Blending romance and drama, 'Sullivan's Crossing' on Stan is your new comfort show.

Nothing will soothe your soul quite like settling down with a comfort TV show and Sullivan’s Crossing on Stan perfectly fits the bill.

Set against the lush backdrop of Nova Scotia in Canada, the new 10-episode series on Stan begins by introducing the audience to Dr Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan). Maggie is a neurosurgeon living in Boston, who is rushing from a long shift at the hospital to an awards dinner honouring her work when a scandal threatens to derail her medical career and potentially land her in jail.

The series then jumps ahead to Maggie arriving at Sullivan’s Crossing, a campground with picturesque lakeside and mountain views where she spent her childhood, but has not ventured for many years.

In order to escape the turmoil still unfolding for her back home in Boston, Maggie has arrived unannounced on the doorstep of her estranged father Harry 'Sully' Sullivan, who runs the campground, which has been passed down through his family.

Take a look at the trailer for Sullivan’s Crossing on Stan.

Now, the casting and characters of Sullivan's Crossing are where this new series cements itself as the ultimate comfort show. It's the perfect series to keep you company over a weekend, and a key ingredient to this comfort lies within the casting of Sully.

Sully is played by none other than an actor who was a main player on one of the greatest comfort TV shows of all time, Gilmore Girls.

This time, Scott Patterson – who played Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls for seven seasons – is not playing a gruff diner owner secretly in love with the local inn owner. He's now playing a gruff campsite owner who is beloved by the local community and trying to keep his family business afloat, all while welcoming his daughter back into the family home.

The relationship between Sully and Maggie fluctuates between tender and estranged throughout the series and the audience will soon come to learn there’s a secret from Sully's past that is still haunting him.

While Sullivan’s Crossing beautifully captures the changing family dynamics between Maggie and Sully throughout the series, as they work through past pain and begin to form a stronger relationship, the show is also fuelled by a good old-fashioned slow-burn love story.

When Maggie arrives at Sullivan’s Crossing, she meets a mysterious man named Cal Jones who has recently arrived at the campground and does the occasional odd job for Sully. Maggie and Cal initially get off on the wrong foot after their first run-in (he thinks she's abrasive, she thinks he's overbearing), but over time they slowly begin to form a friendship, which leads to the start of a 'will they won't they' romance.

Now, here is the other genius casting decision made by the team behind Sullivan’s Crossing, because Cal Jones is played by none other than Chad Michael Murray, a staple star of classic teen movies and TV shows from the early 2000s.

While some fans might know him best from his starring roles in movies A Cinderella Story and Freaky Friday (he also played a pivotal role on the early seasons of Gilmore Girls), his core fan base fell in love with him as the lead of the iconic teen drama series One Tree Hill, where he played Lucas Scott.

Of course, a romance between Maggie and Cal will not happen easily, thanks mostly to the fact her boyfriend, fellow doctor Andrew Mathews (Allan Hawco), is not happy that she's back in Sullivan's Crossing and feels increasingly threatened by Cal the more the two men spend time together.

Sullivan’s Crossing is based on the book series of the same name by The New York Times best-selling author Robyn Carr, who also penned the beloved Virgin River books – which have also been turned into a glorious comfort TV show, by the same team behind the TV adaptation of Sullivan's Crossing.

Along with the central characters of Maggie, Sully and Cal, what makes Sullivan's Crossing so watchable is the world-building that takes place within this close-knit community of people living in a wildly beautiful but rural area.

The local townspeople in Sullivan's Crossing all have their own colourful histories, feuds and romances that are built into the series as the episodes go on, and watching Maggie reconnect with her childhood friends is an integral part of the story.

Sullivan's Crossing is the perfect blend of family drama and slow-burn romance. It's a show that features everything from cosy community cook-outs and first kisses to daring search and rescue missions, where Maggie has to push her fear aside and use her medical skills.

There's enough intrigue around Cal's mysterious past, what Sully is really hiding, and how Maggie's career ended up in such disarray to keep you ferociously clicking onto the next episode without a moment to spare. There's also enough heart and humor to ensure that Sullivan's Crossing is a world you'll want to keep returning to.

If you're looking for a new comfort show to offer you a little escapism from the world, Sullivan's Crossing on Stan needs to be at the top of your list. 

Every episode of the brand new series Sullivan's Crossing is now streaming, only on Stan.

Feature Image: Stan.