Beloved Netflix show Virgin River continues to draw in an impressive number of fans.
Season 7, which premiered recently, gathered 7 million views during its first week on the platform. The romantic drama made the top 10 in 58 countries and became the fourth most-watch show, globally.
Given those viewership numbers, it’s safe to assume that the series isn’t going anywhere, right? Here’s what we know so far.
Virgin River Season 8 Release Date
Virgin River enthusiasts have reason to celebrate: Netflix already confirmed that the show is coming back for more. That said, you’ll likely have to wait a bit for additional episodes, given that the current installment debuted earlier in March.
Based on the show’s previous release schedule, we expect Virgin River season 8 to arrive sometime in early 2027.
Fun fact: the renewal makes Virgin River one of Netflix’s longest-running series.
Virgin River Cast
Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda “Mel” Monroe Sheridan
Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
Colin Lawrence as John “Preacher” Middleton
Jenny Cooper as Joey Barnes
Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
Tim Matheson as Vernon “Doc” Mullins
Ben Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
What Could Happen in Virgin River Season 8?
Based on the novels by Robyn Carr, Virgin River revolves around Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a nurse practitioner. She moves from Los Angeles to a remote Northern California town called Virgin River, hoping for a fresh start.
However, what she expects to be a quiet reset turns into something more complicated. She not only forms deep connections with locals, but develops a slow-burn relationship with bar owner Jack Sheridan. The show blends romance with small-town drama and the occasional twist. It’s equal parts cosy and absorbing.
The most recent installment picks up after Mel and Jack’s wedding. They decide to adopt a baby, but their happiness is shaken when the newborn is diagnosed with a serious heart condition. The season ends without revealing whether the baby survives, leaving their storyline on a major cliffhanger.
Other characters are also put through the wringer. The episodes feature births, break-ups, even a kidnapping. Virgin River season 8 will likely continue on the same note, with a new focus on Mel and Jack’s journey into parenthood.
When asked about what’s in store for the follow-up, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith revealed it will zoom in on “the challenges that raising a child with special physical needs puts on their marriage and how challenging it is to be new parents, much less new parents in such a high-stakes situation.”
One thing’s for sure: their story is far from over. With 19 novels to draw inspiration from, it could go on for a long time.
The Afghan Whigs have returned with a new single, ‘House of I’. Produced and mixed by Greg Dulli and Christopher Thorn, it marks their first original song in four years, arriving ahead of their 40th anniversary tour. Check it out below.
“Laid this one down in New Orleans last summer,” Dulli said in a statement. “Was looking for an up tempo banger and feel like we found one here.”
Per a press release, the Afghan Whigs will follow 2022’s How Do You Burn? with a new album this year. They recently shared a pair of covers.
Muse are back with a new album. The Will of the People follow-up is called THE WOW! SIGNAL (no, really), and it comes out June 26 via Warner Records. It’s led by the grandiose new single ‘To Be With You’, which you can hear below.
Naturally, there’s some backstory to the album title – the transition from WOP to WOW, if you (a people) will. “THE WOW! SIGNAL takes its name from one of the most compelling interstellar mysteries of the last century: a powerful 72-second radio burst detected in 1977 originating from the constellation Sagittarius with a bandwidth and intensity that suggested a possible extraterrestrial source,” a press release explains. “The astronomer who discovered the anomaly famously circled the now-iconic sequence ‘6EQUJ5’ and wrote ‘WOW!’ on the printout beside it — giving the signal its name and cementing its place in scientific and pop-culture lore.”
For Muse, of course, none of this astronomical context is just conceptual. To promote the new single, they premiered the video by sending a specially-designed video tablet 33km up into the atmosphere.
THE WOW! SIGNAL Cover Artwork:
THE WOW! SIGNAL Tracklist:
1. The Dark Forest
2. Nightshift Superstar
3. Shimmering Scars
4. Cryogen
5. Be With You
6. Hexagons
7. The Sickness In You & I
8. Unravelling
9. Hush
10. Space Debris
At some point when you learn how to drive, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll cross a threshold where your confidence allows the world to expand beyond the limits of your self-consciousness. Your eyes will lock on the horizon and for a moment the vastness will stun you like it never would if you weren’t behind the wheel. The schmaltzy, the obvious becomes beautiful, like the message that appears before Grace Ives on the outro to the penultimate song of her incandescent new album, Girlfriend: “I’m no stranger to that sage advice/ If you love her, let her find her life.” Headed for the freeway, she’s “off with my little mind,” and if you’ve loved Ives’ past work, you know “little” is the kindest compliment. Charting her journey to sobriety, she and co-producers Ariel Rechtshaid and John DeBold dig through the wreckage to uncover an artist more big-hearted, bold, and buzzed with life than the introvert who’d shrink at the scale of it. You can catch Ives on the road on many of these songs (and playing them); you can also hear her marveling.
