He might’ve scooted into the new season of Virgin River toting a gun, stripping off layers of clothing, and riding around in his lil’ pickup truck, but this isn’t actor Cody Kearsley’s first time at the sexy rodeo — and, as his character proves throughout the season, nor will it be his last!
Among a new crop of stars the Netflix drama lassoed to populate the titular town across season 7, Kearsley joined the show as an alum of a River of a different kind, having flowed in from the murky shores of The CW’s teen drama Riverdale.
Kearsley (and his 900-gallon cowboy hat) moseys into Virgin River at the top of the season as Clay, a former rodeo rider drifting through town on the run from a mysterious past — a past that, at least on Riverdale, saw him kissing boys in the halls of Riverdale High.
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The Canadian actor appeared on dozens of episodes in the recurring role of Marmaduke “Moose” Mason, a bisexual athlete who also appears in the Archie comics universe.
From 2017-2023, Kearsley played Moose as the love interest of actor Casey Cott’s Kevin Keller, the first gay character in the Archie series.
In addition to Riverdale, Kearsley landed a starring role as Turbo, among the main cast of Netflix’s short-lived Daybreak series. The post-apocalyptic dramedy ran for 10 episodes across one season in 2019, with Virgin River marking Kearsley’s first return to the streaming platform since.
Kearsley’s fellow freshman Virgin River cast mates include One Tree Hill‘s Austin Nichols as Eli, a dreamy figure from Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) past, and The Vampire Diaries alum Sara Canning as Victoria, an investigator probing into Doc’s (Tim Matheson) alleged medical malpractice at the Virgin River clinic.
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Virgin River season 7 weaves Clay into an already titillating tapestry, as romantic tensions arise between Brie (Zibby Allen), Mike (Marco Grazzini), and Brady (Ben Hollingsorth) amid her conflicted feelings for both men, while the spark between Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and Kaia (Kandyse McClure) might be on the verge of fading.
Things are going strong between Jack and Mel, however, as the couple weathers a few setbacks on their journey to finally adopt a baby from one of Mel’s patients, Marley, though the unforeseen return of a past obstacle threatens to derail their plans once again.
Virgin River season 7 — and Kearsley’s smolder — are now streaming on Netflix.