The actors who will play Mel’s late mother and biological father in Virgin River’s upcoming

flashback series have been revealed.As Deadline first reported, Jessica Rothe and

Callum Kerr have been cast as Sarah and Everett for the sixth season of the Netflix series.

The recurring characters will be introduced to viewers as the streaming service develops a prequel series about Sarah and Everett’s origin story. If all goes according to plan, Rothe and Kerr will be the main characters in the Sarah and Everett spin-off series.

“Set in flashbacks set primarily around 1972, Sarah (Rothe) is a witty, free-spirited big-city girl with a passion for activism and trying to eschew the conventional/traditional life of a young woman in the 1970s,” Deadline revealed. “Always up for an adventure, she can’t help but chase a spark of love at first sight with a handsome musician, Everett (Kerr), who just might be her soul mate.”

Netflix has released photos of the scene where they first met. Sarah is hitchhiking when Everett picks her up in his VW van.

Everett is now revealed to be Mel’s biological father in the Christmas special of Virgin River’s fifth season. After initially being rejected by him, Mel’s wish finally comes true when he shows up for Christmas. In the final seconds of the episode, Everett begins to tell her “something important” before he’s cut off mid-sentence.

So season six has some serious explaining to do.

As showrunner Patrick Sean Smith previously told Deadline, season six will explore “who Everett Reid is, what his backstory is, what his connection to Virgin River is when he meets her mother and then his current relationship; Everett’s relationship with the town is as good as Everett and Mel.” Virgin River is expected to return in late 2024.