15 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Sullivan's Crossing

If there's a part of our brain that responds to stories about a successful but troubled city professional returning to the small town they once left behind, "Sullivan's Crossing" hits those neurons like lightning. Roma Roth's show follows Boston neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) as she warily returns to Timberlake, Nova Scotia, and her father, Sully (Scott Patterson), to ground herself amid a negligence case. It's a heartfelt mix of small-town slice-of-life, romance, and high-stakes drama, and "Sullivan's Crossing" knows exactly what buttons to push.  

With four seasons of stories in the bag and "Sullivan's Crossing" Season 5 on the way, the show has already given fans plenty to enjoy. While they wait for new episodes, viewers may want to seek out other series built around similar themes. Here are 15 shows that should fit the bill.

"Gilmore Girls" wouldn't exist without a real-life experience creator Amy Sherman-Palladino had while visiting Washington, Connecticut, where she was struck by the town's communal spirit. That influence is palpable in the series, which keeps its Connecticut setting but channels that sense of community into the fictional town of Stars Hollow. 

Though it leans a little more heavily into comedy than "Sullivan's Crossing," there's no skipping "Gilmore Girls" when it comes to charming small-town shows with plenty of romantic and family drama. After all, the series is one of the most rewatchable TV shows of all time, as well as one of the best CW shows ever. 

There's also an added bonus for "Sullivan's Crossing" fans. Though they're more closely knit and considerably younger than their Timberlake counterparts, central mother-daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) share some similarities with Sully and Maggie: In both relationships, the parent is deeply rooted in the local community, while the daughter is more academically minded. 

Shows like Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias" are a natural fit for "Sullivan's Crossing" fans, offering a similarly cozy blend of small-town life, romance, and drama in a distinctly different setting. Based on Sherryl Woods' novel series of the same title, "Sweet Magnolias" takes place in Serenity, South Carolina, and focuses on the titular group of female friends who are all at different stages of their lives. 

Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) is rebuilding her life while dealing with a divorce, Helen Decatur (Heather Headley) is a successful lawyer, and, appropriately enough for "Sullivan's Crossing" fans, Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) owns and operates the local restaurant Sullivan's. Together, the three women navigate love, family, and other challenges while working to set up and operate a spa. Like "Sullivan's Crossing," "Sweet Magnolias" is decidedly a feel-good show, and it delivers its comfort-viewing goodies with the exact kind of gusto you'd hope for. 

Maggie Friedman's Netflix show "Firefly Lane" is based on Kristin Hannah's novel, and its hook is that it unfolds over a far longer period of time than your usual comfort drama of this particular brand. The story centers on Tully Hart (played at various ages by Katherine Heigl, Ali Skovbye, and London Robertson) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke and Roan Curtis), who meet in the 1970s and remain close into their 40s. 

The subject matter here is very similar to "Sullivan's Crossing," with Tully and Kate experiencing their share of romantic, family, and life drama. However, the decades-long scope gives "Firefly Lane" an interesting angle that helps it stand out among its peers, as does its focus on Tully and Kate's relationship and its evolution over time. Across its two seasons, the show tells a complete and engaging story, filled to the brim with all flavors of life.

What would happen if you took the basic premise of "Sullivan's Crossing," but the woman relocating to a small town is a writer in the vein of Carrie Bradshaw instead of a surgeon? "Sex and the City" EP Jenny Bicks' ABC series "Men in Trees" answers this particular question in the form of Marin Frist (Anne Heche), a relationship guru who finds out that her fiancé is cheating on her while she's on a book tour and decides to get her bearings in the small town of Elmo, Alaska. As it turns out, the town's hardly a nest of tranquility, and Marin soon encounters fans, local eccentrics, and an overabundance of prospective new romantic partners.

Picture "Sullivan's Crossing" with a scoop of relationship comedy, and you have a pretty good idea of what "Men in Trees" is all about. While the show only ran for two seasons from 2006 to 2008, it remains a worthy watch for romance-series fans.

"Ginny & Georgia" offers another, slightly more tragic flavor of two generations of a small-town family trying to get along. This time, we follow the titular mother-daughter duo of Georgia (Brianne Howey) and Virginia "Ginny" Miller (Antonia Gentry), along with Ginny's younger half-brother Austin (Diesel La Torraca). Georgia's troubled past and history of bad relationships have led to a transient lifestyle that has left Ginny and Austin rootless, and the series picks up when they settle down in Wellsbury, Massachusetts. 

