While Netflix and The CW no longer have the exclusive deal they once did (with many later CW shows now on HBO Max), there is still a bevy of CW hits on Netflix. Now, another is about to join the pile for a binge.
Per What’s On Netflix, beginning July 8, fans can start binging the first two seasons of Sullivan’s Crossing. The Canadian series premiered on CTV in March of 2023 and on The CW in April of 2024. The show is currently airing its third season on The CW.
This has been part of The CW’s new approach where, rather than having fresh new series of their own, they rely on imports from Canada or the U.K. It works for Sullivan’s Crossing as the show has a great vibe and also can appeal to fans of Netflix’s own hit Virgin River!
Sullivan’s Crossing makes Netflix US debut in July
The show is based on the novels by Robyn Carr, who also wrote the Virgin River book series, which became the basis for one of Netflix’s biggest recent hit shows. It’s thus easy to see why Virgin River fans will also enjoy Sullivan's Crossing.
The series opens with Dr. Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), an esteemed surgeon in Boston, about to be honored for her work and for being part of a popular medical practice while handling her boyfriend, Andrew.
Everything falls apart when the FBI raids the event to arrest Maggie’s medical partner for financial irregularities. This comes right after a teenager Maggie had treated from an accident dies due to complications Maggie didn’t expect. With her career in jeopardy, Maggie heads to her old hometown of Timberlake in Nova Scotia and the small lakeside inn run by her estranged birth father, Harry “Sully” Sullivan (Scott Patterson).
Maggie soon settles into her new home, befriending Frank and Edna (Tom Jackson and Andrea Mernard), who work with Sully. She also strikes up a friendship with local hunk Cal (Chad Michael Murray) while trying to figure out where her life is going.
The series will appeal to Virgin River fans a lot in the themes of a big city gal coming to a quiet spot. The cast is wonderful, with Kohan making for a compelling female lead. Maggie’s growth over the series is nicely written as she tries to overcome her mistakes and begins to enjoy this quiet town.
She and Patterson have a great dynamic with their obvious tension, with Maggie blaming Sully for ruining much of her childhood. Sully’s drinking problem is also a factor, although season 2 shifts things up with Maggie making a stunning discovery about the stepfather she’d idolized that changes how she views Sully.
The rest of the characters are pleasing, with Murray (no stranger to romances with One Tree Hill), making Cal a good lead, more than just the temptation for Maggie. Jackson and Mernard provide heart, while the townspeople aren’t the cliche “quirky” types but are realistic and relatable.
There is a lot of drama as Maggie steps in as a de facto town doctor, and obviously, there's a love triangle with Andrew and Cal. There’s a growing supporting cast that gets more time to shine as the series goes on, with a few heartaches along the way. In short, if you loved Virgin River, then Sullivan’s Crossing is going to be a more than worthy show to binge when it hits Netflix and the third season will make it better!
Sullivan’s Crossing premieres on Netflix on July 8.
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