As Sullivan's Crossing fans surely know by now, there's been a bit of drama ahead of the hit romantic drama's fourth season premiere. Original cast member Scott Patterson, who played key character Sully, was announced to be leaving the series after three seasons. The exit took fans by surprise, but there was further unrest when the actor shared his own thoughts on the matter.
Patterson revealed that his exit from Sullivan's Crossing didn't have as much to do with the natural progression of Sully's storyline as previously hinted at and more to do with creative differences he was seemingly having with the showunner and writers. Naturally, fans haven't reacted positively to Patterson's departure and Sully's upcoming absence, but another cast member is weighing in.
Chad Michael Murray, who plays Cal Jones in Sullivan's Crossing, spoke for the first time about Patterson's abrupt exit from the series. However, rather than directly addressing any of the potential behind-the-scenes drama that might have led to the actor leaving the show, Murray sent an optimistic message to fans who could be having doubts ahead of season 4's premiere.
Chad Michael Murray comments on Scott Patterson's exit
While talking with Yahoo! Canada to promote Sullivan's Crossing season 4's premiere (which dropped on March 22 on CTV ahead of its US bow on The CW on April 20), Murray assured fans that the show isn't changing and hasn't lost the spark that made it special from the beginning. Losing one of the key cast members will obviously change the show, but not its heart.
"It does happen," Murray side of actors leaving shows during their run. "And there are various, different things that transpire. You just never know. And so it's one of those situations where you go, 'OK 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."
As fans will remember, Murray left One Tree Hill after the show's sixth season, leaving his leading role as Lucas Scott. He and co-star Hilarie Burton Morgan left the popular teen drama series at the same time, ending their characters' storylines together, but their reasons for leaving and the circumstances for doing so were liking different, and even different from Patterson's own choice.
Murray continued his message to fans, insisting that he believes Sullivan's Crossing season 4 stays true to itself and Sully: "There's no question in my mind that we did that. The show stays totally true to itself, and Sully is still a big part of it. ... 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."
The actor's message will likely help soothe some fans who felt like jumping ship after the news of Patterson's exit. Many fans felt like, as the inspiration for the show's title, Patterson and his character were the heart of the show. What is Sullivan's Crossing without Sullivan? Of course, the show still has a Sullivan with Morgan Kohan's Maggie, but Sully and Patterson were a real draw for a lot of fans.
In the conclusion of season 3, Sully went off Ireland with Helen, and while he was expected to be away from home for sometime, there was also the expectation that both Sully and Scott Patterson would return. Roma Roth, creator and showrunner, then revealed that season 4 would pick up in real time with the season 3 finale, meaning Sully would still be in Ireland. But his exit wasn't so simple.
Patterson released his own statement and expressed discontent with the direction the series was taking, both for his character and based on the source material of Robyn Carr's books. Despite his exit, Sully will continue to be mentioned in the series and, according to Roth, the door remains open for his return in the future. We'll have to wait and see if that ever happens.
Sullivan's Crossing season 4 premieres Monday, April 20 at 8/7c on The CW.