How Sullivan's Crossing Addresses Sully's Departure In Season 4 Premiere: 'I Just Hope He's OK'

"Sullivan's Crossing" returned to The CW for Season 4 on April 20, and the unexpected departure of a certain titular resident was felt far and wide. Scott Patterson, who starred as Harry "Sully" Sullivan for the first three seasons, will not appear in Season 4, following his character's spontaneous decision to visit Ireland with Helen. 

This leaves Maggie (Morgan Kohan) with the daunting task of running the Outpost in his stead, which is already weighing on her in the premiere. "Sully just left, we can't let things slide around here," she tells Cal (Chad Michael Murray). Maggie admits to "feeling overwhelmed with him leaving like that," explaining that his decision took her "by surprise."

Indeed, there are quite a few details about the Outpost that Sully failed to explain before leaving town, so Maggie is relieved when she thinks he might be calling her at the end of the premiere. Unfortunately, it isn't Maggie's father on the other end of the phone, but rather someone with even more bad news for her. (We'll get to that in a little bit.)

And Maggie and Cal aren't the only ones feeling Sully's absence in Season 4. When we first encounter Edna (Andrea Menard) in the premiere, she can tell that her husband Frank (Tom Jackson) is thinking about his old friend. Sure enough, Frank shares his concerns: "I just hope he's OK. I know how he feels about flying."

While Sully's absence was easily explained in the premiere, Scott Patterson's behind-the-scenes exit from "Sullivan's Crossing" went a lot less smoothly than his character's. "The creative differences were becoming untenable and I just sadly realized that the show was not something that I could agree to continue," the actor said in a statement last month.

Patterson's statement came on the heels of an Us Weekly interview with "Sullivan's Crossing" showrunner Roma Roth, who explained that "while [Sully] 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."

When that interview was published, Patterson felt compelled to come forward and explain that it was actually his decision to leave the show, not one made for creative reasons by the show.

"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," Patterson's statement continued. "I 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."

Of course, there's a lot more happening on "Sullivan's Crossing" in Season 4 than merely Sully being missed by the townsfolk.

Even though Liam (Marcus Rosner) tells Maggie that he's only in town to get a copy of their annulment papers for his work visa, the brooding photojournalist quickly makes himself at home in Sullivan's Crossing, with some locals even calling him a "war hero" because of his daring combat coverage. We also get a flashback to Liam's proposal in Spain, and we'd be lying if we said Maggie didn't seem deliriously happy at the time. Unfortunately, it looks like Liam will be spending more time in the area than he originally thought; Maggie learns at the end of the hour that their annulment was improperly filed, meaning she and Liam are still very much married.

In other complicated couple news, it's the end of the line for Sydney (Lindura) and Rafe (Dakota Taylor), who still can't see eye-to-eye on the subject of marriage. We figured this relationship was nearing its end, but we didn't expect Rafe to put in for a transfer at work. "Staying isn't fair to either one of us," Rafe tells Sydney as he packs his things at their apartment. "You deserve to be with someone who sees the world the way you do, and so do I."

OK, let's talk: Do you miss Sully on "Sullivan's Crossing"? Do you think it's really over for Rafe and Sydney? And how are you feeling about the Cal–Maggie–Liam triangle? Grade the premiere in our poll below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts.