Sullivan’s Crossing showrunner reveals star Scott Patterson left show ahead of season 4, but his character could be ‘included in future seasons’

Patterson’s character, Sully, left for Ireland at the end of season 3, and it seems he’s not coming back any time soon.

Sully has officially left Sullivan’s Crossing for greener pastures in Ireland.

The CW drama’s star Scott Patterson will not return for season 4, showrunner and executive producer Roma Roth confirmed to EW.

Last season ended with Maggie’s father leaving for Ireland with his girlfriend Helen, as she attempts to adapt her novel for television. Although he promised his daughter (played by Morgan Kohan) he would return to Sullivan’s Crossing, it seems he’s since changed his mind.

“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 explained in a statement provided by The CW. “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.”

Patterson’s character, Harry “Sully” Sullivan, had been the owner of the show’s titular campground, Sullivan’s Crossing, located in Timberlake, Nova Scotia. As viewers learned in the March 2023 premiere, he and Maggie had not spoken in 15 years until the neurosurgeon returned to her Canadian hometown amid legal trouble involving her boss and billing fraud back in Boston.

Based on the novel series by Robyn Carr, Sullivan’s Crossing reunited Patterson with his Gilmore Girls costar Chad Michael Murray, who plays Maggie’s love interest Cal Jones. Working with Patterson again was “one of the things I was very much looking forward to when I came on board,” Murray told TVLine in 2023.

Their characters enjoyed a similar bond.

“Cal looks at Sully, and I think he admires Sully in such a way because he sees a little bit of himself in Sully,” Murray added. “He sees that Sully’s created this very homey vibe with Sullivan’s, and I think Cal wants a lot of that, and he admires Sully for how he’s done it.”