Sweet Magnolias Explained

Genre:	Romantic drama
Developer:	Sheryl J. Anderson
Music:	James Jandrisch
Opentheme:	"Destination" by Nickel Creek
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	3
Num Episodes:	30
Cinematography:	Brian Johnson
Runtime:	43–54 minutes
Network:	Netflix
Last Aired:	present

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. In July 2020, the series was renewed for a second season. The 10-episode second season premiered on February 4, 2022. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on July 20, 2023. In October 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

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."^[1]

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 the leader 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
• Dion Johnstone as Erik Whitley (seasons 2–present; recurring season 1), the sous chef at Sullivan's and a mentor to Isaac
• Brandon Quinn as Ronald "Ronnie" Sullivan (seasons 2–present; 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) 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, priestess 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
• Michael May as Simon Spry, Annie's friend
• Caroline Lagerfelt as Paula Vreeland, Maddie's mom
• Chase Anderson as Jeremy Reynolds, produce supplier for Sullivan's restaurant
• Janet Hubert as Bev Decatur, Helen's mom
• Jason Turner as Zeke Decatur, Helen's brother
• Wynn Everett as Kathy Sullivan, Ronnie's sister and new girlfriend of Bill Townsend
• Paul Rolfes as Trent Lewis, former mayor of Serenity

Episodes

Season 3 (2023)

Production

Development

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.^[1] The series premiered on May 19, 2020.^[2] Norman Buckley directed six of the episodes and served as co-executive producer.^[3] On July 23, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season which premiered on February 4, 2022.^{[4] [5]} On May 4, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a third season which was released on July 20, 2023.^{[6] [7]} On October 19, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season.^[8]

Casting

On May 20, 2019, Monica Potter, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley were announced as the leads.^[9] On July 1, 2019, it was reported that Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Justin Bruening had joined the cast as series regulars.^[10] On August 1, 2019, JoAnna Garcia Swisher was cast as Maddie Townsend, replacing Potter who was originally cast as the lead.^[11] On May 4, 2021, Dion Johnstone and Brandon Quinn were promoted to series regulars for second season.^[12] In June 9, 2023, it was reported that Ella Grace Helton joined the cast in a recasting, replacing Bianca Berry Tarantino for the third season.^[13]

Filming

Principal photography for the series began on July 8, 2019 in Covington, Georgia.^{[1] [14]} Filming for the fourth season started on February 20, 2024 and wrapped on May 30, 2024.^{[15] [16]}

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.^[17] The second season has an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.^[18] The third season holds a 57% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10.^[19]

