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All the ‘Virgin River’ Characters, Ranked from Worst to Best

From Charmaine to Jack

virgin river characters ranked
Courtesy of Netflix

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

We’d be lying if we said we don’t have favorite characters on Netflix’s Virgin River. The series is about a nurse practitioner, Melinda Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), who moves to a remote town, and the story draws you in with its mix of personalities (and, OK, drama). As much as we can’t stop talking about the upcoming sixth season, we’ve never actually sat down and ranked the main characters from worst to best…until now.

In honor of season five (which is now streaming on Netflix), here’s a list of the Virgin River characters, ranked from worst to best.

‘Virgin River’ Director Says Holiday Episodes Will Address Major Cliffhanger


virgin river characters ranked calvin
Courtesy of Netflix

12. Calvin

Where do we begin with Calvin? Not only was he the mastermind behind Virgin River’s drug trade, but he also blackmailed innocent people—like Brady. After an explosion in season four, he was assumed dead. Everything changed in the season five finale when he reappeared to reveal that 1) he’s alive and 2) he’s the father of Charmaine’s twins.

virgin river characters ranked cameron
Courtesy of Netflix

11. Cameron Hayek

In the beginning, he gave Mel a hard time. He also tried to make a move on her knowing she was in a relationship with Jack. Still, he has become a good friend and co-worker during the transition with Doc. Even if we don’t know how to feel about his new relationship with Muriel, he’s not the worst person in Virgin River (he’s just not even close to being one of the best).

virgin river characters ranked denny
Courtesy of Netflix

10. Denny Cutler

He arrived in town claiming to be Doc’s grandson, and we didn’t know if we could believe him. It took a while for him to get on our good side after he stole medicine from the clinic and harbored secrets about his health. Still, his newfound relationship with Lizzie has slightly reconfigured our opinion on Denny for the better.

virgin river characters ranked charmaine
Courtesy of Netflix

9. Charmaine Roberts

Sure, she lied about the father of her babies. But after the season five finale, we feel bad for Charmaine. She was clearly trying to protect her children by shielding them from Calvin, and we hope she makes a decision that suits her and her family—even if she can’t be trusted.

virgin river characters ranked lizzie
Courtesy of Netflix

8. Lizzie

This brings us to another controversial character: Lizzie. Yes, she was a known troublemaker. (The whole reason she moved to Virgin River is because her parents couldn’t handle her.) But she slowly got on our good side. We’re not saying she’ll become an all-time favorite, but we wouldn’t be surprised if she rose in popularity in season six.

virgin river characters ranked brie
Courtesy of Netflix

7. Brie Sheridan

As much as we’d love to rank Brie higher, she did nothing but draw suspicion when she arrived in Virgin River. Although she is Jack’s sister, she appeared to have ulterior motives. In season five, she grew on us when she testified against her ex-boyfriend. She also seemingly picked sides in the love triangle between Brady and Mike…or did she?

virgin river characters ranked doc
Courtesy of Netflix

6. Vernon ‘Doc’ Mullins

Doc started off as a low-key villain, but he’s changed immensely over the past three seasons. At first, he opposed the idea of hiring extra help at the clinic, acting extremely grumpy and dismissive when Mel arrived. So, if you asked us back in season one, we’d have probably put him at the bottom of the list. But now that he’s opened up about his eye condition, we’d be lying if we said he isn’t growing on us.

virgin river characters ranked dan brady
Courtesy of Netflix

5. Dan Brady

You’re probably thinking, Really? Brady over Doc?, but hear us out. The character developed a bad reputation due to his association with Calvin. However, Brady has been on his best behavior ever since. In addition to making amends with Jack, he also helped the police capture Melissa in the season five finale.

virgin river characters ranked mel
Courtesy of Netflix

4. Melinda ‘Mel’ Monroe

Prior to arriving in Virgin River, the character had endured a lot, including the loss of her baby and her husband. The nurse practitioner has become a staple resident of the small town, doubling as a reliable shoulder to cry on. The only reason she wasn’t ranked higher on the list is because there are too many good characters to go around—and Mel can be a bit boring at times.

virgin river characters ranked hope
Courtesy of Netflix

3. Hope McCrea

As the wife of Doc, Hope put up with a lot. As the glue that holds everyone together, Doc would be lost without Hope, even though he’d never admit it. Not to mention, Hope was responsible for bringing Mel to Virgin River in the first place—and for that, we’re forever grateful.

virgin river characters ranked jack
Courtesy of Netflix

2. Jack Sheridan

Jack had the odds stacked against him in terms of character development. In season one, Jack was immediately attracted to Mel, even though he was in a relationship with Charmaine. To make matters worse, he didn’t break up with Charmaine until she was pregnant with his babies (or so we thought). Yet somehow, we’re still smitten by the handsome bar owner.

virgin river characters ranked preacher
Courtesy of Netflix

1. John ‘Preacher’ Middleton

Preacher has to be one of the most underrated characters on Virgin River. Not only did he look after Paige’s son, Christopher, while she was MIA, but he has also dedicated his life to Jack's bar. *Cue the “MVP” chant*

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