Virgin River is returning for Season 8, that much we know! The show, which ended Season 7 with Mel and Jack rushing their new baby boy into emergency surgery and Brady getting into a motorcycle crash, is now filming Season 8. And with production news comes the announcement of some new faces that will be joining our series regulars for the upcoming season. But who’s coming back and who’s new to the cast?

First, let’s share the confirmation that the season is filming, directly from Mel Sheridan herself (Alexandra Breckenridge):

Now, who is joining Mel and Jack (Martin Henderson) for Season 8? At least two new faces!

First, there’s Mitchell Slaggert (Landman), who is set to recur as an EMT named Eddie. According to the character description, he “may surprise you by fixing your soul along with your body. He’s a laidback charmer who never pictured himself in a small town, but with natural curiosity and a zeal for life, Eddie is going to explore all that Virgin River has to offer.”

But he’s not the only one, as Season 8 is bringing us another doctor. Natasha Calis, who currently portrays Hayley Roberts on the medical drama SkyMed, is set to recur in the upcoming season as a “brashly confident” surgical resident named Astrid, “who finds herself assigned to a rotation in Doc’s clinic after mysteriously being placed on probation.” Okay, we have a lot of questions!

“Her bedside manner may be lacking, but she’s willing to do almost anything to get out of Virgin River and back in the surgical wing,” her description also reads.

We’ve heard that story before. She’ll probably stick around. And at this point, Eddie will probably stick around too! No one can ever seem to leave Virgin River. Well, almost no one. We do know of two characters who we will not be seeing for the upcoming season: Marco Grazziani (Mike Valenzuela) and Lauren Hammersley (Charmaine Roberts) were previously announced to have departed the show.