1. Now I’m
The opening track finds Ives in an aqueous, rejuvenated state of mind: before her voice announces that she’s out in California, the relaxed drums and finely textured synths already point to its riches. Though the production retains its crystalline simplicity, it’s clear her vision stretches out beyond this brief glimpse of the good life, where the “lovely messes” of Janky Star could take the shape of pure, all-consuming love – the gap between feeling you’re “in the water” and “on the ocean.” You can return to the same place and discover it’s flooded with a whole new range of possibilities.
2. Avalanche
In reckoning with her chaotic behaviour, Ives identifies her reckless tendencies and the ensuing numbness as two sides of the same coin. She’s blunt – “Feeling sorry not sorry for the mess that I make” – but stops herself from romanticizing it in hindsight. And while early singles like ‘Avalanche’ showcased the DIY artist’s penchant for big-tent pop, notice the unusual way she lets the weight accumulate in the post-chorus instead of the moment the main hook kicks in: the encroaching synths, the aching “mmms.” Another producer might have punched up the beat a little more on the second verse, but it heaves like panic here as Ives and her collaborators lock into a cerebral haze.
3. Fire 2
As portraits of burnout go, ‘Fire 2’ could hardly be more literal: “I’m blue as a match, I’m unkempt, unattached,” Ives sings, “I’m the shadow of a girl who’s just doing her best.” Even as her voice turns cavernous and weary, her words are still as vivid as the production, which at one point feeds them back to her in a blurry, nightmarish loop. The song is almost ridiculously kinetic and lush, the closest the album comes to resembling Rechtshaid’s work with HAIM, but even at its sparkliest, the music stays unruly. A match fit for dancing.
4. Drink Up
The sharpest, most subversive thing about ‘Drink Up’ is that it’s the first song on the album without a chorus. How do you make that euphoric leap, musically, when you’re armed with the awareness of how catastrophic a “little hit” can turn out to be? So when you expect it to lurch skyward, it instead slushes from one verse to the next, tellingly subtitled (Bridge? Slow Part?) and (Post-slow?) in the lyric sheet I’m looking at. The song’s quizzical nature doesn’t make it feel any less complete; if anything, the slip-up forces experimentation before anyone in the studio gets too comfortable. Mid-binge, she’s thinking up a “cheeky little epitaph,” but ‘Drink Up’ was always going to be around the middle of the tracklist.
5. My Mans
Any pop star could belt out the lines “The more that I want/ Well, the less that I know,” but only a poet totally unburdened by vulnerability could let them a blossom into a chorus like this: “And they all just melt away my meaning/ I’ll be your candle but I’ll weep my wax/ If they all flattened out beneath me/ I’d see forever down a clear cut path.” Objects of desire sometimes stand as roadblocks on the path to incandescent longing, which in the world of Girlfriend is synonymous with commitment. What does weeping one’s wax sound like, you might wonder? Atop piano chords that simply do not let up, an ocean’s worth of sighs, burbling synths, and humming as if to say: The choice is yours, but now you know what I really want.
6. Dance With Me
Leave it to Grace Ives to open the first openly joyful song on Girlfriend by quoting The Hours: “Always the love and the years between us.” If the opener skirts the difference between being “in the water” and “on the ocean,” ‘Dance With Me’ embodies the feeling in the decision to stop watching the film alone in bed and go out into the world, even if only to find a copy of the book in your local library. For a song about feeling the weight of the world nudging you to experience it, it’s resoundingly light, a vibrant array of piano, mellotron, and strings bringing Ives closer to her aspiration of being “like the air.” When she sings about her feet leaving the ground, a vocal effect briefly makes her sound like a child again. Of course “the world is bigger than we thought it be,” she acknowledges, remedying herself by finding beauty in the expanse.
7. Neither You Nor I
When did we go from “cheeky little epitaph” to “chubby little blade”? ‘Neither You Nor I’, delirious and prickly, has an air of “if you know, you know” about the intersection of pleasure and pain. It prompts one of the most primal rhythm sections on Girlfriend, which is a treat.
