# Sweet Magnolias

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. Its fourth season premiered on February 6, 2025.

## 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."

## 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 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 Annie 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 Bill Townsend (seasons 1–3), 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 Ronnie Sullivan (seasons 2–present; guest season 1), Dana Sue's estranged husband and Annie's father
* Chris Medlin as Isaac Downey (season 3–present; 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. It was later revealed that his biological parents are Peggy and Bill.

### Recurring

* Bianca Berry Tarantino (seasons 1–2) and Ella Grace Helton (season 3-4) 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, the owner of the newspaper The Centinel of Serenity and later mayor of Serenity
* Grace Junot as Alaina Cartwright, investigative reporter for the town newspaper, The Serenity Sentinel
* Tracey Bonner as Pastor June Wilkes, pastor of the church of Serenity
* Charles Lawlor as Collins Littlefield
* Harlan Drum as 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 Gabe 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
* Artemis as Lily Song (season 2–present), Annie's friend and Kyle's girlfriend
* Nikki Estridge as Genevieve Alexander (season 3–present)
* Tommi Rose as Olivia Harris (season 3–present), Ty's bandmate
* Judith Ivey as Bonnie Townsend (season 4), Bill's mother
* Jodi Benson as Iris Maddox (season 4), Cal’s mother

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 2 | 10 | 10 | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 3 | 10 | 10 | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 4 | 10 | 10 | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |

### Season 1 (2020)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Pour It Out" | Norman Buckley | Teleplay by : Sheryl J. Anderson | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| Maddie and Bill Townsend are getting a divorce, and are having a disagreement about who is going to keep the house. Luckily for Maddie, Helen, her best friend and divorce lawyer helps her keep the house. Meanwhile, their other best friend, Dana Sue is seen firing her assistant, Brad, at her restaurant, because of stolen whiskey. She has a fight with her daughter, Annie, because Annie's behavior towards the town and its people is not what Dana Sue expected. At the same time, Tyler, Maddie and Bill's eldest son 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. ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "A United Front" | Norman Buckley | Shelley Meals | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 3 | 3 | "Give Drink to the Thirsty" | Kelli Williams | Anthony Epling | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 4 | 4 | "Lay It All Down" | Kelli Williams | Francesca Butler | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 5 | 5 | "Dance First, Think Later" | Norman Buckley | Caron Tschampion | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 6 | 6 | "All Best Intentions" | Norman Buckley | Shelley Meals | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 7 | 7 | "Hold My Hand" | Laura Nisbet Peters | Anthony Epling | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 8 | 8 | "What Fools These Mortals Be" | Laura Nisbet Peters | Francesca Butler | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 9 | 9 | "Where You Find Me" | Norman Buckley | Caron Tschampion | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| 10 | 10 | "Storms and Rainbows" | Norman Buckley | Sheryl J. Anderson | May 19, 2020 (2020-5-19) |
| This episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) 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. ||||||

### Season 2 (2022)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 11 | 1 | "Casseroles and Casualties" | Norman Buckley | Sheryl J. Anderson | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| Maddie, Dana Sue, Helen and Bill arrive at the hospital waiting to hear news on Kyle. They discover that Nellie was the passenger. Ty, Annie and Jackson rush to their parents, all unharmed. They explain what happened. The Lewis's arrive and berate Jackson for the accident, Annie defends him. Ty and Jackson get into a physical fight regarding in Ty dislocating his shoulder. Maddie yells at Bill to back off as Cal and Eric help Ty to his feet, Maddie accompanies him whilst waiting on news on Kyle. Cal tries to speak to Maddie but she pulls away. Ty's shoulder is placed in a brace and will be out for the baseball season. Kyle is awake and told stay for the night. Maddie tells Bill she is over him. Bill offers to stay with Kyle as Maddie takes Ty home to rest. Everyone in Serenity have been providing Maddie with casseroles, Ty remains in his room upset. Cal drops by and brings pizza for Katie, they talk and make up. The girls have their margarita night and Dana Sue and Maddie argue about Annie, leading Dana Sue to storm out. Helen tells Maddie she's pregnant. ||||||
| 12 | 2 | "So Much to Say" | Norman Buckley | Anthony Epling | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| With Ty's injury, the bulldogs lose their championship. Cal's anger begins to surface. ||||||
| 13 | 3 | "The More Things Change" | Mykelti Williamson | Valerie C. Woods | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 14 | 4 | "Walk of Faith" | Mykelti Williamson | Caron Tschampion | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 15 | 5 | "Great Expectations" | Norman Buckley | Shani Am. Moore | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 16 | 6 | "Find It in Your Heart" | Norman Buckley | Anthony Epling | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 17 | 7 | "Fragile Things" | Yangzom Brauen | Valerie C. Woods | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 18 | 8 | "The Rules of the Game" | Yangzom Brauen | Caron Tschampion | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 19 | 9 | "Dear Heart" | Mary Lou Belli | Shani Am. Moore | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| 20 | 10 | "If Thou Wilt, Remember" | Mary Lou Belli | Sheryl J. Anderson | February 4, 2022 (2022-2-4) |
| Dana Sue, Maddie, Cal and Eric are discussing Cal's firing as Coach and possibly stepping down as co-partner of Sullivan's. Dana Sue argues that won't be a problem. Cal's anger finally explodes when a crazed fan enters the Sullivan kitchen, Cal forces him out but he remains his composer when Maddie tells him to stop but he lets his emotions get the better of him when the fan lunges towards Maddie, resulting in Cal's arrest. Ryan returns to Serenity and proposes to Helen. ||||||

