Inside Sullivan’s Crossing: How Morgan Kohan and Roma Roth Made Small-Town Drama Big Again
When Sullivan’s Crossing first aired, it promised more than another small-town drama. Nostalgic fan favourites like Chad Michael Murray and Scott Patterson blended seamlessly with the fresh spark of Morgan Kohan, all under the steady vision of showrunner Roma Roth.
“I anticipated that it would do well,” Roth reflects. “But not to this extent—especially on Netflix in the U.S. That was a wonderful surprise.”
For Roth, who previously struck gold adapting Robin Carr’s Virgin River, the response proved that audiences still crave stories that feel both familiar and refreshingly new.
At the centre of that balance is Maggie Sullivan. Casting the role was no small task, but Kohan’s self-taped audition was undeniable. “Nobody held a candle to Morgan,” Roth recalls. “She knocked it out of the park.”
Kohan felt an immediate personal connection to Maggie. “So much of Maggie—the perfectionism, wanting life to go a certain way—I knew that feeling,” she says. “Playing her has been a beautiful journey and a chance to explore who she is over these seasons.”
Acting opposite Murray and Patterson could have been intimidating, but Kohan embraced it with ease. “I hadn’t really watched their iconic shows growing up, but of course I knew who they were,” she admits. “I met them as fellow actors first. It felt true to Maggie’s journey.” Roth agrees, adding, “Morgan’s fresh performance, combined with Chad’s and Scott’s loyal fan bases, creates something that feels both familiar and new.”
For Roth, adaptation has never meant rigid faithfulness. As she explains, “If you adapt a book exactly, what’s the point of watching the show? We add layers, history, and depth. In Sullivan’s Crossing, a season can span just a week or two—it allows the audience to live with the characters in real time.”
Filming in Nova Scotia only amplifies that authenticity. Roth describes the province as “one of Canada’s crown jewels,” praising both the landscapes and the locals. Kohan felt the same way, reflecting, “What a beautiful place to work. The seasons, the weather—it makes you feel small in the best way. It adds something you can feel onscreen.”
But beyond the scenery, the show thrives on its emotional core: fractured families, hospital heartbreaks, and the fragile hope of redemption. “In order to really connect, the audience has to go on a journey with the characters,” Roth explains. “They need to feel like those characters are part of their family. The goal is to give some insight into how to look at difficult situations and maybe learn from them instead of dwelling on them—to offer hope, especially in a world that feels a little unstable right now.”
And the journey is far from over. With Season 4 on the horizon, Roth teases even deeper storytelling: “We’re going to peel back more layers and really get to know our characters better than we have before. And Maggie’s journey from the head to the heart is still unfolding.”
Kohan, laughing, offers her own wish for the character: “That she figures it the hell out, and that she gets to smile.”
The power of Sullivan’s Crossing doesn’t lie in shocking twists but in its quieter truths: storms that pass, people who feel like home, and subtle changes that arrive without warning. It’s about navigating life’s mess and finding something steadier, softer, and true.
For anyone ready to make that crossing, the series awaits—streaming now on Netflix in the U.S., and available on CTV, Crave, and Netflix in Canada.
