Virgin River, When Calls The Heart, Sweet Magnolias… Inspirational, feel-good TV shows are the new hit dramas, perfect for when our real world gets tough. Now comes a new addition to the genre, Sullivan's Crossing, based on a series of books by Robyn Carr, who also authored the Virgin River series upon which the popular Netflix show is based.
Sullivan's Crossing follows Maggie Sullivan (played by Morgan Kohan), a brilliant neurosurgeon whose life is turned upside down when she finds herself unexpectedly at the center of legal troubles. Leaving behind her bright life in Boston, she returns to Sullivan's Crossing, a campground nestled in her hometown in Nova Scotia, which she left with her mom almost 20 years earlier, but where her father, Sully, (Gilmore Girls' Scott Patterson) still remains.
© Trevor GodinhoThere, she is forced to reconnect with old faces, and new faces, and look at her own self to figure out what she truly wants to make of her life.
Born in British Columbia, Morgan, 29, never wanted to be an actor, going to college for dance where she was also required to take acting classes "I would have these moments of weird blackouts, of being so present in those classes and there was something so magical about that," she shared of falling in love with the craft.
She went on to have guest roles on shows including Star Trek: Discovery, The Bold Type, Ransom and Batwoman, but it was as Lillian in Hallmark Channel's When Hope Calls – a spinoff of When Calls The Heart – that fans may most recognize her. Season one concluded in 2021 after 12 episodes and although season two was greenlit, the channel has only aired two episodes, billed as Christmas specials.
For now, all of Morgan's focus is on Sullivan's Crossing, premiering on The CW on October 4 at 8/7c. The 29-year-old speaks to HELLO! an hour after wrapping filming in Canada, where she is on set filming season two and admits that viewers who fall in love with the show can expect "a juicy" second season…
(Note: Sullivan's Crossing is a Canadian production and the crew are ACTRA members rather than SAG-AFTRA members, who are currently on strike.)
© Trevor GodinhoRobyn Carr is the author of the Sullivan's Crossing books and also wrote the Virgin River series, which has been a huge hit. Did you feel pressure to emulate that success?
Morgan: It's a little bit of a double-edged sword in that there is the pressure because they did so well but also because it did so well it gives you some confidence that there is an audience for this kind of show.
There's obviously going to be lots of similarities because they are both by the same author, but we have different directors, and a different story, so it's innately going to be its own thing – and I think the audiences who love Virgin River will love Sullivan's Crossing as well.
© Trevor GodinhoWhat do you think it is about these inspirational, feel good stories - Sullivan's Crossing, Virgin River, When Calls The Heart - that is gripping viewers?
Morgan: The world right now is hard and these kinds of shows let you sit down for an hour, go on a journey with these characters that you learn to love, and you enjoy your time and get taken out of whatever else is going on in your world.
There's nothing too crazy or dark here; you're going to leave that hour feeling good and a lot of the time, for me anyway, it makes me want to call my own family and my friends, and bring my community closer together which I think is a beautiful thing.
Sullivan's Crossing, Virgin River, When Calls The Heart – all of them are about tight-knit communities where everybody is in it together.
© Michael TompkinsSullivan's Crossing is premiering in the US on The CW after season one ran in Canada— have you been surprised by the success of the show up North?
Morgan: We had such an incredible reception with our Canadian run so there is now definitely a little bit of hope that it goes well in the States – it gives you a little boost.
In Halifax and around the area where we film in Canada, we're running into people that are talking about the show if they see us. Those big tour buses that go around Halifax and the city are also now supposedly including the show – ''and they filmed Sullivan's Crossing at this place and here" – and so it's cool to see that it has had an impact.
© Trevor GodinhoWhen you think back to your audition, what was it about Maggie you loved?
Morgan: I really resonated with her because she is at such a crossroads in this life that she's built for herself in Boston, with her job and relationship and even her look. But then there's also this baby sapling version of herself from when she was younger, and when she is forced to look at that part of her, there is a reckoning.
At that point in my life, when I auditioned, I very much resonated with that. So it just felt really serendipitous.
Episode one sees Maggie return to Sullivan's Crossing after legal trouble in Boston, and by the end of the episode, things have somehow got worse - what can viewers expect from the rest of the season?
Morgan: By the end of the episode we know that Maggie is going to be in the Crossing for a good chunk of time, and so the rest of the season will see her forced to dive into these relationships that have been pushed aside, with Edna (Andrea Menard) and Frank (Tom Jackson), and Sydney (Lindura). who was such a close friend.
So we then get to see her through the people who really see her, and see that version of her open up.
Maggie has defined her life by her career and I think this is that point where she's like, 'what do I want, and how will I define it?' And Andrew (Allan Hawco), her boyfriend, is a part of that perfect life that's been built in Boston, that on paper all makes sense. But then Cal Jones (Chad Michael Murray) is introduced and he is the complete opposite of Andrew and a life that she has pushed away, and he opens up different sides of her.
© Michael TompkinsDid you and Chad have to do chemistry reads? How did you two work on building the connection between Maggie and Cal?
Morgan: We didn't meet until the day that we announced the show – same with Scott as well – but I think that really worked for the characters, Cal and Maggie. Once we were in Halifax though, Chad and I had a couple of good chats, just kind of getting to know each other and finding each other's vibe and energy, and it's been a really respectful and ambitious working relationship between the two of us.
Scott Patterson and Chad Michael Murray both starred in two iconic CW shows (Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill, respectively). What have you learned from them
Morgan: I think you learn so much from every actor you work with every person you interact with, but those two have very different experiences through the industry than I have and so it is always interesting to hear those stories, and take bits and pieces of their advice. They're very generous with sharing their experiences but also they don't let that cloud them being present from the job that we're in right now.
With thanks to Ashley Galang (styling) and Taylor Chousky (hair and make up).
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