Sullivan’s Crossing has been following Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) and Cal Jones’ (Chad Michael Murray) romance for three seasons, but now that they seem fully committed to each other and the Crossing, it’s hard not to feel like some of the central tension of the show is gone. The CW TV series is based on the series of novels by Robyn Carr, the bestselling author of Virgin River. However, in the Sullivan’s Crossing novels, Maggie’s love story is only the focus of the first book.
Subsequent books focus on new romances among different characters, all within the community of Sullivan’s Crossing. Romantic dramas have historically been more successful as movies than ongoing TV series because the story can end at a natural high point. Thus, because the underlying IP is more of a romantic anthology series than one continuous love story, Sullivan’s Crossing would benefit by learning some lessons from Bridgerton‘s success.
The Sullivan’s Crossing Novels Avoid Romance Going Stale By Focusing On A New Couple In Each Book
Maggie & Cal Are Only The Focus On The First Book
There are many examples of TV shows that lose some of their magic when the will-they-or-won’t-they couple decides they finally will — Richard and Kate in Castle, Mulder and Scully in The X-Files, or Sam and Diane in Cheers. The shows either break up the couples, like Jess and Nick in New Girl, or manufacture tension, like with Jim and Pam in the later seasons of The Office. Robyn Carr’s book series has an elegant solution to avoid overstretching one romance: each novel is set at Sullivan’s Crossing but follows a new person’s journey toward healing and love.
Maggie and Cal’s story is resolved by the end of the first book, while the second and third focus on Cal’s siblings, and then the fourth centers on Rob Shandon, the pub owner. Maggie and Cal’s lives continue, and they make appearances in the following novels, much like Daphne and Anthony Bridgerton continue to pop up in Bridgerton after their weddings. This allows fans to keep living in the world they love, with an overall connected story, but with a fresh new romance each season.
Maggie & Cal Don’t Have The Same Electric Chemistry As Virgin River’s Mel & Jack
Mel & Jack Were An Instant Opposite-Attract, While Sullivan’s Crossing Has A Slower Burn Romance
Additionally, fans generally feel that Mel and Jack in Virgin River have better, more swoon-worthy chemistry. Their relationship is built around a classic opposites-attract dynamic — the emotionally wounded outsider and the rugged but dependable local. Their connection is instant and passionate, delivering the kind of sweeping romance that many viewers expect from the genre, and driving seven seasons of content for Netflix. Robyn Car adaptation Sullivan’s Crossing season 3 can fill the Mel and Jack-shaped hole in the hearts of Virgin River fans while they await season 7.
In contrast, Maggie and Cal from Sullivan’s Crossing are seen as having a slower-burn, more grounded connection. Their chemistry is subtler, developing gradually as they help each other heal from deep emotional wounds. It’s a relationship rooted less in sparks and more in shared experience, trust, and personal growth. Some viewers find this dynamic more mature and authentic, while others feel it lacks the excitement of a high-stakes romance like Mel and Jack’s.
Maggie and Cal have barely been an official couple, but fans are worried about the lack of romantic tension in Sullivan’s Crossing season 3. The release format may play a role in how fans receive a long-term romance — Virgin River has the Netflix binge drop, while Sullivan’s Crossing airs weekly on The CW. Romantic dramas may be better served by full-season releases instead of weekly episodes, which gives audiences more time to overanalyze and critique episode to episode.
How Sullivan’s Crossing Can Alleviate The Pressure On Maggie & Cal’s Central Relationship
Sullivan’s Crossing Should Have A New Focal Romance
Sullivan’s Crossing is already renewed for season 4, so there is still time to finesse the central romance and overall focus of the series. The TV show can return to its book roots and adopt a more anthology-style approach, going forward with each season focusing on one new couple finding each other. This would alleviate the pressure on Maggie and Cal to carry the bulk of the show. Sullivan’s Crossing Season 4 will depend on how well Season 3 performs.
Having to keep expanding Maggie and Cal’s backgrounds makes what was a soft romance meant for comfortable viewing a more challenging, darker show. Sullivan’s Crossing tackles difficult topics like mental illness, addiction, and unresolved trauma with nuance and compassion, but it takes away from the focus on cozy romance. It would be nice to have more time to dedicate to Lola’s (Amalia Williamson) budding romance with Edna (Andrea Menard) and Frank’s (Tom Jackson) cousin, or Rafe’s (Dakota Taylor) relationship with Sydney (Lindura), where the timing always seems off.
If Sullivan’s Crossing gets a spinoff series, I’d love to see a Queen Charlotte-style prequel story of how Frank and Edna Cranebear met and fell in love. Even if Sullivan’s Crossing pivots from one ongoing main romance, Maggie and Cal can always be there at the Crossing, guiding new lovers or anyone in need of healing. Ironically, moving away from what the show was might allow it to stay truer to the nature of the books and what fans are craving in terms of chemistry.