Thanks to their difficult past, the family members all have their own issues and secrets, which cause plenty of turmoil over the course of the show. Sarah Lampert's Netflix comedy-drama juggles light and serious themes in a way that often takes the series beyond the confines of a traditional feel-good show. Still, its small-town themes, romantic plots, and touching family connections provide more than enough similarities with "Sullivan's Crossing" to entertain fans of the latter. 

Capeside, Massachusetts, is one of the better-known small towns in romantic dramas. This is where the events of "Dawson's Creek" unfolded from 1998 to 2003, providing a blueprint for many shows that came after. For instance, "Dawson's Creek" had an unexpected influence on the much steamier "Californication." 

While technically a teen drama, "Dawson's Creek" is predominantly a small-town show with an ensemble cast and a heavy focus on romantic and interpersonal victories and conflicts. With minor adjustments, Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and many of his friends and acquaintances would be right at home among the cast of "Sullivan's Crossing." 

"Dawson's Creek" is especially worth recommending for those who enjoy "Sullivan's Crossing" but wish it had even more will-they-won't-they whiplash. If it's the romantic drama aspect that draws you in, "Dawson's Creek" is absolutely your show, as Dawson and Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) alone provide enough plot twists to fuel several series.

Adapted from Robyn Carr's romantic novel series, Sue Tenney's Netflix drama "Virgin River" is just about as close to "Sullivan's Crossing" as you could possibly hope, especially in terms of comfort viewing. After all, "Sullivan's Crossing" showrunner Roma Roth is also an executive producer on "Virgin River," and both shows are based on Carr's work. 

Set in the titular small Northern California town, "Virgin River" follows midwife and nurse practitioner Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), who takes a job there in order to start a new life. Mel's circumstances are somewhat different from those of "Sullivan's Crossing" protagonist Maggie Sullivan, since she doesn't have family in the area and instead has to integrate herself into the community from scratch. 

This brings some interesting variety between the two otherwise similar shows, but fans of the Sullivans' interactions shouldn't fret, either. Through many of Virgin River's residents and Mel's Los Angeles-based sister Joey (Jenny Cooper), "Virgin River" retains a strong family element. As for the romance side of things, the charming but troubled bar owner Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) is there for Mel, but expect plenty of twists along the way. 

Set in Canada at the end of the 19th century, "Anne with an E" draws inspiration from author Lucy Maud Montgomery's coming-of-age classic "Anne of Green Gables." From a "Sullivan's Crossing" standpoint, young orphan Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty) might initially seem like a very different protagonist from trained neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan. Yet, the viewer soon discovers that they're both intelligent and charming characters looking to start over in small communities surrounded by majestic landscapes. Both Maggie and Anne have supportive fathers figures in Sully and Anne's adoptive father Matthew Cuthbert (R.H. Thomson). Both also start the series facing massive hurdles, namely the lawsuit against Maggie's old practice and Anne's precarious circumstances as an orphan.   

"Anne with an E" offers breathtaking scenery as it brings Prince Edward Island to life, alongside a story about overcoming adversity. Its particular flavor of drama complements "Sullivan's Crossing" well, and fans of the latter are likely to find plenty to enjoy in the period series.

Netflix's "Ransom Canyon" brings a neo-Western element to the romantic drama genre. Drawing from Jodi Thomas' "Ransom Canyon" romance novels, the show tackles themes ranging from land disputes to loves both lost and found, not to mention deep connections that have been simmering for years.

Despite the superficial differences in the two shows' settings, "Sullivan's Crossing" fans should find much of the same appeal in the way "Ransom Canyon" approaches its combination of romantic drama and small-town troubles. The Netflix show has a charming central couple in tormented rancher Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel) and dancehall owner Quinn O'Grady (Minka Kelly), and more than enough drama surrounding them and the show's large ensemble.

If a "Sullivan's Crossing" fan also happens to enjoy "Yellowstone" and its assorted spin-offs, "Ransom Canyon" is an especially natural fit. After all, the show blends the former's romantic drama elements with the latter's old-school Western sensibility.

Michael Piller and Christopher Teague's ABC Family drama "Wildfire" is an interesting spin on the "female protagonist looking to start over" themes of "Sullivan's Crossing." Here, our protagonist is Kris Furillo (Genevieve Padalecki), a young woman with a shady past and a recently ended stint at a juvenile detention center. Thanks to her innate talent as a horse jockey and trainer, she's given a chance to start anew at the Raintree horse ranch. Soon, this new lease on life becomes a mutually beneficial situation, as Kris becomes the financially struggling ranch's best hope for survival thanks to her bond with the volatile but talented racehorse Wildfire. 

