Virgin River showrunner teases how season 5 will address Charmaine shock cliffhanger

And now incoming showrunner Patrick Sean Smith – who is joining the show for the next run – has addressed the huge bombshell and revealed how it might be resolved in the fifth season of the hit drama.

"When I got to that ending, I was gasping," he said during an interview with TV Line. "Where do we go? What do we do? What does this mean?"

The Supernatural writer added: "We’ll look at Jack’s investment in what the twins meant to him, as well as how Charmaine challenged him for so long in that relationship."

Fans eager for immediate answers will likely still have to wait a little while longer before they can find out exactly how Jack will react, with a release date for season 5 not yet having been revealed by Netflix.

But we do know that production has started on the next run – star Alexandra Breckenridge posted a video on her Instagram story on 19th July in which she declared that filming was underway.

Smith takes over as showrunner from Tenney for the new season, and previously teased that "it took me a while to get my head around what [the characters have] all been through, where they’re heading and where I’d like them to go."

Virgin River seasons 1-4 are currently streaming on Netflix. Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix – or see what else is on with our TV Guide. Visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.