Show Shaken By Scott Patterson’s Departure

Sullivan’s Crossing has made a risky decision with its cast, removing a central figure with Scott Patterson’s newly announced departure, and it’s likely to shake up the show entirely. While Sullivan’s Crossing season 4, which is set to return to Canadian markets this month and will hit Netflix in the coming months, is going to explore new relationships, one of its foundational dynamics won’t return.

With the show’s premiere looming, the creative team behind Sullivan’s Crossing addressed the elephant in the room surrounding Harry “Sully” Sullivan (Patterson), who left the last season of the series off with an uncertain future. The premise of Sullivan’s Crossing includes Sully’s daughter, Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), returning to her hometown to reunite with her estranged father after personal tragedy.

For seasons, Sullivan’s Crossing has been unpacking the relationship between Maggie and Sully while building out the larger world of the series. With the rest of Timberlake, the fictional Nova Scotia town where Sullivan’s Crossing campground lies, has become far more dynamic throughout the first several seasons of the series, things between Sully and Maggie have felt far too drawn out at times.

When Sully’s story seemed to come to an impasse during Sullivan’s Crossing season 3, it was clear that there would have to be some creative decision made about what was to come next. What viewers didn’t expect was a complete departure from the original dynamics of the series, but that appears to be what’s coming for Sullivan’s Crossing season 4.

Sullivan’s Crossing Season 4 Will Proceed Without Gilmore Girls’ Scott Patterson

Announcing Patterson’s departure just weeks ahead of the Sullivan’s Crossing season 4 premiere, the creative team behind the series made it clear that moving forward without Sully won’t be an easy feat. While the creative team tried to share that the door was open for Sully to return to the Crossing in the future, it appears Patterson may not be interested in returning.

Patterson shared on his Instagram that despite reports that the series was ready to move forward from Sully’s storyline, which in season 3 involved his love interest Helen (Kate Vernon) bringing him to Ireland, he was actually looking for an out from the series. Regardless of the reasons behind Patterson’s departure, Sully’s story was struggling to connect throughout Sullivan’s Crossing season 3, which makes his exit understandable.

Sully Leaving The Crossing Has Been Teased For Seasons

Throughout the last few seasons, Sullivan’s Crossing has been moving through the motions of bringing Sully and Maggie to a better place. After making it clear why the relationship was such a struggle for both Sullivans, the series worked to repair Maggie’s bond with her once-estranged father, proving that their dynamic was reparable by Sullivan’s Crossing season 3, when they truly felt like a father-daughter pair.

While the first two seasons of Sullivan’s Crossing didn’t make it seem like Sully would ever leave the Crossing, the series began to tease out the idea of the family patriarch taking his leave earlier than viewers would anticipate.

Though Sully has consistently been anti-travel, he’s faced several circumstances that could’ve seen him leave his long-time home. From the Crossing nearly being sold to Sully falling in love, his exit doesn’t feel entirely sudden.

Sullivan’s Crossing Focusing On Maggie Is A Risky Choice, But May Pay Off

Without Sully, things will look starkly different on Sullivan’s Crossing when it returns later this month. The series seems as though it will be focusing solely on Maggie moving forward, with the rest of the cast playing more supporting roles than they may have been in the past. With Maggie and Cal Jones (Chad Michael Murray) facing her ex-or-current-husband, Liam Davies (Marcus Rosner) will be part of the story.

Moving forward, Sullivan’s Crossing may look a lot different than what viewers have come to know. Without Sully, the series will focus more on Maggie’s romantic life, and that could be a risky choice given how much push back viewers have offered about the idea of her secret husband returning to the show.

There could be some big payoff for Sullivan’s Crossing, but Patterson’s exit seems like too big a risk to be confident about.