Are Virgin River and Sullivan's Crossing connected? Details revealed 

Sullivan's Crossing was initially dubbed as the perfect Netflix's Virgin River replacement when it debuted on The CW in 2023. While both shows are based on different book series written by author Robyn Carr, they are fictionally not connected and do not share the same universe.

Virgin River gained popularity on Netflix with its 2019 premiere and was hailed as a perfect comfort show. The romance series is set in the titular town in remote Northern California, which follows a nurse practitioner, Mel, who moves to the town to become a midwife. On the other hand, Sullivan's Crossing is set in rural Nova Scotia, which follows neurosurgeon Maggie as she returns to her hometown to reconnect with her roots and reunite with her estranged father.

In both of Carr's stories, the protagonists find themselves in new surroundings and amongst new people. As they settle and adapt to their new life, they start swoonworthy romances and heartwarming friendships.

Both slice-of-life drama series strike a similar chord with the audiences but are also different enough to make their individual standing in the audience's hearts.

More on this in our story.

Sullivan's Crossing and Virgin River share similarities but do not feel repetitive

Since Carr is a master of small-town romance stories, both the adaptations largely follow their protagonists' love stories as they move into their respective small towns. However, beneath this broad premise, both shows have individual differences that are enough to keep their stories fresh and less repetitive.

While the locals of the small town, who form the supporting characters in both shows, add a unique layer to the series, showrunner Roma Roth added a unique aspect in Sullivan's Crossing, which makes the show different from Virgin River.

In an interview with Variety, Carr discussed this key difference,

''They added things that I wish I had thought, like the Indigenous aspect...Roth made the choice to add a focus on the Indigenous people of Nova Scotia, while maintaining the storyline.''

While Virgin River also has a plethora of unique supporting characters, Roth's Nova Scotian touch makes her show stand apart from it.

Secondly, as Carr further discussed, while Virgin River is a “fish out of water” story, Sullivan's Crossing is,

“A woman who is coming home to try and reconcile who she is now with who she once was.”

While Mel's move to the titular town is a new experience for her, Maggie is finally at home in Nova Scotia. The series premiere is an opportunity for her to look back and reconnect with her roots, which she had not done in a long time. Mel finds a family in Virgin River, but Maggie returns to her family in Sullivan's Crossing.

Virgin River and Sullivan's Crossing: Heartfelt shows with satisfying storylines

With a plethora of crime thrillers and mystery shows, the need for simple and heartfelt series like Virgin River and Sullivan's Crossing is the need of the hour, as evidenced by their impressive streaming numbers and popularity.

Even with much-needed differences in stories and characters, both of Carr's adaptations are heartfelt shows with wholesome characters and satisfying storylines that make for a perfect binge-watching experience.

In addition to swoonworthy romances, both shows feature a small-town slice-of-life tale that reiterates the importance of community and neighbors. The sense of community portrayed in both Virgin River and Sullivan's Crossing is becoming extinct in the urban spaces we live in, which makes these shows even more comforting.

The shows rely on a sense of community and a need to have a genuine human connection, which can only be found in the small towns featured in Carr's stories.

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