09

Sep

Now streaming on Netflix: “Sullivan’s Crossing” (Seasons 1-4)

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It’s unbelievable that fans of “Sullivan’s Crossing” have to wait possibly until July/August 2027 to catch season 5 on Netflix Malaysia, especially for those who don’t have access to Canada’s CTV or the US-based CW television network. Credible entertainment news sources reveal that filming has started since August 2026 and is slated to culminate in December 2026. Those based in North America can catch the series in Spring 2027.

Younger viewers who grew up watching “A Cinderella Story” (2004 film), “Dawson’s Creek” (television series) and “Gilmore Girls” (television series) will be happy to see familiar faces Chad Michael Murray and Scott Patterson who assume lead roles alongside Morgan Kohan, who all help run a holiday cabin and a rustic campground facing a waterfront named “Sullivan’s Crossing”. “Sullivan’s Crossing” is a book-to-screen adaptation of Robyn Carr’s romance novel series, bearing the same name and consisting of five different books, although for the purposes of television, much of the story and many characters are based on the first book in the series “What We Find” (2016).  

Like many businesses, running a holiday cabin and campground business has its ups and downs. Harry “Sully” Sullivan is the main owner of “Sullivan’s Crossing”. His estranged daughter, Maggie Sullivan, is a successful neurosurgeon in the US, who was driven away by her mother at a young age. Ultimately, this led Maggie to believe that her birth father’s guilty. At 15 years old, she returned to the crossing only to find a young girl had taken her room. Maggie misunderstood it by thinking that her father had formed his new family, triggering Maggie to cut off all contact with “Sully” for years.

Maggie’s return to her father’s sanctuary, as the starting point of the story, is framed as an escape from her legal and FBI troubles in Boston, where she is a practicing neurosurgeon. She meets Cal Jones, a former lawyer-turned handyman at “Sullivan’s Crossing”. In a similar fate as Maggie, Cal seeks refuge at the crossing, escaping from his stressful life and painful past in New York. As the seasons progress, Maggie and Cal both navigate the ups and downs at the Crossing, handling a variety of cases, combining both their expertise – with Maggie handling medical cases that can be impromptu and take place outside the hospital setting, when the situation calls for it, and with Cal helping whenever there’s any legal aspect that needs some examination. In the later episodes, when Cal joins the Search and Rescue team as a volunteer with the local community-based fire station, he also executes temporary medical measures where appropriate.

Each season has a block of 10 episodes, with an average runtime of up to 45 minutes. If you ask me, the pace of Season 1 is perfect. Season 2 is manageable, with a little slowdown in the later episodes. Season 3 is still watchable, while Season 4 can be quite long and some parts, annoying. I’m hoping the show’s producers end it with Season 5.

Set against the scenery and backdrop of Canada and Nova Scotia, much of the areas’ natural beauty will take over your screen, regardless of the size of your device you’re watching “Sullivan’s Crossing” from. From the sea, seagulls, mountains, and the lake.

If you’ve been to Nova Scotia, you’ll be able to tell how much of the series is actually shot on location and how much of it is fictional.

Cast members are either from Canada or the US, making it a rather interesting watch. You’ll get a mix of Standard American English audio and Canadian English dialogue, although when both are spoken, it can at times be difficult to distinguish the differences. It is also worth noting that at some points, the dialogue feels not as substantial as expected or watered down.

Supporting characters are the fictional couple Frank and Edna, in their fifties, support staff of Sullivan’s Crossing. Somehow, despite being of a younger age than the fictional couple mentioned above, it’s safe to say that viewers can also relate to these two, (especially assuming that they dislike how some of the other characters carry themselves in the show). It is mainly these two characters that bring out a certain character to the show, with them showcasing a mix of French and an indigenous language, which can lighten up the tensed atmosphere caused by drama, depicted in the series. Understandably, because they’re part of a close-knit community, everything feels very neighbourly and there are unique traditions to follow and appreciate.

With this as one of the defining features of this series, this drama takes a more balanced approach to a medical drama, while also not too much of romance, particularly in the earlier seasons.

With Season 4 marked by the departure of a certain main character, fans are left with mostly the younger ones in the cast, and new subplots. While the departure didn’t seem too forced, the weight of his departure is clearly felt, with some of the script more emotional and angsty, perhaps? Did the original team behind the wardrobe of the cast leave, too?

Born in 1951, Robyn Carr was a wife to a member of the US Air Force in the 1970s. Qualified as a nurse, her husband’s frequent assignment-based relocations made it difficult for Carr to retain her profession. She began writing with two babies on her lap. Today, she has 60 novels bearing her name, 11 of which are bestsellers, and Netflix adaptations, including “Virgin River” and “Sullivan’s Crossing”.  In the early days of Carr’s career, she started by writing historical novels.

In the television series adaptation of “Sullivan’s Crossing”, the setting was changed from Colorado to Nova Scotia in order to differentiate the setting from the other “Virgin River” episodic series adaptation.

“Sulivan’s Crossing” first premiered in March 2023 in Canada and October 2023 in the US. The series became available on Netflix in North America in July 2025. Later, the show was made available on Netflix in other regions.  

About Author

Yong Jo Leen

Jo Leen now spends her days crafting compelling content for Inkscribehub. She was previously attached to a business intelligence firm.

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