#Where is Hope? Is Annette O’Toole leaving?

If you have started to watch Virgin River season 3 on Netflix, it makes sense to be wondering about Hope. Why are we seeing so little of her? Sure, the character is a part of the season, but so much of it is happening in virtual form.

So is this a sign that Annette O’Toole is leaving the show? Is that something to be concerned about? In a word, no; instead, the lack of Hope in season 3 was due solely to the global health crisis and the challenges of getting everyone to the show’s Vancouver set. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, here is what showrunner Sue Tenney had to say on the subject:

That was a pandemic pivot … We’ve worked very hard to make sure she was still very much in the show. If we have a fourth season, everyone is now vaccinated and the pandemic is not what it was. So, I would hope that we would have Annette back.”

Ultimately, O’Toole is not the only performer in the TV world who had to change some things around due to the global health crisis. Remember that on NCIS: Los Angeles, Linda Hunt (Hetty) was absent for a huge chunk of the season in terms of a physical presence on set. Meanwhile, NCIS proper tried to keep David McCallum (Ducky) at arm’s length for the vast majority of the season. Those shows at least benefited from being US productions, but filming on international productions has been even more difficult due to all of the quarantine rules.

Hopefully, Hope will come roaring back in a big way in season 4 — provided, of course, that there is another one.

Related – What are the current odds of there being a season 4?

Are you missing seeing Hope so often on Virgin River season 3?

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