Virgin River’s Marco Grazzini Breaks His Silence on Shocking Exit From the Show Ahead of Season 8

Virgin River'sMarco Grazziniis breaking his silence after Mikewas written off the showbefore season 8.

• Marco Grazzini, who played Mike on Virgin River, has confirmed his departure from the show after six seasons, expressing gratitude for the opportunity and love for the cast and fans.
• Showrunner Patrick Sean Smith hinted at potential cast shakeups in future seasons of Virgin River to ensure characters have enough story engine, with Lauren Hammersley also not expected to return as Charmaine.
• Based on the book series by Robyn Carr, Virgin River follows the lives of residents in a small town in Northern California, with changes in the cast including Grayson Gurnsey and Mark Ghanime in previous seasons.

"Character departures are very common in this business — especially on a long-running and beloved series like Virgin River," Grazzini, 45, who has been on the show since season 2, toldEntertainment Weeklyon Thursday, March 12. "It's been a wonderful opportunity to play Mike for six seasons."

Grazzini said he has "nothing but love for the cast, crew, and especially the phenomenal fans who make the show so special," adding, "I'm excited for this new chapter in my career."

News originally broke on Thursday that Grazziniwon't be returning as a series regular— for now.

Which 'Virgin River' Stars Are — And Aren't — Returning for Season 7 After Surprising Cast Exit

"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," showrunnerPatrick Sean Smithtold Deadline. "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."

In addition to Grazzini,Lauren Hammersley, who has been playing Charmaine since the show premiered on Netflix, is also not expected to come back. With the exception of Grazzini,the rest ofVirgin River's season 7series regulars are expected to return in season 8.

Based on the book serieswritten byRobyn Carr, Virgin River centers around the lives of residents living in a small town in Northern California, including Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and her love interest, Jack (Martin Henderson). The series also starsColin Lawrence, Annette O'Toole, Tim Matheson, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Sarah Dugdale, Zibby AllenandKai Bradbury.

This isn't the first time the show has gone through some changes behind the scenes.Grayson Gurnseyleft as Ricky after season 4, andMark Ghanimé, who played Cameron, had a surprising exit once season 6 was released.

Grazzinirecently teased Mike's futureafter his split from Brie (Allen) led to him potentially finding love with Victoria (Sara Canning), exclusively tellingUs Weekly, "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."

Meet the Season 7 Cast of Netflix's Hit Small Town Series 'Virgin River' After Surprise Offscreen Exit

Grazzini 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."

The actor expressed hope 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 Riveris currently streaming on Netflix.

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byLiam Oneel

in

March 13, 2026

Virgin River’s Marco Grazzini Breaks His Silence on Shocking Exit From the Show Ahead of Season 8

Virgin River'sMarco Grazziniis breaking his silence after Mikewas written off the showbefore season 8. M...

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2026 NWSL season preview: Trinity Rodman, expansion teams and more

The NWSL is back.

The 2026 NWSL season kicks off on Friday with a pair of USWNT gold medalists going head-to-head. The Washington Spirit and Trinity Rodman will face off against the Portland Thorns and Sophia Wilson, who is set to make her highly-anticipated return from maternity leave. (More on that later).

Friday's Spirit-Thorns match is one of eight games on the NWSL's opening weekend slate as the league expands to 18 teams with the addition of expansion franchises Boston Legacy FC and Summit FC.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 NWSL season, from the biggest trades and biggest stars returning to the pitch, to the two new teams joining the league in Denver and Boston.

2024: Orlando Pride (defeated Washington Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Championship game)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 2013: Portland Thorns FC (defeated Western New York Flash in the championship game)

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NWSL champions through the years

Recap of 2025 NWSL season

Before we look ahead to the 2026 season, let's take a second to catch up of all the action from 2025:

2025 NWSL Champions: Gotham FC

Gotham FC completed an unlikely underdog postseason run, defeating the Washington Spirit to win the 2025 NWSL championship 1-0 on Nov. 22. Rose Lavelle scored the only goal of the game in the 80th minute. As the No. 8 seed, Gotham became the lowest seed to win an NWSL championship.

