It just isn't the same without her!

Virgin River made its long-awaited return to Netflix this month, but one character is nowhere to be seen. If you've been binge-watching the new season then you might be wondering why Hope has yet to show her face in Virgin River. Hope is the heart and soul of the town, so it feels weird not to see her gossiping at Jack's bar or organising an elaborate town event. She is the mayor of Virgin River after all, so where could she be? In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Sue Tenney explained her absence this season. She explained that Annette O' Toole, who plays Hope on the show, couldn't return to the set because of the pandemic. The writers were forced to come up with a storyline that puts Hope out of Virgin River so they decided to send her to help her sick aunt. Hope's visit to her ailing aunt's home is disrupted when a hurricane heads straight for them resulting in Hope losing touch with Vernon. Speaking of the storyline, Tenney shared: "That was a pandemic pivot. We've worked very hard to make sure she was still very much in the show. If we have a fourth season, everyone is now vaccinated and the pandemic is not what it was. So, I would hope that we would have Annette back." Due to Hope's absence this season, fans have missed out on an original storyline, Hope and Vernon's vow renewal. "We had a very lovely, two long episodes about that. Two episodes of plot on that. When we get to that point, which is a re-commitment ceremony, we definitely are going to want to see that. "But we have some drama going on with both of those characters that puts that on the back-burner, but also heightens their commitment to one another," Tenney teased. The new season of Virgin River may be missing one of their most loved characters, but at least it isn't short of drama. You can watch the brand new episodes of Virgin River on Netflix now.