Chad Michael Murray Addresses Scott Patterson’s Surprise Exit from Sullivan’s Crossing

Scott Patterson said he couldn’t “agree to continue” starring in the show due to “creative differences”

Scott Patterson may not be onscreen in Sullivan’s Crossing season 4, but that doesn’t mean his presence will be missing.

Earlier this month, PEOPLE confirmed that Patterson will not return for season 4. The actor, 67, has played Harry “Sully” Sullivan, the estranged father Maggie (Morgan Kohan) reconnects with, since the show’s premiere in 2023.

In a statement, showrunner Roma Roth pointed to the season 3 finale as she explained his exit. “Season 3 of Sullivan’s Crossing ended with Sully leaving for Ireland, beginning a new chapter in his life. Season 4 picks up the next day, with Sully still overseas,” Roth said.

“While he isn’t physically present in this season, the character remains an important part of the world with the potential to be included in future seasons, should that align with the ongoing creative,” she continued.

Following the season 4 premiere in Canada on March 22, Chad Michael Murray, who stars as Kohan’s love interest in the series, and Kohan spoke about Patterson’s exit for the first time.

Maggie’s “whole world at the beginning of the season is not what she anticipated,” Kohan told Yahoo Canada of season 4. “It’s really thrust on her that now you’re taking over the Crossing, and you are fully involved, while the rest of your life is kind of thrown up in the air again.” Sully’s exit means that “part of her support system is now gone too,” Kohan, 32, said of her character.

No stranger to casting shake-ups, Murray, 44, told the outlet that exits like Patterson’s “[do] happen, and there are various, different things that transpire. You just never know.”

“It’s one of those situations where you go, ‘Okay well, just look at the show. What is the show? Where does it sit? And how do you hold it up and keep it true to itself?’ And that’s all on the text and the storytelling. There’s no question in my mind that we did that. The show stays totally true to itself,” he said.

Even though Patteron isn’t onscreen, Murray said, his character is “still a big part” of season 4. “He still exists in this world, and there’s still that relationship. And he built the Crossing, so it’s always going to be there, and that’s kind of the foundation that the show is built on.”

After Roth confirmed his exit, Patterson spoke out on Facebook and offered a different perspective. “The creative differences were becoming untenable and I just sadly realized that the show was not something that I could agree to continue,” he wrote.

“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,” he wrote. “It’s unfortunate that it is now being implied that they moved on from me/Sully when the fact is the complete opposite, and those who sadly already have spoken out are also fully aware of this fact, and yet chose to say otherwise.”

The Gilmore Girls alum said he was “not intending to make any statement, but the fans of the books and the show deserve to know the truth, as I have always been respectful of those who support this industry by watching and loving these characters we are so dang lucky and blessed to portray and bring to life.”

“I really enjoyed Sully and fought for his voice and his character. The richness and depth of Sully, whom the fans of the books all know and love, is so multi-layered and interesting,” Patterson continued.

“The fans deserved better than to think the embodiment of this character, me, would just disrespect not only the show but them. In the end, we’re all fans of these characters and stories, and I’ll always support and defend the truth.”