2025 NWSL Shield winner: Kansas City Current

The Kansas City Current recorded the winningest regular season in NWSL history. Kansas City claimed the NWSL Shield faster than any other team in league history with five matches left and had the most wins (21), points scored in a single season (65) and clean sheets (16). Despite the record year, the Current were stunned in the quarterfinals by Gotham FC. It's unlikely the Current will replicate the dominant season, but expect them to be at the top of the pack again, with head coach Chris Armas.

2025 NSWL MVP, Golden Boot Winner: Temwa Chawinga

Kansas City Current forwardTemwa Chawingawas named the NWSL's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player in league history to win the honor back-to-back. Sam Kerr is the only other player to win NWSL MVP twice. Chawinga also picked up her second straight Golden Boot with a league-high 15 goals in 23 matches.

Can Chawinga win the MVP and Golden Boot three consecutive years? She's starting at a slight disadvantage. Chawinga suffered a leg injury late last year and enters this season on the season-ending injury list. Kerr is the only player to win three straight Golden Boots (2017-19) and no player has won three straight MVPs.

Bring on the star power

Trinity Rodman

The biggest offseason question was whether or not Trinity Rodman would remain in Washington DC. That was answered when Rodman signed a deal reportedly worth more than $1 million a year through 2028,making her the highest paid playerin league history. The deal was made possible by thehigh impact player rule, which allows clubs to exceed the league's salary cap by up to $1 million for players that meet certain criteria. (TheNWSLPA filed a lawsuit, saying the league violated federal labor law.)

"We have raised the salary cap. We quadrupled the salary cap in the last three years," NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said on Wednesday during her 2026 Kickoff Address. "If we want to … attract and retain top talent, we believe that having a targeted, tailored mechanism to do that will allow us to better achieve and more quickly achieve that objective."

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Rodman's health will be a big storyline heading into the season. The Olympic gold medalist was limited to a career-low 17 regular-season matches for the Spirit last season due to a lingering back issue.Rodman appeared to reaggravate her back injurylate in the USWNT's2-0 win over Argentinaon March 1, but she went on to start the next two games in the SheBelieves Cup and lead the USWNT to its eighth title in the tournament.

Sophia Wilson, Mallory Swanson return from maternity leave

The NWSL is getting back a pair of Olympic gold medalists. Portland Thorns' Sophia Wilson and Chicago Stars' Mallory Swanson are expected to return to the pitch following maternity leave. Wilson welcomed daughter Gianna with NFL husband Michael Wilson in September. Swanson gave birth to daughter Josie with MLB husband Dansby Swanson in November.

Wilson, the 2022 NWSL MVP, made her return on March 6 in the Thorns' 5-1 preseason win over C.F. Monterrey, her first match since November 2024. Wilson subbed in the final 15 minutes and received a loud applause from the crowd. Wilson is on the Thorns' active roster ahead of the team's season opener against the Spirit on Friday.

It's not clear when Swanson will rejoin the Stars, but head coach Martin Sjögre confirmed it would happen at some point this season. Swanson didn't make an appearance during the preseason, but she'll give Chicago a much-needed boost whenever she returns after the Stars finished last in the standings with a 3-12-11 record last year.

Key offseason signings, trades

• The Kansas City Current acquired forward Penelope Hocking from Bay FC on March 11 for a $350,000 transfer fee. Hocking led Bay FC with six goals and one assist in 18 regular-season games.

• The Kansas City Current acquired midfielder Croix Bethune from the Washington Spirit in a $1 million transfer on Feb. 11. Bethune was named midfielder of the year and rookie of the year in 2024. "Her elite creativity and passing ability combined with her tactical versatility... make her a great fit for our club," KC Current general manager Ryan Dell said.

• Bay FC acquired midfielder Claire Hutton from the Kansas City Current in a $1.1 million transfer on Feb. 11, marking one of the highest transfer fees between two NWSL teams and one of the highest for any women's player worldwide. Hutton was named to the NWSL Best XI First Team last season.

