Netflix's 9-Part Drama Series With High Rotten Tomatoes Score Officially Making TV History

Published Nov 14, 2026, 12:40 PM EST

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Netflix has a long-running drama series that is officially set to make history on the streaming service after a new announcement, and it is one of the best TV shows on Netflix, hitting a particular niche. Netflix's slate of TV shows in 2026 has proved itself a winning effort for the streamer, with both excellent new hits and returning fan-favorites.

This is a year when Netflix subscribers have been able to watch new seasons of bingeworthy series like The Night Agent, Black Doves, The Lincoln Lawyer, Nobody Wants This, and many more. Most of those were already at two seasons or more before their new seasons were released, as Netflix has quite a few multi-season hits on its roster.

That said, as any subscriber of the streamer must have learned by now, a TV show getting a second season or more on Netflix is far from guaranteed, as the streaming service has become known for just how many exciting series have been canceled after a single season. Even shows initially renewed for season 2, like The Society and Inside Job, have been canceled in the past.

As such, finding longevity on Netflix is not for the weak, and that is why what Virgin River has managed to accomplish on the streaming service is so exciting. The drama series stars Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel, a nurse practitioner and midwife who finds a new home in the quiet town of Virgin River, leaving behind Los Angeles after a series of tragic losses — her baby and husband. Virgin River has now made TV history.

Virgin River Has Officially Become Netflix's Longest-Running Original Series

Netflix has officially announced that Virgin River has been renewed for season 9, which makes it the longest-running TV show on the streaming service when it comes to the total number of seasons. At the time of writing, the closest shows to Virgin River on the streamer are the Spanish thriller series Elite and the animated comedy Big Mouth, both having made it to season 8 before calling it quits. The renewal also shows Netflix's confidence in the romantic series, as Virgin River aired season 7 earlier this year, in March, with season 8 still on the way for a 2027 premiere.

Virgin River's longevity is easy to explain, as this is a cozy drama that enters the list for Netflix comfort-watches, meaning anyone can sit back and unwind as they get lost in this charming tale of romance, growth, and hope. The chemistry between its leads, Breckenridge's Mel and Martin Henderson's Jack, a bar owner, is also top-notch, and the way their relationship evolves with each new season is gripping, making viewers return year after year.

Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order.

Helping the show's long run is also the fact that Virgin River is based on a book series of the same name by author Robyn Carr, who has published 22 entries in the franchise from 2007 to 2020. Carr is also behind the Sullivan's Crossing series of novels, with the TV show adaptation of her work having been renewed for season 5 on The CW nationwide. As such, Virgin River making Netflix history has a lot to do with the rich source material it pulls from.

A Netflix Original Sci-Fi Series Seems Poised To Match Or Surpass Virgin River

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While Virgin River could theoretically go the distance and make it to 22 seasons, this is all uncharted territory for Netflix, and there is another TV show on the streamer that has made a bigger cultural impact and could go on for just as many seasons. That is the sci-fi series Black Mirror, which finds unsettling ways to use technology in standalone episodes that feature major stars.

Virgin River holds a high 81% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Black Mirror has been renewed for season 8 and there are endless concepts for it to adapt as technology evolves, especially in the age of AI, with the anthology format also helping its longevity. While Virgin River could inevitably run out of source material or actors might not want to commit to another decade of the show, Black Mirror can always use new events happening in the real world and has a revolving door of stars, so it could essentially keep going forever, making Netflix history by eventually surpassing Virgin River.

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  Alexandra Breckenridge

  Melinda Monroe

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  Martin Henderson

  Jack Sheridan