Is Preacher Leaving ‘Virgin River’? Colin Lawrence Breaks Down His Character’s Future (Exclusive)

Preacher has a knack for putting everyone else before himself. That selflessness has made him a pillar of support in the small town of Virgin River, but is he finally going to put his wants first? Virgin River Season 7 began exploring the idea of Preacher branching out beyond Jack’s Bar, leaving many wondering about Preacher’s future. (Warning: Virgin River Season 7 spoilers ahead!) 

Colin Lawrence spoke with TV Insider about Preacher’s life path heading into Season 8. Could Preacher end up pursuing bigger culinary dreams outside of Virgin River?

“I think with all that Preacher has been through with regards to Season 1 until now, at this point in his life, there’s a few things that he’s hoping for, and he’s got a lot of decisions to make with what he wants to do with those desires and ambitions,” Lawrence said. “I consider Preacher the backbone of the community, and he’s always been this selfless individual who has constantly put his needs aside to help others. So I think in this season, we get to see how Preacher approaches putting his needs and his wants mildly ahead and how they play out.”

One of those needs was expanding beyond the kitchen at Jack’s Bar. While Preacher had ideas for making changes to the establishment, Jack (Martin Henderson) was keen on keeping things the same for the community. This led Preacher to explore the possibility of Jack buying out his share of the bar and pursuing a new venture on his own, which ushered their friendship into uncharted territory.

“Preacher has always been a part of Jack’s life, so it’s definitely not an easy task or an easy decision to make regarding where this character sees himself going,” Lawrence explained. “Preacher wants to find his happiness, and what exactly is that based on: relationship, career, or just based on him as an individual? By the end of the season, opportunities do arise. But what exactly is it that Preacher truly wants at the end of the day? That’s something that the audience will have to wait and see what the outcome of that is…He does want more, but at what cost?”

Lawrence noted that he’s looking “forward to expanding” on this new phase of Preacher and Jack’s friendship. “As many people say, friends and business don’t mix well, so that’s always going to be a challenge, especially when possibly the two individuals have different visions as to their futures,” the actor said. “Jack’s starting a family, Preacher is trying to get a relationship off the ground, and at the same time, he wants to really explore his true talents and find out what he really is capable of, other than being kind of in the shadows or being the wingman to Jack’s problems or Jack’s success.”

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His dreams may be bigger than Jack’s Bar, but Lawrence believes Preacher will always be in the loop, no matter what.

“There’s always been something that’s hooked Preacher into not leaving Virgin River, and with the end of this season, Preacher has a decision to make in regards to, is he going to branch off on his own, or is he going to stay and keep things the way they are within Jack’s Bar? Mel and Jack now have a challenge of their own, and how exactly does that trickle into the decision-making of Preacher?” Lawrence told TV Insider.

There’s also Preacher’s developing romance with Kaia (Kandyse McClure) to consider. The couple didn’t see eye to eye last season when it came to marriage, but Season 7 left them in a positive place. “He wants that love. He wants that commitment,” Lawrence said. “Does it always show up the way that he wants it to? Not necessarily, and things change. I’m hoping that this is ‘the one’ with Kaia and Preacher. I know they started off hot and heavy, and now they’re kind of in a slow burn because now they’re looking to discover each other and really find out what each other wants and what each other’s desires are.”

Virgin River, Season 7, Streaming Now, Netflix

Virgin River, Season 8, TBA, Netflix