What follows is a four-season look into the world of horse ranching and racing, as well as the entertainingly complicated personal lives of the people in the business. Rife with romantic storylines and rural life, "Wildfire" plays with the same themes of escaping trouble, starting anew, and finding oneself that "Sullivan's Crossing" does. 

If you think the family themes of "Sullivan's Crossing" are great but wish there were even more estranged small-town relatives for the protagonist to awkwardly reconnect with, "Chesapeake Shores" is definitely worth your time. Its story kicks off when career-driven Abby O'Brien (Meghan Ory) receives an unexpected call that takes her back to Chesapeake Shores, the Maryland hometown she thought she had left behind.

Abby's own life is already in plenty of turmoil. When she agrees to save her aspiring innkeeper sister Jess (Laci J. Mailey) from financial ruin, she's drawn right back into the orbit of her complex family — not to mention her old flame Trace Riley (Jesse Metcalfe), who has a bone to pick after Abby walked away from him all those years ago. The show is based on Sherryl Woods' "Chesapeake Shores" books and offers precisely the kind of comfort-watch chaos that a "Sullivan's Crossing" fan might crave. 

Leila Gerstein's "Hart of Dixie" uses the same "city doctor relocates to a small town" theme as "Sullivan's Crossing," but the doctors the two shows focus on are entertainingly different. Dr. Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) is a blunt city slicker who rubs many people the wrong way, which becomes problematic when she inherits part of a practice in Bluebell, Alabama, and can only keep it if she finds a way to connect with her patients well enough to bring in business. 

Add in a budding romance with local lawyer George Tucker (Scott Porter) and an entertaining feud with said lawyer's fiancée, Lemon Breeland (Jaime King), and "Hart of Dixie" still hasn't even scratched the surface of its many complex character relationships. The various absurdities in "Hart of Dixie" call for a slightly more comedic approach than "Sullivan's Crossing," but the similarities are still there, and the shades of comedy and medical drama bring an interesting spice mix to the show.

For a "Sullivan's Crossing" fan who values quality and quantity in equal measure when it comes to romantic drama, "When Calls the Heart" is a show worth taking a chance on. The Hallmark Channel period drama has a heavy emphasis on romance, but it doesn't forget the tragic events and surprising plot twists a "Sullivan's Crossing" viewer is accustomed to, either. 

"When Calls the Heart" begins when wealthy city dweller Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) becomes a teacher in the town of Coal Valley (later Hope Valley) in 1910. After considerable initial struggles, she comes to understand the area's allure — in more ways than one. 

Titled after the first book in Janette Oke's "Canadian West" series, "When Calls the Heart" is a long-running adaptation that has been going strong since 2014. Despite its period setting, its storylines have plenty in common with the small-town drama of "Sullivan's Crossing." As such, fans of the latter show should feel right at home here.

Mark Schwahn's "One Tree Hill" takes us to Tree Hill, North Carolina, where half-brothers Nathan (James Lafferty) and Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) live. Their attempts to navigate their tense and initially hostile relationship aren't exactly made any easier when Lucas joins Nathan's high school basketball team and catches the eye of Nathan's girlfriend, Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton). Their stories, along with those of many other characters, unfold over the course of nine seasons, giving "Sullivan's Crossing" fans plenty of familiar drama to explore. 

"One Tree Hill" ran from 2003 to 2012, covering a substantial stretch of the main characters' lives over the years. Don't be put off by the show's basketball themes, comparatively young main characters, and copious coming-of-age stories; while "One Tree Hill" makes it extremely clear that we're firmly in teen drama territory, the small-town atmosphere and romance storylines give the show a strong kinship with "Sullivan's Crossing."  

As "Everwood" and "Sullivan's Crossing" both prove, fictional urban neurosurgeons have a strange tendency to uproot their lives and relocate to small towns when they face personal crises. In Greg Berlanti's four-season WB drama, we follow Dr. Andy Brown (Treat Williams), a widower who decides to move from New York City to Everwood, Colorado, with his children Ephram (Gregory Smith) and Delia (Vivien Cardone). 

The transition to small-town life is far from painless, as Ephram acts out and Andy struggles to fit into the community due to various adjustment issues and initial friction with local doctor Harold Abbott (Tom Amandes). The show balances hard-hitting storylines with an overall comfort-watch atmosphere in unexpected ways that give the cast plenty to do, and many of the show's plots share DNA with "Sullivan's Crossing." Oh, and if you're still on the fence about "Everwood," the show features comparatively early-career roles from Chris Pratt and Emily VanCamp, both of whom play Harold's children.