Virgin River‘s Marco Grazzini addressed his character Mike’s future before news broke about his surprise exit from season 8.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Grazzini, 45, weighed in on how Mike’s split from Brie (Zibby Allen) led to him potentially finding love with Victoria (Sara Canning), saying, “I think that Mike falls into the same patterns that he’s always been in. She’s somebody that he’s worked with in the past and she’s been in law enforcement.”
Grazzini, who has been on the show since season 3, teased that Mike “definitely has a type.”
“Mike definitely falls hard and he falls fast. He’s a romantic at heart and he just wants to find love,” he noted. “But maybe he needs to exercise a little bit more [caution]. Just wait and see. But obviously he’s taken by Victoria.”
While considering Mike’s journey so far, Grazzini acknowledged that things “could definitely work out” with Victoria, adding, “She fits his type. So we’ll just have to wait and see.” He didn’t rule out Mike finding love with someone else though.
“If things were not to work out with Victoria, it would be a good idea for Mike maybe to get on one of those paid dating apps,” the actor quipped. “Just because his radar right now is in a law enforcement or law enforcement adjacent radius.”
Grazzini had hoped that Mike could “broaden his horizons and maybe find other interests in common.”
“It would be somebody that could distract him from his work life and bring him more into other parts of himself. His hobbies and his passions. Because you know that that line of work can weigh on you,” he continued. “So when the other person in the relationship is also in that line of work, it can get pretty heavy. As familiar as it is, it would be nice for Mike to step out of his comfort zone.”
Virgin River, which is based on Robyn Carr‘s book series of the same name, centers around the lives of residents living in a small town in Northern California. In season 7, which premiered on Thursday, March 12, Mike weathered the aftermath of his proposal to Brie that ultimately ended in the fictional couple calling it quits for good.
“Never say never. But it’s one of those things where it’s a small town,” Grazzini told Us about a possible future reconciliation between the exes. “How many options have you got? Brady is bound to mess up sooner or later. For now, though, as far as my answer goes, I think Brie and Mike are done.”
Grazzini also explained Mike’s initial train of thought that led to him proposing to Brie despite her being unfaithful, adding, “He’s a very passionate person and he gets swept up in the moment. He’s also a very optimistic person and he believes in being able to navigate through whatever this indiscretion with Brady was.”
After season 7 was released on Netflix, news broke that Grazzini won’t be returning as a series regular — for now.
“For me, I’m just trying to look to the longevity of the show and making sure that the characters that we’re keeping have enough story engine in them to keep going,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told Deadline on Thursday. “So I can’t say there are any specific cast shakeups planned, but I think we will have to start to — as characters run their course — make some decisions and bring in some new blood.”
Virgin River is currently streaming on Netflix.
