Behind the Scenes of 'Sullivan's Crossing': How the Book Series Differs From the Must-Watch TV Show

While Robyn Carr's collection spans five novels, each featuring unique love stories, the TV adaptation of Sullivan's Crossing zeroes in on the central romance between Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) and Cal Jones (Chad Michael Murray).

The show also veers off script with location, character dynamics and the unfolding of Maggie and Cal's relationship.

In the books, Sullivan's Crossing lies in the picturesque Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where campers and nature enthusiasts gather. The TV show, however, takes place in the fictional town of Timberlake, nestled in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. This shift not only alters the scenic backdrop but also plays into the showrunners' desire to differentiate it from Virgin River, another beloved series based on Carr's novels.

Showrunner Roma Roth said, "To ensure the show would feel distinctive from her [Carr's] other adaptation, I decided to set it in Nova Scotia for Nova Scotia... it's always been a personal goal of mine to create and write a Canadian content show that would reach a global audience."

The dynamics of Maggie and Cal's romance vary wildly between the two formats. In the show, Maggie returns home amid legal troubles and finds herself entangled in a messy love triangle with her Boston boyfriend, Andrew Matthews (Allan Hawco). This subplot introduces tension and drama, stretching their relationship through unexpected trials, including a pregnancy scare and a miscarriage.

In contrast, Carr's novel What We Find jumps straight into the romance, establishing Maggie and Cal as a couple almost immediately. Andrew's presence is brief, as he breaks up with Maggie due to her legal issues before she even arrives at Sullivan's Crossing.

By the second book, Any Day Now, Maggie and Cal are married and raising a daughter together, showcasing a portrayal of love absent from the TV series, which delays their relationship development until later seasons.

Additional character transformations further set the show apart from the novels. Sydney Shandon, played by Lindura, serves as Maggie's childhood best friend returning home from New York City, when in the books, she's a genius scientist dealing with a divorce.

Similarly, Connie Boyle becomes a female character in the series, contrasting with the male character from the book. In the novels, Conrad "Connie" Boyle is a firefighter navigating heartbreak, but in the show, Connie is reimagined as a woman grappling with her own divorce.

The Sullivan's Crossing book series delves into various love stories rather than focusing solely on Maggie and Cal. Following What We Find, subsequent novels explore different characters' journeys, highlighting the broader community and its romances, while the TV adaptation primarily centers on the duo.

Maggie's relationship with her father, Harry "Sully" Sullivan (Scott Patterson), is also more strained in the show than in the books. The series portrays their connection as fraught with tension and distance, while the novels depict a more nuanced relationship, with Maggie actively seeking to maintain ties with Sully even after moving away.

Ultimately, Sullivan's Crossing mixes compelling storytelling with relatable characters, engaging viewers while making notable deviations from the source material. As new seasons unfold, fans are eager to see how Maggie and Cal's stormy romance continues to evolve on screen.