Sullivan’s Crossing has spent three seasons building up the romance between Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) and Cal Jones (Chad Michael Murray), and now that the couple appears to be happily settled in both their relationship and life at the Crossing, the show risks losing some of its original spark. Based on Robyn Carr’s bestselling novels—the same author behind Virgin River—the series follows a similar blueprint. But here’s where Sullivan’s Crossing may be missing an opportunity that Virgin River still has room to explore.
In Carr’s Sullivan’s Crossing novels, Maggie’s love story wraps up in the first book. The rest of the series shifts focus to new protagonists, each with their own emotional baggage and romantic journey, all within the same close-knit community. This rotating perspective allows the world of Sullivan’s Crossing to feel fresh and dynamic—something the show hasn’t fully embraced yet.
Romantic TV dramas often struggle once the main couple finally gets together. We’ve seen this before: Castle lost some of its charm once Richard and Kate became a couple, and other shows like The X-Files (Mulder and Scully), Cheers (Sam and Diane), and New Girl (Jess and Nick) either broke couples up or added artificial drama to maintain interest. Even The Office had to invent tension for Jim and Pam in later seasons to keep viewers engaged.
One show that figured out how to avoid that pitfall? Bridgerton. Like the Sullivan’s Crossing books, Bridgerton takes a romance-anthology approach—each season centers on a different couple, allowing for new stories and emotional arcs without overstaying one pairing’s welcome.
If Sullivan’s Crossing wants to avoid stagnation and build a longer-lasting future, it would be wise to take a page from both Bridgerton and its sister show Virgin River. Shifting the spotlight to new characters with each season could reinvigorate the show and offer fans the layered romantic storytelling they’ve come to expect from Carr’s worlds.
