The cast of Virgin River looked a little different in Season 6 after the actor playing the role of Calvin was changed between seasons.
Calvin has been a key supporting character across all six seasons of Virgin River, thanks to appearances in 18 episodes. He is the leader of a large-scale cannabis farm in town and a local gang, getting involved with Martin Henderson's Jack Sheridan in the early seasons as well.
Alongside the rest of the Virgin River cast from Season 6, Calvin is seen once again in several appearances throughout the new season.
Why Did David Cubitt's Calvin Get Recast in Virgin River?
In Virgin River Season 6, the role of gang leader Calvin was recast, with David Cubitt vacating the show after 16 appearances.
For 2024's Season 6, Josh Blacker played Calvin in two episodes. However, the reasoning behind the change is unconfirmed.
In recent years, Cubitt has had a busy schedule, including roles in Allegiance, Billy the Kid, and The Madness. However, it is essential to note that he works on Allegiance in Vancouver, Canada, the same area Virgin River uses for filming.
Even so, considering the recast was implemented for Season 6, the biggest culprit behind this move is likely scheduling issues.
Below is a comparison of the two stars and how they look in Virgin River:
This marks the second recast character in Virgin River Season 6, although the first was not one of the series' human members.
As confirmed with TVLine, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith indicated the Netflix team may have to find a new puppy to play Pony, the puppy Jack gifted to Mel in Season 6. Due to the writers' and actors' strikes, the four-legged star may only have a short run on the show due to growing up too fast.
Smith always anticipated "there would be a time jump after the holidays" when Season 6 picked up, which would have led to the dog aging naturally as production picked back up. However, the five-month-long strike led to the puppy maturing quickly, making the animal possibly too old and big to bring back:
"I’d always anticipated there would be a time jump after the holidays when we pick up with Season 6, so we were going to have that dog age naturally as we headed back into production. But we didn’t account for the five-month strike. So I don’t know where Pony is now in their maturation. I hope we don’t have to recast, but we might have to."
What To Know About Virgin River's Josh Blackett
While Josh Blackett is Virgin River's newest cast member, the South African native is a longtime Hollywood veteran. He has nearly 60 credits, the biggest of which include Elysium, The Wall, and Focus.
One of Blackett's recent roles saw him join the cast of Reacher Season 2, appearing in two episodes, playing Hortense Fields over a four-episode span.
For Virgin River, Blackett should have the opportunity to continue playing his new role as the show progresses, with recent news confirming Netflix renewed the series for Season 7 (per Deadline).
The big question moving forward is how big his role is and how his character will continue to evolve as the dynamics between Virgin River's main cast change.
The first six seasons of Virgin River are streaming on Netflix.