8. Trouble
Rather than poetic or introspective, ‘Trouble’ is conversational, addressing the toll her drinking has had on a long-term relationship with the exhaustiveness of a heart-to-heart that’s bound to go all night. Ives is quick to admit fault and even hungry for the worst accusations, the catchy melody belying the knot in her throat like a smile. The straightforward pop structure, coloured with a few welcome flourishes, only makes the confession more uncomfortable. But it also prescribes a runtime, which means you can move on.
9. What If
By the time we get to ‘What If’, the frustration and self-loathing at the song’s core is familiar. But in contrast to the “up to you” of ‘My Mans’, ‘What If’ is all about taking accountability as your shitty behaviour keeps playing in your head like a movie, the kind that can make your stomach churn only to elicit a remark like, “That was quite the scene.” It comes off as both understated and wholehearted, trading the mechanic pulse of ‘Trouble’ for a real thrum. And when the “worn ass tires” turn out to be Chekhov’s gun? Man, that’s quite the hand that she played.
10. Garden
Isn’t it funny, ‘Garden’ suggests, how lifting your feet off the ground can feel as liberatingly childish as having them firmly planted there? How groundedness can feel so heavenly? “Lucky to be lonely and hold myself tight and I/ Light all my supply in a fire,” she sings, later adding, “Lucky to lay down and call it a life.” Rather than a rectifying record of a meltdown, Girlfriend is awash with wonder at the warmth it’s produced, the scent filling the air, the sheer clarity of it all. Musically, ‘Garden’ is the slow part, sans question mark. It’s well-deserved.
11. Stupid Bitches
I recently waxed poetic about ‘Stupid Bitches’, which might as well go down as the best pop song of 2026. ‘Avalanche’, ‘Dance With Me’, ‘My Mans’ – all great 2025 singles you could, blissfully ignorant of the then-unannounced full-length, group together as a fantastic EP. But of course Ives had to leave the best for last, both in a promotional and album-sequencing sense: What better way to affirm that it’s never over when you think it is than by ending with a song that seems to kickstart the engine all over again? ‘Stupid Bitches’ is a treasure trove of piercing metaphors and spine-tingling electronics, none of which overshadow Ives’ tenacious performance. In the lead-up to Girlfriend, you wanted to take her impenetrability at face value. At this point, you can’t help but believe her.
The latest dating show to make waves on Netflix, Age of Attraction, has the kind of wild premise you balk at, while simultaneously being intrigued by.
Framed as another social experiment, it explores whether people who fall in love before knowing whether they’re decades apart can make the relationship last once the numbers are revealed. In other words, is love truly ageless, or will the years come between them?
The concept seems to be a hit. Age of Attraction is currently the sixth most-watched show on the platform, globally. With 3.8 million views over the last week, it also made the top 10 in 19 countries. Does that mean a renewal is around the corner?
Age of Attraction Season 2 Release Date
At the time of writing, Netflix hasn’t announced plans for a potential Age of Attraction season 2. That said, episode 8 is yet to arrive on March 25, and the platform may wait a bit to assess overall viewership before making an announcement either way.
As long as people keep tuning in, a second outing could follow in late 2026 or early 2027.
Age of Attraction Cast
Age of Attraction is hosted by Nick Viall and Natalie Joy. You can check out the season 1 contestants here. If the show returns, more information about season 2 participants will be revealed closer to the future premiere date.
What Is Age of Attraction About?
Netflix has already asked whether love is blind. Now, another dilemma arises: it is truly ageless?
Age of Attraction tackles that question head-on. The series brings together singles ranging from their early 20s to around 60 in a secluded retreat. Once there, they are encouraged to form romantic connections. The catch is that they cannot reveal or discuss their age.
Otherwise put, participants can talk about anything, from life to values to intimacy, with age the only off-limit topic. Even viewers are initially kept in the dark, which makes watching more interesting.
Through a mix of speed dating and group activities, unexpected pairs form. They enter a private space, where they finally reveal their real ages to each other. They also have to decide whether they want to continue the relationship. If the answer is yes, they put their often age-gap romance to the test in the real world.
Can chemistry survive real-world differences? You’ll have to tune in to find out. The series is messy and escapist, which should make it appealing to reality fans. As long as it happens, Age of Attraction season 2 will probably continue with the same format.
Sculpture is a visual art of uniquely many considerations: those who have mastered it have conquered not just surface and material, but a whole way of thinking in three dimensions. Next time you walk amid sculptures in your favourite museum or tackle your next sculptural project, here are some thoughts to carry with you.
