As Netflix’s seventh season of “Virgin River” debuted on March 12, 2026, fans were shocked to learn that Marco Grazzini is leaving the show. After 24 hours of speculation about his impending departure, Grazzini — one of several Hallmark stars in the hit series’ cast — held his head high as he broke his silence.
Marco Grazzini Says Role on ‘Virgin River’ Has Been a ‘Wonderful Opportunity’
Grazzini has played local police officer Mike Valenzuela on “Virgin River” since 2020, first appearing in the second season before becoming a series regular for seasons three through seven.
The show has already been renewed for another season, but on March 12, showrunner Patrick Sean confirmed to Deadline that Grazzini is “not coming back for Season 8,” nor will Lauren Hammersley, who’s been part of the cast since the show debuted in 2019.
On March 13, Grazzini diplomatically told Entertainment Weekly, “Character departures are very common in this business — especially on a long-running and beloved series like ‘Virgin River.’ It’s been a wonderful opportunity to play Mike for six seasons.”
Grazzini, who also co-stars in Hallmark’s “Haunted Harmony Mysteries” franchise with Tamera Mowry-Housley, said of his “Virgin River” departure that he has “nothing but love for the cast, crew, and especially the phenomenal fans who make the show so special,” adding, “I’m excited for this new chapter in my career.”
Marco Grazzini Feels Like His Career is ‘Just Getting Started’
HallmarkGrazzini joined the Hallmark universe in 2019, per IMDb, appearing in “The Story of Us” and “A Taste of Summer,” and quickly became a fan-favorite on the network. He landed his first starring role on the network in 2021’s “Right In Front of Me,” opposite Janel Parrish, and in addition to his mystery movies, he has since starred in “Hearts in the Game,” “Betty’s Bad Luck in Love,” and “Christmas Under the Lights.”
He’s not the only Hallmark star who’s been part of “Virgin River,” though. He formed friendships on the series’ set with fellow Hallmarkies, including Benjamin Hollingsworth, Colin Lawrence, and Mark Ghanimé, who appeared on the show from 2022 to 2024. Another Hallmark fan-favorite, Sara Canning, appears in season seven — in scenes with Grazzini, in fact — but Deadline reported she won’t be back, either.
On March 10, Grazzini told Vogue Philippines, “I’m so grateful for every opportunity, heartbreak, and interaction that I’ve had in my 20-plus years in the business. My love for the craft is as big as ever, and I’m hungry to get challenged by different scripts and unearth new versions of myself. I love sci-fi and comedy and am actively writing a couple scripts with my writing partner. Energetically speaking, I feel like my career is just getting started, which can be a good place to operate from.”
In addition to taking on new roles, Grazzini told the outlet one of the many things he looks forward to is witnessing his young daughter, whom he shares with Hallmark alum Alvina August, grow up.
“I am in constant awe of my daughter, and she’s only two and a half years old,” he told the outlet. “She’s got such a wonderfully infectious energy, and is truly the most funny and loving person in the room. I cannot wait to see the places she’ll go and the things that she is capable of.”
That’s really sad to hear, it seemed like he was really enjoying the role. It’s always disappointing when things like that happen to actors.
Love the character. Love anything he does. He is so charismatic!
I will miss seeing him