Sweet Magnolias is an American romantic drama television series created by Sheryl J. Anderson. It is based on the Sweet Magnolias novels written by Sherryl Woods. The show features JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley in the main roles.

The series first aired on Netflix on May 19, 2020. In April 2025, the show was renewed for a fifth season. The fifth season is set to premiere on June 11, 2026.

Premise

The book Sweet Magnolias tells the story of three women from South Carolina who have been best friends since childhood. They help each other deal with challenges in their personal lives, jobs, and families.

Cast and characters

• JoAnna Garcia Swisher portrays Maddie Townsend, a recently separated woman with three children in Serenity, South Carolina. She is working to return to the workforce while going through a divorce from her husband, Bill. She is part of a friend group called Sweet Magnolias.
• Brooke Elliott portrays Dana Sue Sullivan, a chef who owns a restaurant named Sullivan's. She is the best friend of Helen and Maddie and is part of the Sweet Magnolias group.
• Heather Headley portrays Helen Decatur, an attorney. She is the best friend of Dana Sue and Maddie and is part of the Sweet Magnolias. She purchased a mansion, which she converted into The Corner Spa with Maddie and Dana Sue.
• Logan Allen portrays Kyle Townsend, Maddie and Bill's younger son. He is a freshman at Serenity High School and has a talent for acting. He had a crush on Annie but later shows interest in Nellie Lewis.
• Anneliese Judge portrays Annie Sullivan, Dana Sue's daughter. She is friends with the Townsend brothers and enjoys photography. She and Tyler are childhood best friends and shared a kiss after drinking too much at a party. She later dates Jackson but breaks up with him later in the series.
• Carson Rowland portrays Tyler "Ty" Townsend, Maddie and Bill's eldest son. He is a junior at Serenity High School and a star pitcher on his baseball team.
• Justin Bruening portrays Cal Maddox, Ty's baseball coach and Maddie's new love interest. He is a former professional baseball player.
• Chris Klein portrays Bill Townsend (seasons 1–3), Maddie's ex-husband and a family doctor at Serenity Family Physicians.
• Jamie Lynn Spears portrays Noreen Fitzgibbons, Bill's pregnant fiancée and a nurse in his office who became his mistress.
• Dion Johnstone portrays Erik Whitley (seasons 2–present; recurring season 1), the assistant chef at Sullivan's and a mentor to Isaac.
• Brandon Quinn portrays Ronnie Sullivan (seasons 2–present; guest season 1), Dana Sue's estranged husband and Annie's father.
• Chris Medlin portrays Isaac Downey (season 3–present; recurring seasons 1–2), a member of the kitchen staff at Sullivan's. He moved to Serenity to find his birth parents, and it was later revealed that his biological parents are Peggy and Bill.
• Bianca Berry Tarantino (seasons 1–2) and Ella Grace Helton (seasons 3–4) portray Katie Townsend, Maddie and Bill's only daughter and youngest child.
• Frank Oakley III portrays Harlan Bixby, the assistant coach of Serenity High School's baseball team.
• Allison Gabriel portrays Mary Vaughn Lewis, the wife of Trent Lewis, mayor of Serenity, and the main adversary of the Sweet Magnolias.
• Simone Lockhart portrays Nellie Lewis, Mary Vaughn's daughter. She has a crush on Kyle.
• Brittany L. Smith portrays Peggy Martin, the owner of the newspaper The Centinel of Serenity and later mayor of Serenity.
• Grace Junot portrays Alaina Cartwright, an investigative reporter for the town newspaper, The Serenity Sentinel.
• Tracey Bonner portrays Pastor June Wilkes, the pastor of the church in Serenity.
• Charles Lawlor portrays Collins Littlefield.
• Harlan Drum portrays CeCe Matney, Ty's love interest.
• Sam Ashby portrays Jackson Butler Lewis, Ty's baseball rival teammate and Mary Vaughn's son. He previously dated Annie.
• Hunter Burke portrays Trotter Vidhyarkorn, Cal's best friend who works at The Corner Spa as a yoga instructor.
• Al-Jaleel Knox portrays Gabe Weatherspoon, Ty's best friend and baseball teammate.
• Michael Shenefelt portrays Ryan Wingate, Helen's on-and-off boyfriend.
• Michael May portrays Simon Spry, Annie's friend.
• Caroline Lagerfelt portrays Paula Vreeland, Maddie's mother.
• Chase Anderson portrays Jeremy Reynolds, a produce supplier for Sullivan's restaurant.
• Janet Hubert portrays Bev Decatur, Helen's mother.
• Jason Turner portrays Zeke Decatur, Helen's brother.
• Wynn Everett portrays Kathy Sullivan, Ronnie's sister and Bill Townsend's new girlfriend.
• Paul Rolfes portrays Trent Lewis, the former mayor of Serenity.
• Artemis portrays Lily Song (seasons 2–present), Annie's friend and Kyle's girlfriend.
• Nikki Estridge portrays Genevieve Alexander (seasons 3–present).
• Tommi Rose portrays Olivia Harris (seasons 3–present), Ty's bandmate.
• Judith Ivey portrays Bonnie Townsend (season 4), Bill's mother.
• Jodi Benson portrays Iris Maddox (season 4), Cal's mother.
• Emma and Ava Minton portray Rebecca, Noreen's daughter.

Production

On September 27, 2018, Netflix announced it would produce a first season of ten episodes for a series based on the Sweet Magnolias book series by Sherryl Woods. Woods, Sheryl J. Anderson, and Dan Paulson were expected to be executive producers, with Anderson serving as the showrunner. The production company involved was Daniel L. Paulson Productions. The series premiered on May 19, 2020. