Virgin River has been telling the love story of Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson)

for four seasons, but if season 5 switches leads like the book, it could be for the best. The town of Virgin River

is filled with a fascinating cast of characters with their own inner lives and struggles who have never really consistently taken center stage,

which isn’t to say that these characters couldn’t hold their own with more meaty storylines. While Virgin River kept audiences entertained for four seasons, keeping Mel and Jack’s relationship at the center of the show in season 5 could become tiring. Switching things up could be revitalizing.

While Virgin River has found great success on Netflix, it started as a book series of the same name written by Robyn Carr. This book series is similar to the hit show and book series Bridgerton in the way the protagonist changes throughout the story. Each book in the Bridgerton series written by Julia Quinn follows the story of a different Bridgerton sibling, and the Netflix series follows the same format by moving the focus of season 2 from Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) to Anthony (Jonathan Bailey). This allows the show to be revitalized and give a fresh perspective to viewers.

Virgin River season 4 keeps the status quo, mainly by smoothing over and focusing on Mel and Jack’s relationship. While this consistency allows viewers to stay comfortable, pushing the envelope by following the books could be extremely beneficial. Shelter Mountain, the second book of the Virgin River series, focuses on a different love story between Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and Paige (Lexa Doig). The series did cover this storyline, but centering these characters instead of keeping them on the sidelines would be more book accurate and would also allow for a deeper dive into these characters’ lives and motivations.

Virgin River season 5 could still choose to switch up the protagonist to bring new life to the long-running series. Mel and Jack have gotten their happy ending, so moving on to show other townsfolk get that happiness as well would give audiences something new to be excited about. Virgin River wouldn’t need to worry about losing viewers even if the main protagonists switch; Bridgerton’s huge season 2 success is proof of this.

Finally, after four seasons of Virgin River, the show keeps hitting the same beats with protagonists Mel and Jack. Season 5 could change that by becoming more accurate book and giving other characters and romances time to shine. This would give the audience a new perspective, which could even help draw more viewers. Being such a popular show allows for it to take chances and trust that the audience will stick around. Virgin River season 5 could take many paths, so it is not yet off the table that the show could switch things up and become more book accurate.