Sullivan's Crossing season 4 is off and running on The CW (Netflix release date TBC), but Scott Patterson, who played patriarch Sully for the first three seasons, won't be returning.

In March, the actor explained in a Facebook post, “The creative differences were becoming untenable, and I just sadly realized that the show was not something that I could agree to continue.

“Every actor knows what it’s like to fall in love with a character and a story. I fell in love with Sully and have nothing but fondness for him.”

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Sully could bridge the Sullivan's Crossing and Virgin River crossover I've been hoping for

I have been campaigning for a Virgin River-Sullivan's Crossing crossover for at least the last year, even going so far as to ask Morgan Kohan if she'd be up for giving a crossover episode a go (the answer was yes).

As both shows essentially live in the same fictional universe, it isn't entirely out of the question. So if Patterson loves Sully but dislikes the creative direction of Sullivan's Crossing season 4, what's stopping him from jumping ship?

Between this and Gilmore Girls, Patterson is an actor who knows how to get the best out of a cozy TV drama. In fact, he's sort of synonymous with the sub-genre. The phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind when picking his next TV role.

We can also assume that Virgin River season 8 will announce new cast members closer to its release, much like we saw in the run-up to season 7. Given that they haven't started filming yet, either — star Tim Matheson said only "rough discussions" had been had in March 2026 — this also plays into my TV fantasy.

Obviously, nothing is confirmed, and I am clutching at straws, but there's no doubting that this is the closest we've ever come to a crossover.

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Jasmine is a Streaming Staff Writer for TechRadar, previously writing for outlets including Radio Times, Yahoo! and Stylist. She specialises in comfort TV shows and movies, ranging from Hallmark's latest tearjerker to Netflix's Virgin River. She's also the person who wrote an obituary for George Cooper Sr. during Young Sheldon Season 7 and still can't watch the funeral episode.