1. “I assert that the art of sculpture, among all the arts connected with design, is at least seven times greater than any other, for the following reason: why, sir, a statue of true sculpture ought to have seven points of view, which ought all to boast equal excellence.” Benvenuto Cellini
2. “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s sculpture of David in Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy. Photo credit: Deposit Photos
3. “The sculptor carves because he must. He needs the concrete form of stone and wood for the expression of his idea and experience, and when the idea forms the material is found at once.” Barbara Hepworth
4. “Sculpture is the art of the intelligence.” Pablo Picasso
5. “Where did I learn to understand sculpture? In the woods by looking at the trees, along roads by observing the formation of clouds, in the studio by studying the model, everywhere except in the schools.” Auguste Rodin
A Rodin sculpture showing an angel and a man, made from bronze. Photo credit: Deposit Photos
6. “When you slow down enough to sculpt, you discover all kinds of things you never noticed before.” Karen Jobe
While the pleasures of gardening are accessible year-round, there’s nothing quite like spending time in gardens in the gentle warmth of spring. To mark the start of the season, here are five photographs to make you even more eager to visit one – or perhaps dust off your own pruning shears.
As you explore different areas in Pokémon Pokopia, you might get a message saying, “You sense a large presence coming from the ocean.” The game doesn’t explain what it means or where to go right away, which can make it feel mysterious. Basically, the “large presence from the ocean” in Pokémon Pokopia means Kyogre, aka “personification of the sea itself”, has shown up out at sea, and you can head over to check it out for yourself. You won’t miss anything important if you don’t go after it, but it’s a neat hidden encounter for anyone exploring the game. Here’s how to find Kyogre in Pokémon Pokopia after the large Presence from the ocean message pops up.
Pokémon Pokopia: How to Find Kyogre After the Large Presence from the Ocean Message
As mentioned, in Pokémon Pokopia, the “large presence from the ocean” message means Kyogre is nearby. You first meet him during the Withered Wasteland storyline, and the Pokémon can show up again later in the game. If you’ve already completed that part, this message just means he has returned somewhere off the coast.
When the message pops up, the camera will usually pan toward Kyogre, giving you a rough idea of where to find him. To track Kyogre in Pokémon Pokopia down, head to the west side of the island near the caves where you first met Onix and check the water around the broken bridge. Kyogre can also appear farther out at sea, like near the lighthouse or along other coastal areas, so you might need to swim a little along the shoreline or move further out until you spot him.
If he’s too far out, you’ll need the Surf ability. To get it, create a Tropical seaside habitat at Bleak Beach using a Large Palm Tree, four Hedges, and two ocean blocks. After you finish building the habitat, Lapras will show up and teach you how to swim. Once you have the Surf ability, head into the water and swim toward Kyogre. When you reach Kyogre, the screen will fade, and a short conversation will begin. After this conversation,you won’t receive any quests or rewards, and it’s just a brief chance to see and interact with one of the game’s legendary Pokémon.
Soho Solos brings together four solo presentations by Mandy Hudson, James Robert Morrison, Conor Quinn and Alice Sheppard Fidler at Great Pulteney Street Gallery, on view from 10 to 28 June 2026. The exhibition follows the inaugural Soho Open, where artists selected from more than 2000 submissions return with new bodies of work. Presented across four separate gallery spaces, the show offers a focused look at unique practices within contemporary art.
Hudson and Sheppard Fidler both work with discarded and overlooked materials, approaching them from different angles. Hudson translates everyday objects into carefully composed still life paintings, while Sheppard Fidler constructs sculptures and installations that respond to their surroundings.
Quinn and Morrison turn to personal history, drawing on experiences of growing up gay in heteronormative environments. Quinn’s paintings introduce elements of self portraiture and puppets, while Morrison reworks imagery from vintage gay pornography into delicate drawings on fragile surfaces.
Together, the four presentations read as individual narratives focusing on memory and material. Though each artist works independently, the structure of the show creates an inspiring dialogue across the space, reflecting a range of approaches that emerged from the Soho Open.
The exhibition will be on view at Great Pulteney Street Gallery (36 Great Pulteney Street, London W1F 9NS).
