Don’t Write Off The CW Yet: Sullivan’s Crossing Is a Cozy Place to Visit

The CW under Nexstar differs greatly from the version of The CW owned by Warners Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global for nearly two decades. This was always the plan, but it means many longtime viewers wrote off the network this spring and summer when their favorite shows concluded their runs. But while a variety in programming, including sports, has allowed the network to reach a new audience, there are still hints of the old network if you look for them. And I’m not talking about the legacy CW series that were renewed but will soon go the way of their brethren. I’m talking about the cozy and comforting Sullivan’s Crossing. 

Based on a series of books by romance author Robyn Carr and adapted for TV by Roma Roth, the wholesome soap is an adult-oriented family drama that would not have been totally out of place on The CW or even its predecessor, The WB. The show, which was produced for CTV in Canada and imported to the U.S. this fall, stars Morgan Kohan as Maggie Sullivan, an award-winning Boston neurosurgeon who returns home to Sullivan’s Crossing, a picturesque campground in Nova Scotia owned by her estranged father, Sully (Scott Patterson), after her partner in a medical practice is indicted for fraud. What is initially meant to be a brief reprieve, however, becomes an extended stay when Maggie learns that she’s also being sued for malpractice by the grieving mother of a former patient. 

While far from groundbreaking, the show’s predictability is one of its greatest assets (see also: the gorgeous scenery of Nova Scotia, where the show is filmed), as it follows familiar storytelling patterns to their expected, welcomed ends. Knowing that problems will arise but be resolved without issue is one of the reasons to tune in, as is the knowledge Maggie is a fundamentally good and empathetic person. She’s a heroine for whom it’s easy to root, making for a pleasant and easy watch. But she’s not the only reason to tune in. There is also a sweet boyfriend (Allan Hawco) willing to do anything for Maggie; a former best friend (Lindura) who has returned to town to help raise her nephew; surprisingly frequent medical emergencies that allow Maggie to put her medical training to good use; and, oh yeah, a hunky lawyer with his own emotional baggage who completes the requisite love triangle. That said lawyer is portrayed by Chad Michael Murray—the former star of the popular WB-turned-CW drama One Tree Hill whose squint still conveys multiple emotions and whose hair is now at its most swoopy—only increases the comforting sense of familiarity surrounding the show. But the drama also raises the narrative bar by incorporating the stories of the Indigenous people of Nova Scotia through Frank (Tom Jackson) and Edna Cranebear (Andrea Menard), a married couple who work at the campground and are part of Maggie’s found family.

With the show’s easy charm, it’s not difficult to imagine it airing alongside series like The CW’s Hart of Dixie, a heartwarming romantic dramedy starring Rachel Bilson as a New York City doctor who moves to Alabama and finds a new home, or even WB series that similarly explored complicated family dynamics, like Everwood, Gilmore Girls, or even Reba. It’s a shame, then, that it’s such an outlier in the network’s current lineup, which also includes LIV Golf, the reality series FBoy Island, the Christian-themed drama The Chosen, and a lot of acquired series from Canada that lack the escapism offered by Sullivan’s Crossing. 

When Nexstar purchased a controlling stake in The CW in 2022 (Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global each retain a 12.5 percent ownership stake), it did so noting that it intended to turn the network profitable by 2025. Historically, the network operated at a loss, serving as a platform for its parent studios’ projects while relying on international distribution rights and a massive Netflix deal to operate (that deal ended in 2019). The diversification of The CW’s programming slate since Nexstar took over has the network trending in the right direction, showing quarter-over-quarter progress, but if we have learned anything in 2023—the year that Barbie dominated the box office and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour dominated everything else (and, well, also the box office)—it’s that media created for and by women has incredible reach and significant cultural influence, and it should never be underestimated. 

Years of being overlooked by the men who still hold the majority of senior positions in media and entertainment means that, despite gains, women—and especially women over 30—remain hungry for better representation and stories that center their experience. It’s a powerful lesson that has already been learned by Netflix, which in recent years has seen incredible success with its programming slate of female-oriented projects, including Bridgerton, Virgin River, and Sweet Magnolias, which all, like Sullivan’s Crossing, are based on an existing series of romance novels. 

But while romance is an obvious common denominator, it’s not the only connection Sullivan’s Crossing shares with Netflix’s popular shows. Series creator Roma Roth is also an executive producer on Virgin River, and the books upon which the series is based are by the same author whose novels serve as the basis for Virgin River. Once you know that, it’s easy to see the similarities: both feature competent female leads who work in the medical field and are at a turning point in their lives; both are set in idyllic small towns where everyone knows everyone else; and both feature medical storylines that allow their leading ladies to find a level of fulfillment even if their lives are not perfect.