universe with a prequel, he knew the casting had to be proper. Fortunately, he discovered Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr to tackle the roles of Mel’s mother and father, Sarah Jensen and Everett Reed.

“It was a search. It was all the time the plan that this might doubtlessly be a back-door pilot, introducing this new timeline, so we solid with that in thoughts,” Smith tells Selection forward of the Season 6 drop, throughout which Rothe and Kerr make their debut. “We did chemistry reads with them and a few different actors who had been actually unbelievable. However Jess and Callum had such a spark collectively, such a hearth collectively that it felt like we had hit gold in casting them.”

The spinoff, he says, will focus “not simply the romance of Sarah and Everett, but additionally the origins of Virgin River within the Seventies.”

Whereas Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) mom died when she was younger, Mel’s organic father was launched within the Christmas particular as she went on a seek for him solely to understand he’d been in Virgin River all these years. John Allen Nelson portrays Everett in current day — and from the second they solid him, they knew they wished to dissect extra of the connection.

“He was in two scenes, and he was good,” Smith mentioned. Whereas Season 6 was all the time going to concentrate on the marriage between Mel and Jack (Martin Henderson), it additionally dives into Mel constructing a relationship along with her father — whereas concurrently attempting to plan to stroll down the aisle once more.

“Virgin River” premiered in 2019 and has already been renewed for a seventh season. The drama is predicated on Robyn Carr’s novels; it was developed by Sue Tenney, who served as showrunner till Smith took over in Season 5.

“Virgin River” Season 6 drops on Netflix Thursday, December 19.