The wait for Virgin River Season 7 may have been extended as the season was delayed till 2026, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Ben Hollingsworth, who plays Dan Brady on the Netflix series, recently revealed, either by accident or on purpose, that the highly anticipated season will begin streaming in March 2026.

While no exact premiere date was given, the news is exciting to fans, who have been patiently waiting for the small-town drama to return even since season 6 wrapped up Dec. 19, 2024.

A March return means that we’re waiting a little over a year for new episodes of the Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson-led series.

During a chat with FOX5 in New York about his upcoming holiday movie The Christmas Ring, starring opposite country singer and One Tree Hill alum Jana Kramer, the anchor mentioned the release month—something Hollingsworth later confirmed while discussing the historic Season 8 renewal, which was announced just days after season 7 wrapped up production.

He expressed that his journey playing Dan Brady on the “longest-running show” on the “largest streaming platform in the world” is “still just hitting home,” calling it “surreal” and “such a blessing.”

“I love my character. I have such an attachment to Brady. I fight for him. Everything bad happens to this guy; I always say he’s like — if he had an address, it would be between a rock and a hard place. You just can’t catch a break,” he told the anchors.

He did, however, note that he’s asking that they show Brady a little love, adding, “And so when I’m reading these scripts, I’m like, come on, guys, give them a chance to have happiness.”

As for what fans can expect from Brady in season 7, well, things are picking up right where they left off, as Brady has “no money in his bank account,” as it was drained by Lark, who has been working with Jimmy all along.

“He’s now broke (again) and Brie, his love, his new first true real love, has now been proposed to with Mike with a plastic cap bottle cap ring out of nowhere. So it’s a lot of cliffhangers. He’s going to hunt down that money and find his ex-girlfriend, and he’s also going to navigate whether he can get back with Brie,” he explains, giving fans some hope of a Brady and Brie reconciliation following their intense moment last season.

The choice to push back the Virgin River Season 7 premiere to 2026 was unfortunate for fans; however, Breckenridge, who plays Mel, revealed there was likely a good and strategic reason for it.

“There is a lot going on this year for Netflix. The finale of Stranger Things as a series is going to be a big deal. If I was an intelligent person, guessing, I would say I wouldn’t roll Virgin River out until the new year,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

As Netflix’s longest-running series, Virgin River deserves the chance to stand in the spotlight on its own, and not have to share it with another major series.

Hollingsworth’s Christmas movie can fill the void in the meantime, as The Christmas Ring is in theaters now.