Season 6 arrived on December 19, but fans already knew that the show has another 10 episodes coming sometime next year thanks to Netflix putting a lot of faith in the series and granting it an early renewal back in October. Now, with the sixth season scoring a huge win on the streamer’s TV chart, overtaking other trending shows such as La Palma and No Good Deed, it seems that Netflix’s decision is one that is going to really pay off in the long-term.

With Season 7 guaranteed, Virgin River overtakes House of Cards and The Crown, which both ended after six seasons, to become the longest-running English-language drama Netflix has ever commissioned. While the comedy series Grace and Frankie, and comedy/drama Orange is the New Black both also ran for seven seasons, their comedy status means that Virgin River holds the record in the drama category. The only show on Netflix to have run longer is the Spanish-language teen drama Elite, which has eight seasons but 10 fewer episodes (it ran for 64 episodes).

‘Virgin River’ Has Been a Consistent Hit for Netflix

One thing that the series has going for it is the cost. Netflix does not like to shell out a lot of money on big fantasy shows that may not be able to sustain an audience, and Virgin River is the exact opposite of a big budget, special effects-laden spectacle. The show is mostly set in a bar and a few other contained places, involves very little post-production work compared to other series, and does not have any Hollywood megastars on its books. Having topped the Netflix chart in dozens of countries with all of its seasons, it is hardly surprising why the streamer is happy to have given it an early renewal ahead of the current season.

Season 5 left fans eagerly awaiting the resolution of several cliffhangers, and some of these have now been resolved with the arrival of Season 6 at the end of last week. How long Virgin River can continue is yet to be seen, but with the new season once again topping the chart with an incredible viewership worldwide, it would not be surprising to see Season 8 being announced sometime next year.