To be honest, all I really care about this week is the return of Virgin River. Season four is almost here—the 12-episode season drops this Wednesday—and spending time in the picturesque northern California town (in reality, Vancouver) is just what I needed. Plus, have you seen the photos? There’s a renaissance faire this time, lots of lakeside scenes, and some very good-looking new faces (hello, doc Cameron).
But most important, we have a paternity mystery to figure out. Is Mel pregnant with the embryos from her husband, who passed away a year ago? Or is it Jack, her almost-fiancé with perfect hair who loves Mel with every ounce of his being?
“It’s a big bombshell,” Alexandra Breckenridge tells Glamour of Mel’s confession to Jack at the end of season three. “I don’t know how I would react in all honesty. I think he does the best he can with it.” As we’ve seen from the season four trailer, Mel wants to take a paternity test, but Jack is hesitant. “That becomes an issue in their relationship,” Breckenridge reveals. “It’s hard to start off as new parents and have different opinions about something that pertains to parenthood.”
For more on Virgin River, see below, and then come back later this week for an interview with Breckenridge as well as her co-star Martin Henderson (“Jack”).
Of course, Virgin River isn’t the only worthy show to watch this week. There’s the return of grown-ish on Freeform and Trying on Apple TV+. Dive into Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s love story for the ages with a new documentary about the couple on HBO Max. And if you haven’t watched The Bachelorette premiere yet, do it now because Gabby and Rachel really make this season worth tuning in for.
For the sports fan, there’s the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, July 18, on ESPN, and then the actual All-Star Game on Fox on Tuesday. The ESPYS follow on Wednesday on ABC, in what is always a moving night.
What else this week? Get yourself to the theater to see the delightfully charming Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris with the magnificent Lesley Manville, which came out this past Friday, and see below for more suggestions.
Sunday, July 17
The Bear (FX on Hulu): No, season two isn’t here yet—but in case you’ve been sleeping on this word-of-mouth show about a young chef from the fine dining world who goes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop, this is one time you want to poke the…well, you know where I’m going. The series premiered almost a month ago, and it’s quickly become the talk around the Glamour office. Do yourself a favor and check it out this weekend, and then read our Inappropriate Questions feature with one of the stars, Ayo Edebiri. Streaming all eight episodes on Hulu
