Important character in Virgin River is being recast

We are still recovering from the Christmas special of Virgin River, and unfortunately, we still have to wait a bit longer for the new season to finally arrive. That sixth season is still a while away, and that is also due to the writers' strike in Hollywood that lasted quite a few months. This also poses significant problems for casting, as a new search will likely have to be forced to replace someone.

Who that is? Puppy Pony. Yes, you can laugh, after all, it's ‘just’ a dog, but the creators are quite upset about it. In the Christmas episodes, we saw Jack surprise Mel with an adorable puppy, Pony, and she will indeed have a big role in the sixth season. Well, pets are really part of your family, so it makes sense that we would see much more of Pony.

Only... That miserable strike. Patrick Sean Smith, the showrunner, mentioned that the time between the fifth and sixth seasons would definitely involve a certain time jump so that it would align perfectly with the actual growth of the dog. But then the strike happened, which threw a wrench in the works, and now the dog is too old in size to still fit into the series.

And so a recasting seems necessary. Smith indicates that he hopes it won't be needed, but he absolutely does not rule it out. Oh well, it probably doesn't matter much to us — with a dog as a full-fledged character, I'm just happy.