The NBA 2K series continues to evolve with each annual release. NBA 2K26 represents the latest installment in the long-running basketball simulation franchise, building on the systems introduced in NBA 2K25. Each new version introduces graphical improvements, gameplay adjustments, and expanded modes that allow players to engage with professional basketball in new ways. The series remains popular among sports gamers because it recreates the atmosphere of NBA competition while allowing fans to control teams, develop strategies, and experience the drama of the league.
Despite the strong foundation of the franchise, there are several opportunities for future updates that could deepen immersion for adult gamers. Enhancing realism, strategy, and fan interaction would allow players to experience basketball culture in a richer way.
Enhanced Franchise Management
NBA 2k26 franchise mode already allows players to manage teams across multiple seasons, yet the system could expand to reflect the complexities of modern professional basketball management. Adult gamers often enjoy strategic decision-making that extends beyond gameplay.
Future versions could introduce deeper front office systems. Contract negotiations, scouting departments, and player development programs could mirror real NBA operations. Detailed financial management systems would allow players to balance salary caps, sponsorship opportunities, and arena investments.
These additions would create a more realistic experience for players who enjoy the strategic side of running a professional sports organization.
A Deeper Fan Experience
One area where the game could evolve involves how fans interact with basketball beyond the court. When surveyed in January 2025, it was found that the age group with the highest share of NBA fans was the 35 to 49-year-old demographic, and many adult basketball fans in this age bracket engage with the sport through multiple channels. They follow statistics, discuss matchups, and participate in sports betting markets. Online sportsbooks illustrate how deeply fans interact with the NBA schedule. The Solaire sportsbook shows how these platforms cover every game in the NBA season and provide a variety of options for adult fans. Fans can select odds related to the overall winner of a game, the total number of points scored, and other statistical outcomes tied to player performance.
A similar analytical system inside NBA 2K26 could appeal to adult gamers who enjoy studying matchups and probabilities. In-game prediction tools, odds simulations, and statistical forecasting could encourage players to analyze games from a strategic perspective while deepening immersion in the basketball ecosystem.
Player Personality and Storylines
Modern sports coverage frequently focuses on player personalities, locker room dynamics, and relationships between teammates. While ESPN reports that NBA 2K26 now has MyGM, which will feature 30 team-specific storylines that begin in the 2025 offseason, introducing more dynamic storytelling elements could enrich the immersion of NBA 2K26.
Career modes could include evolving storylines that respond to player performance, team success, and media attention. Press conferences, fan reactions, and rivalries between players could shape the narrative surrounding a season.
These features would create an environment where every decision influences the story of a player’s career.
Realistic Arena Atmosphere
Basketball arenas deliver one of the most exciting environments in professional sports. Crowd reactions, music, and lighting effects contribute to the overall experience of attending an NBA game.
Future updates could expand how arenas feel during gameplay. More detailed crowd animations, arena traditions, and regional fan cultures would strengthen the sense of authenticity. For example, different teams could feature unique halftime shows, chants, or local traditions that appear during games.
This approach would allow players to experience the distinctive atmosphere of different NBA venues.
Advanced Player Analytics
Basketball analytics continue to influence how teams evaluate performance and design strategies. Incorporating advanced statistical systems into NBA 2K26 could appeal to players who enjoy data-driven gameplay.
The game could provide deeper analytical dashboards that display player efficiency ratings, shot charts, and lineup performance statistics. Coaches within franchise mode could rely on these insights to design plays and adjust strategies during the season.
Providing detailed analytics would create a more strategic gameplay environment that reflects how modern teams analyze performance.
Expanded Online Community Events
Online gaming communities play an important role in modern sports games. Expanding community-driven events could strengthen the connection between players around the world.
Seasonal tournaments, cooperative team modes, and global leaderboards could create new ways for players to interact. Special themed events tied to real NBA milestones, such as playoff races or All-Star weekend, would keep the community engaged throughout the season.
These events would allow players to celebrate basketball culture together while competing in a dynamic online environment.
The Future of Immersive Basketball Gaming
NBA 2K26 already delivers a detailed basketball simulation that captures the excitement of the sport. The series continues to benefit from technological improvements that enhance graphics, gameplay, and player realism.
Expanding fan interaction systems, management depth, storytelling elements, arena atmosphere, analytics tools, and online events could further elevate the experience for adult gamers. These features would reflect the many ways people engage with basketball today, from strategic analysis to community discussions.
As gaming technology advances, the NBA 2K franchise will likely continue exploring new ways to bring fans closer to the action. By building on its existing strengths and introducing new immersive features, future versions of the game can deepen the connection between players and the world of professional basketball.
