Marco Grazzini Talks ‘Virgin River’ Exit, Raves About ‘Wonderful Opportunity’
What To Know
- Marco Grazzini, who played Mike Valenzuela on Virgin River since Season 2, is exiting the series and will not return for Season 8.
- Mike’s storyline concluded in Season 7 with the end of his relationship with Brie and the start of a new romance with Victoria.
- Grazzini praised the show’s cast and community appeal, and he is moving on to new projects
Warning: The article below contains major Virgin River Season 7 spoilers.
Virgin River will be returning for Season 8, but Marco Grazzini’s time on the Netflix series has come to a close — for now, at least.
Grazzini, who played Mike Valenzuela on the romantic drama, spoke out about his exit in a statement to Deadline.
“Character departures are very common in this business — especially on a long-running and beloved series like Virgin River,” Grazzini said in a statement. “It’s been a wonderful opportunity to play Mike for six seasons. I have nothing but love for the cast, crew, and especially the phenomenal fans who make the show so special. I’m excited for this new chapter in my career.”
Netflix
In Virgin River’s seventh season, Mike split with longtime love Brie Sheridan (Zibby Allen) after her affair with firefighter Dan Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) and her rejection of Mike’s marriage proposal. But the detective did sleuth out new love with medical board investigator Victoria (Sara Canning).
“It did kind of feel like, especially with dissolving the love triangle and giving Mike a new love interest, that his character might have run his course for this part of the series,” Virgin River showrunner Patrick Sean Smith previously told TV Insider. “And I’d always love to have Mike back. … Unfortunately, Marco won’t be returning in Season 8, but I would love to have him back for the right reasons.”
Other cast departures ahead of Season 8 — which doesn’t yet have a release date — include Lauren Hammersley (Charmaine Roberts) and Rachel Drance (Marley Thurston).
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Grazzini, who joined Virgin River in Season 2, recently told House of Solo that the series’ appeal starts with the cast. “From the main cast to the day players who’ve popped in for one scene, everyone has brought such human and real performances that reflect what people out there are actually experiencing in real life,” he explained. “There’s also an element of comfort in watching the show, compounded by the small-town setting and idyllic community. Yes — all of those things combined with the gossip, sex, and scandalous cliffhangers, of course.”
The actor has recently appeared in the Hallmark movie Betty’s Bad Luck in Love and Hallmark Mystery movies Christmas Under the Lights and Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder at C. As House of Solo reports, he has more Haunted Harmony Mysteries movies on deck and a sci-fi comedy script in development.
Virgin River, Season 8, TBA, Netflix
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