### Season 3 (2023)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 21 | 1 | "Meaning to Tell You" | Norman Buckley | Sheryl J. Anderson | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 22 | 2 | "Meet Me Where I Am" | Norman Buckley | Caron Tschampion | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 23 | 3 | "The Searchers" | Lauren Petzke | Anthony Epling | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 24 | 4 | "Be Bold" | Lauren Petzke | Barret Helms | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 25 | 5 | "On This Foundation" | Norman Buckley | Shani Am. Moore | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 26 | 6 | "And a Star to Steer Her By" | Norman Buckley | Teleplay by : Caron Tschampion Story by : Anthony Epling | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 27 | 7 | "Somebody I'm Longing to See" | Joy T. Lane | Anthony Epling | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 28 | 8 | "Beat Me at My Own Game" | Joy T. Lane | Shani Am. Moore | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 29 | 9 | "A Game of Telephone" | Mary Lou Belli | Barret Helms | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |
| 30 | 10 | "Save My Place" | Mary Lou Belli | Sheryl J. Anderson & Sara Jumel | July 20, 2023 (2023-7-20) |

### Season 4 (2025)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 31 | 1 | "The Other Side of the Veil" | Lauren Petzke | Barret Helms | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 32 | 2 | "Practical Dreams" | Lauren Petzke | Anthony Epling | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 33 | 3 | "Abundant Grace" | Christine Swanson | Kale Futterman | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 34 | 4 | "How Great Thou Art" | Christine Swanson | Bianca Sams | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 35 | 5 | "True North" | Norman Buckley | Barret Helms | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 36 | 6 | "Ring That Bell" | Norman Buckley | Anthony Epling | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 37 | 7 | "Hide and Seek" | JoAnna Garcia Swisher | Alex Rubin | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 38 | 8 | "Walls and Doors" | Matt Drake | Kale Futterman | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 39 | 9 | "Dance Your Sugarplum Off" | Norman Buckley | Sara Jumel | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 40 | 10 | "Do Not Be Afraid" | Norman Buckley | Sheryl J. Anderson | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |

## 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. The series premiered on May 19, 2020. Norman Buckley directed six of the episodes and served as co-executive producer. On July 23, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season which premiered on February 4, 2022. On May 4, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a third season which was released on July 20, 2023. On October 19, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season which was released on February 6, 2025.

### Casting

On May 20, 2019, Monica Potter, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley were announced as the leads. On July 1, 2019, it was reported that Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Justin Bruening had joined the cast as series regulars. On August 1, 2019, JoAnna Garcia Swisher was cast as Maddie Townsend, replacing Potter who was originally cast as the lead. On May 4, 2021, Dion Johnstone and Brandon Quinn were promoted to series regulars for second season. 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.

### Filming

Principal photography for the series began on July 8, 2019 in Covington, Georgia. Filming for the fourth season started on February 20, 2024 and wrapped on May 30, 2024.

## 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. The second season has an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The third season holds a 57% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The fourth season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.
In its first 30-days on Netflix, season 2 was watched globally on Netflix for 161.3 million hours.