Sweet Magnolias is an American romantic drama television series, developed by Sheryl J. Anderson and based on the Sweet Magnolias novels by Sherryl Woods. It stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley. The series premiered on Netflix on May 19, 2020.[1] In July 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.[2] The 10-episode second season premiered on February 4, 2022.[3] In May 2022, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on July 20, 2023.[4][5] In October 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season which is slated to premiere on February 6, 2025.[6][7]
Premise
Sweet Magnolias follows "three South Carolina women, best friends since childhood, as they shepherd each other through the complexities of romance, career, and family."[8]
Cast and characters
Main
JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend, a recently separated woman with three children in Serenity, South Carolina who is trying to get back in the workforce while going through a divorce from her husband, Bill. She's a part of a friend group that calls themselves Sweet Magnolias.
Brooke Elliott as Dana Sue Sullivan, a chef, and owner of a restaurant called Sullivan's. She is Helen's and Maddie's best friend and part of the Sweet Magnolias.
Heather Headley as Helen Decatur, an accomplished attorney. She is Dana Sue's and Maddie's best friend, and one of the Sweet Magnolias. She bought a mansion which she converted into The Corner Spa with Maddie and Dana Sue.
Logan Allen as Kyle Walter Townsend, Maddie and Bill's younger son who is a freshman at Serenity High School with a talent for acting. He had a crush on Annie but later shows interest in Nellie Lewis.
Anneliese Judge as Annabelle Lenore Sullivan, Dana Sue's daughter. She is friends with the Townsend brothers and an avid photographer. She and Tyler are childhood best friends and whom she kissed after having too much to drink at a party while being oblivious to Kyle's feelings. Annie is pursued by Jackson, whom she later ends up dating. The two break up later on in the series.
Carson Rowland as Tyler "Ty" Townsend, Maddie and Bill's eldest son who is a junior at Serenity High School and a star pitcher on his high school baseball team
Justin Bruening as Cal Maddox, Ty's baseball coach and Maddie's new love interest. He is a former professional baseball player.
Chris Klein as William "Bill" Townsend, Maddie's ex-husband and a family doctor at Serenity Family Physicians
Jamie Lynn Spears as Noreen Fitzgibbons, Bill's pregnant fiancée, a nurse in his office who became his mistress[a]
Dion Johnstone as Erik Whitley (seasons 2–present;[10] recurring season 1), the sous chef at Sullivan's and a mentor to Isaac
Brandon Quinn as Ronald "Ronnie" Sullivan (seasons 2–present;[10] guest season 1), Dana Sue's estranged husband and Annie's father
Chris Medlin as Isaac Downey (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), a member of the kitchen staff at Sullivan's. He recently moved to Serenity to find his birth father and mother. We later discover that his parents are Peggy and Bill.
Recurring
Bianca Berry Tarantino (seasons 1–2) and Ella Grace Helton (season 3)[11] as Katie Townsend, Maddie and Bill's only daughter and youngest child
Frank Oakley III as Harlan Bixby, the assistant coach of Serenity High School baseball team
Allison Gabriel as Mary Vaughn Lewis, the wife of Trent Lewis, Mayor of Serenity and main adversary of the Sweet Magnolias
Simone Lockhart as Nellie Lewis, Mary Vaughn's daughter. She has a crush on Kyle.
Brittany L. Smith as Peggy Martin, owner of the newspaper The Centinel of Serenity.
Tracey Bonner as Pastor June Wilkes, pastor[12] of the church of Serenity
Charles Lawlor as Collins Littlefield
Harlan Drum as Caroline "CeCe" Matney, Ty's love interest
Sam Ashby as Jackson Butler Lewis, Ty's baseball rival teammate and Mary Vaughn's son. He previously dated Annie.
