‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ is a ‘life-preserver in tumultuous times’: Canadian showrunner

TORONTO — For Roma Roth, setting her show “Sullivan’s Crossing” in Nova Scotia is a way to showcase more of Canada on the small screen.

The London, Ont.-born executive producer and showrunner — who also works on the soapy Netflix series “Virgin River” shot in British Columbia — says it was time to introduce more of Canada as a crown jewel to American audiences.

“I wanted to show that you could … create a series that was successful being set in Canada as Canada,” Roth said in a recent interview promoting the third season of the show, which airs Sundays on CTV.

“I’ve seen ‘Squid Game,’ for example, on Netflix, which is in Korean, and I figured if people are watching Korean shows they can watch a show that’s set in Canada and we could show a beautiful setting like Halifax to the world.”

Based on the Colorado-set book series of the same name by Robyn Carr, Roth’s reimagination of “Sullivan’s Crossing” takes place in the fictionalized Nova Scotia town of Timberlake to follow the former Boston-based neurosurgeon Maggie (Morgan Kohan) as she navigates her blossoming relationship with Cal, played by Chad Michael Murray, and her dad Sully, played by Scott Patterson.

East Coast scenery adds idyllic charm to the drama, with Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia’s coastline and the quintessentially colourful Maritime architecture of Halifax’s North End neighbourhood featured prominently.

Bell Media says the show’s second season was its most-watched Canadian drama of the 2023-24 broadcast year, and data from Numeris shows the early episodes of Season 3 have made it the #1 Canadian drama on CTV.

The show’s first two seasons were added to Netflix last month. In the U.S, “Sullivan’s Crossing” airs on the CW.

Roth also runs Reel World Management, a production company that finances and develops feature and television productions, including “Virgin River.”

She’s been in the business for more than two decades working on a variety of genres including thrillers and rom-coms. She said she sees “Sullivan’s Crossing” as an “evergreen” comfort watch and is happy to leave the characters untouched by current politics.

“It’s supposed to be a show that’s a life-preserver in tumultuous times for people. We’re trying to … give the audience journeys with the characters that they can identify with and connect with, so you have to walk a fine line between aspirational television and meaningful and deep storylines. I think the goal is for the show to walk that line carefully.”

Roth is a longtime member of the Writers Guild of Canada and produces “Sullivan’s Crossing” under its jurisdiction, but was recently expelled from the Writers Guild of America for allegedly working in the “Sullivan’s Crossing” writers room during the nearly five-month WGA strike in 2023.

The decision to expel Roth was upheld by members of the guild in a vote on May 9 after Roth appealed the union’s initial decision to expel her in February, according to a report from the WGA’s trial committee obtained by The Canadian Press.

The WGA did not reply to a request for comment.

Roth denies the allegation that she wrote during the strike.

“Sullivan’s Crossing is a Canadian series and didn’t involve any struck companies so it is disheartening to see a union that is supposed to protect its members turning on its own,” she said Saturday in an emailed statement.

In a letter to WGA members, Roth said she hired a number of writers — including her twin sister Rosana Roth — under the Canadian guild to keep working on the show when the strike began. She says photo evidence used in the hearing that led to her expulsion shows her sister working in the writers’ room.

A statement from a Bell Media spokesperson says Roth’s expulsion will have “no impact” on the current third season of “Sullivan’s Crossing.”

The network values “our partnership with Roma Roth and look forward to continuing to work with her,” the statement reads.

While Season 2 ends with an anguished Maggie and Cal looking onto a diner fire with Sully still inside the building, Season 3 opens seemingly a few days or weeks later with all the characters back at the crossing alive and well, with the fallout from the fire being revealed throughout the first episode.

It’s also a “spicy season,” Roth said, adding viewers can expect to see Maggie and Cal’s relationship heating up and some new characters being introduced.

Michael Murray, who found fame in the early 2000s playing heartthrob characters on “Gilmore Girls” and “One Tree Hill,” says he’s increasingly being recognized by fans for his part in “Sullivan’s Crossing” — especially among fans in the U.S.

“It’s all over the States. I think more people are going to flock to (the show) at a time where people especially need content that chills you out, brings peace,” he said.

Michael Murray and Kohan say they’re most excited for fans to see how their characters’ relationship plays out on the screen.

“This year we get to do a bit more playing,” Michael Murray said. “These characters really continue to evolve and get out of their comfort zone and discover each other and learn about each other.”

Kohan, who was born in Summerland, B.C., said viewers will be excited to finally get to see them dating, and the season will see them go through challenges.

“We get to see them come up against a couple hurdles together, like whether love is enough, as they get into the nitty gritty of it all,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2025.

Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press