In its first 30-days on Netflix, season 2 was watched globally on Netflix for 161.3 million hours.^[20]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Petski . Denise . Netflix Orders Romance Drama Series 'Virgin River' & 'Sweet Magnolias' Based On Novels . Deadline Hollywood . September 27, 2018 . September 27, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180927220117/https://deadline.com/2018/09/netflix-orders-female-focused-drama-series-virgin-river-sweet-magnolias-based-on-novels-1202472370/ . September 27, 2018 . live .
2. Web site: Netflix in May 2020: Everything new ('Hollywood,' 'Dead to Me' Season 2) and expiring. USA Today. Carly. Mallenbaum. April 22, 2020. April 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200422225701/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/04/22/netflix-may-everything-dead-me-season-2-space-force/2999192001/. April 22, 2020. live.
3. Web site: JoAnna Garcia Swisher to Replace Monica Potter as Star of Netflix's 'Sweet Magnolias' in Recasting. TheWrap. Jennifer. Maas. August 1, 2019. May 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612132212/https://www.thewrap.com/joanna-garcia-swisher-sweet-magnolias-replaces-monica-potter-recasting-netflix/. June 12, 2020. live.
4. Web site: Sweet Magnolias Renewed for Season 2. TVLine. Andy. Swift. July 23, 2020. July 23, 2020. July 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200723170137/https://tvline.com/2020/07/23/sweet-magnolias-renewed-season-2-netflix/. live.
5. Web site: Sweet Magnolias Season 2 Sets Netflix Premiere Date — 2022 FIRST LOOK. TVLine. Andy. Swift. December 14, 2021. December 18, 2021. December 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211216150348/https://tvline.com/lists/sweet-magnolias-season-2-date-netflix-preview-video/. live.
6. Web site: Netflix Renews 'Sweet Magnolias' for Season 3 (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Michael. Schneider. May 4, 2022. May 4, 2022. May 4, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220504140150/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/sweet-magnolias-season-3-netflix-1235257479/. live.
7. Web site: Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Sets July Release Date on Netflix — First Look. TVLine. Andy. Swift. May 25, 2023. May 25, 2023. May 25, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230525174427/https://tvline.com/lists/sweet-magnolias-season-3-release-date-photos-netflix/. live.
8. Web site: 'Sweet Magnolias' Renewed For Season 4 By Netflix. Deadline Hollywood. Andreeva. Nellie. October 19, 2023. October 19, 2023.
9. Web site: 'Sweet Magnolias': Monica Potter, Brooke Elliott & Heather Headley To Headline Netflix Series. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. May 30, 2019. June 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190630121643/https://deadline.com/2019/05/sweet-magnolias-monica-potter-brooke-elliott-heather-headley-star-netflix-series-sherryl-woods-novels-1202624042/. June 30, 2019. live.
10. Web site: 'Sweet Magnolias': Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears & Justin Bruening Join Netflix Series. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. July 1, 2019. July 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190702223110/https://deadline.com/2019/07/sweet-magnolias-chris-klein-jamie-lynn-spears-justin-bruening-netflix-series-1202639461/. July 2, 2019. live.
11. Web site: 'Sweet Magnolias': JoAnna Garcia Swisher To Star In Netflix Series In Recasting. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. Denise. Petski. August 1, 2019. August 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190802165605/https://deadline.com/2019/08/sweet-magnolias-joanna-garcia-swisher-star-lead-netflix-series-recasting-1202658746/. August 2, 2019. live.
12. Web site: 'Sweet Magnolias': Jamie Lynn Spears, Dion Johnstone & Brandon Quinn Upped To Series Regulars For Season 2. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. May 4, 2021. May 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210504191406/https://deadline.com/2021/05/sweet-magnolias-jamie-lynn-spears-dion-johnstone-brandon-quinn-promoted-series-regulars-season-2-1234749546/. May 4, 2021. live.
13. Web site: 'Sweet Magnolias': Ella Grace Helton To Play Maddie's Daughter Katie In Season 3 Of Netflix Series In Recasting. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. June 9, 2023. June 9, 2023.
14. Web site: Sweet Magnolias Blooming in Covington. Stomp And Stammer. Jeff. Clark. July 8, 2019. August 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190814210848/https://stompandstammer.com/call-sheet/sweet-magnolias-blooming-in-covington/. August 14, 2019. live.
15. norbuck. Norman. Buckley. C3knZRFOQ50. First day of shooting on #SweetMagnolias season 4. Showrunner Sheryl Anderson, writers Anthony Epling and Sara Jumel, executive producer Dan Paulson and co-excutive producer Matt Drake, and me with director of our first block Lauren Petzke.. February 20, 2024. June 1, 2024. June 1, 2024. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/norbuck/3306941286538874484_3306941281354710248. live.
16. Web site: Netflix's 'Sweet Magnolias' Just Got an Exciting Season 4 Update. Collider. Soares. Isabella. May 31, 2024. June 1, 2024.
17. sweet_magnolias. Sweet Magnolias. tv. 1. July 23, 2020. y.
18. sweet_magnolias. Sweet Magnolias. tv. 2. May 25, 2023. y.
19. sweet_magnolias. Sweet Magnolias. tv. 3. April 28, 2024. y.
20. Web site: Moore. Kasey. March 2, 2022. 'Sweet Magnolias' Season 3: Netflix Renewal Status and What to Expect. March 9, 2022. What's on Netflix. March 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220309110609/https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/sweet-magnolias-season-3-netflix-renewal-status-and-what-to-expect-03-2022/. live.