Hunter Burke as Trotter Vidhyarkorn, Cal's best friend who works at The Corner Spa as a yoga instructor
Al-Jaleel Knox as Gabriel Bridges Weatherspoon, Ty's best friend and baseball teammate
Michael Shenefelt as Ryan Wingate, Helen's on-and-off boyfriend
Maddie and Bill are getting a divorce, and are having an argument about who is going to keep the house. Luckily for Maddie, Helen helps her keep the house. Meanwhile, their friend Dana Sue is seen firing her assistant, Brad, at her restaurant, because of stolen wine. She has a fight with her daughter, Annie, because Annie's behavior in town is not what Dana Sue expected. At the same time, Tyler is going through an emotional phase because of his parents' divorce and also talks about giving up on his dream of becoming a baseball player. Dana Sue and Helen get an idea of opening their own spa, with Maddie managing it, but it is too overwhelming for Maddie.
Helen and Ryan decide to break up as he refuses to have children with Helen. Helen calls the girls and tells them her plans to meet with a specialist immediately about having children. Bill tries to become a better father for his children, spending time with Katie and buying tickets to Hamilton so he can become closer to Kyle. CeCe asks Ty to prom and he accepts. Kyle and Annie's plan to spend Prom Night alone is broken when Annie is asked to prom. Kyle then decides to hang with Nellie. Dana Sue is visited by Sullivan's silent partner and her former fling, Mica, who needs her to buy him out for personal reasons. Dana Sue is forced to call Ronnie to town so they can officially divorce. Ronnie wishes to return home. A scouter and longtime friend of Cal's tries recruiting Ty, upsetting Maddie and leading her to fight with Cal. Jackson crashes Kyle and (his sister) Nellie's party and brings the gang, including Ty, Annie, and Simon. Like last time, he takes all of the phones. Putting the pieces together, Isaac asks Dana Sue if she's his mother. Bill asks Maddie to take him back. Jackson provokes a fight with CeCe and Ty, leading Kyle to try to defend him. Ty throws him off, upsetting Kyle for always being ignored. He runs out of the house and the gang follows him. Erik and Helen grow closer. The ladies and Bill all receive a phone call and are rushed to the Highway where Ty's car is flipped over. Kyle's unconscious body is taken out of the car onto a stretcher, but the paramedics still do not know who the passenger is - Ty, Annie, or someone else - or if they're alive.
On September 27, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was based on the Sweet Magnolias book series by Sherryl Woods and executive producers were expected to include Woods, Sheryl J. Anderson, and Dan Paulson. Anderson was also set to serve as the series' showrunner. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Daniel L. Paulson Productions.[8] The series premiered on May 19, 2020.[1] Norman Buckley directed six of the episodes and served as co-executive producer.[15] On July 23, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season which premiered on February 4, 2022.[2][3] On May 4, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a third season which was released on July 20, 2023.[4][5] On October 19, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season which is scheduled to be released on February 6, 2025.[6][7]
Casting
On May 20, 2019, Monica Potter, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley were announced as the leads.[16] On July 1, 2019, it was reported that Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Justin Bruening had joined the cast as series regulars.[9] On August 1, 2019, JoAnna Garcia Swisher was cast as Maddie Townsend, replacing Potter who was originally cast as the lead.[17] On May 4, 2021, Dion Johnstone and Brandon Quinn were promoted to series regulars for second season.[10] On June 9, 2023, it was reported that Ella Grace Helton joined the cast in a recasting, replacing Bianca Berry Tarantino for the third season.[11]
Filming
Principal photography for the series began on July 8, 2019 in Covington, Georgia.[8][18] Filming for the fourth season started on February 20, 2024 and wrapped on May 30, 2024.[19][20]
Reception
For the first season, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10.[21] The second season has an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.[22] The third season holds a 57% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[23]
In its first 30-days on Netflix, season 2 was watched globally on Netflix for 161.3 million hours.[24]
Notes
^Jamie Lynn Spears is credited as "Special Guest Star" in season 1, but is a Series Regular.[9]
