What happens when a love story you’ve been rooting for suddenly gets a curveball that could change everything? That’s exactly where Sullivan’s Crossing fans find themselves as Season 4 begins filming in Nova Scotia, with first-look photos teasing a tense and emotional new chapter for Maggie, Cal, and a newly revealed player in the game Liam.
The Season 3 cliffhanger remains at the forefront of everyone’s minds: a romantic campfire scene between Maggie and Cal was reversed when Liam arrived and was revealed to be Maggie’s husband. For viewers who had been following their slow-burn relationship, the switch was intuitive. As actress Maggie’s Morgan Kohan described, “I mean, there’s gonna have to be a few conversations had [between Maggie and Cal]. It’s going to be a trust thing to have to build up again because that is a pretty big thing to leave out..” That innocently sounding-sounding “pretty big thing” is the emotional fault line Season 4 will explore.
Creator Roma Roth has promised that it is not all drama for drama’s sake. “Season 4 will explore themes of change and transformation so you can expect a whole new set of exciting and emotional challenges for Maggie and Cal,” she stated. Roth’s style of drama shared with her other fan-favorite adaptation, Virgin River is all about the tug-and-pull that holds viewers captive. “A romance drama series needs to have push and pull between your characters… we’re going to have a pretty big shoe drop at the end of the season that we’ll get to see play out in Season 4,” she teased before the finale aired.
This is Sullivan’s Crossing’s inaugural love triangle. Maggie-Cal-Andrew melodrama brought over from earlier seasons that fans remember but Liam’s is distinct. His past with Maggie predates her return to Timberlake, and the intrigue surrounding what they were up to adds more sophistication to the tension. Kohan validated that even she wasn’t aware of the entire history shooting Season 3, so viewers and the actors will learn it all simultaneously.
And though the romance tension is sizzling, the tone of the series is a calming influence. Photographed around Halifax, Nova Scotia, the show’s setting isn’t simply a pretty backdrop it’s in the show’s DNA. Creator Roma Roth borrowed the setting consciously from Robyn Carr’s Rocky Mountains books and relocated it to Canada’s shore as an effort to provide the series with visual identity. Halifax is referred to as “the best kept secret in Canada” by Cal actor Chad Michael Murray, who describes how the workdays on set are “a breath of fresh air… you’re among nature and you can’t help but feel so grounded.”
That down-to-earth quality might just be what the viewer requires as the emotional storm gathers steam. During downtime from filming, the cast will occasionally take a dip in Shubie Park lake or hike in Oakfield Provincial Park, as if to keep things in view and remind everyone that in the midst of make-believe chaos, there’s peace and beauty in the real world. But to viewers, they are not off-limits much of the setting of the series is available in public area, from panoramic shots of Lawrencetown Beach to quiet trails along Beaver Bank.
Sullivan’s Crossing has gone far beyond its Canadian roots. Since its release on Netflix, the show has been a global sensation, having clocked 22 million hours streamed in its opening week on the platform and becoming one of the streamer’s Top 3. The show is also one of the most-streamed The CW programs in the U.S. and CTV in Canada, where Season 3 was the network’s top-streamed Canadian scripted title for the 2024–25 broadcast season. That kind of momentum is a testament to the wide appeal of its combination of genuine romance, small-town charm, and just enough twists and turns to keep folks leaning forward.
As the shooting goes on, the first-look images foretell of shaky balance Cal gazing at Maggie adoringly, Liam looming in the distance with a furrowed brow. It’s a symbolic snapshot of what will unfold this season: love upfront, uncertainty lurking behind. And although drama lurks to test Maggie and Cal’s relationship, the prospect of change means whatever does occur, these actors and audiences are in for an exhilarating ride well worth the ride.