• Gotham FC acquired veteran midfielder Savannah McCaskill from San Diego Wave FC in a $175,000 transfer on Jan. 2. She appeared in 21 regular-season games least season.

Denver Summit, Boston FC make their debuts

The NWSL is expanding from 14 to 16 teams with the additions of Denver Summit FC and Boston Legacy FC. Expect the expansion franchises to come out of the gate hot.

"We want to be competitive from the very first day," Legacy FC GM Domènec Guasch told USA TODAY Sports.

Both teams assembled their inaugural rosters without the help of the NWSL draft or expansion draft, which were eliminated in the latest collective bargaining agreement following the 2024 season. Summit FC may have landed the biggest offseason signing right from their own backyard. USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps will join Summit FC in June following the conclusion of her 2025–26 season with OL Lyonnes in France. The midfielder played for the Portland Thorns from 2016-2022.

The excitement for both teams is palpable. Summit FC has already sold 50,000 tickets for the team's first home match at Empower Field at Mile High on March 28, which will break the single-game NWSL attendance record of 40,091 and set a record for the highest attended women's professional game in any sport in the U.S., Berman said.

The NWSL isn't done growing. By 2028, the league will expand to 18 teams. The 17th franchise was awarded to Atlanta in November and the 18th team will "be awarded later this year," Berman added.

Reach USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2026 NWSL season preview: Denver, Boston expansion teams open play

byLiam Oneel

in

March 13, 2026

2026 NWSL season preview: Trinity Rodman, expansion teams and more

The NWSL is back. The 2026 NWSL season kicks off on Friday with a pair of USWNT gold medalists going head-to-...

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March Madness bracketology: NCAA tournament bubble picture gets shakeup

Miami (Ohio) dropped its MAC quarterfinal to UMass to fall to 31-1 but the RedHawks don't fall out of the USA TODAY Sports bracketology field prediction after an unbeaten regular season.

Thanks to results elsewhere during conference championship week – including one crucial result in the SEC – the RedHawks dip down the No. 11 line into one of the NCAA tournament play-in games. This wouldn't be a terrible result for Miami, which is located just an hour from Dayton, Ohio, which hosts the play-in round.

Miami stays ahead of fellow bubble teams such as Auburn and Missouri, which lost in the second round of the SEC tournament, and Indiana, a loser to Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament.

Auburn had a chance to punch its NCAA ticket by beating Tennessee but couldn't stop freshman Nate Ament, who returned from injury after missing about two weeks and poured in 27 points in the Volunteers' 72-62 win. Missouri lost 78-72 to Kentucky and is now on the wrong side of the bubble.

Indiana was in position to make the field before its second loss of the season to Northwestern.

The bubble remains messy but is starting to get a little clearer as contenders advance in or fall out of tournament play.

One contender making a late move is Oklahoma, which dropped nine midseason games in a row but has rebounded to go 8-2 in its last 10. TheSoonershave recently added wins against Auburn, Texas before strong efforts against South Carolina and Texas A&M at the SEC tournament.

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Two contenders to watch are Mountain West rivals San Diego State and New Mexico, which will meet in the conference semifinals. While the Aztecs or Lobos could make it easy by going ahead and winning the MWC title, the winner of the semifinal is in good shape for an at-large spot.

Think you can beat our expert?Join USA TODAY's Bracket Challenge today!

Ready to win March Madness?Join USA TODAY's Survivor Pool today!

March Madness last four in

Santa Clara, Virginia Commonwealth, SMU, Miami (Ohio).

March Madness first four out

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Auburn, Indiana,.

NCAA Tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues:SEC (10), Big Ten (9), ACC (8), Big 12 (8), Big East (3), West Coast (3), Atlantic 10 (2), MAC (2).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness bracket predictions: NCAA Tournament bubble picture changes

byLiam Oneel

in

March 13, 2026

March Madness bracketology: NCAA tournament bubble picture gets shakeup

Miami (Ohio) dropped its MAC quarterfinal to UMass to fall to 31-1 but the RedHawks don't fall out of the USA TODAY ...

Read More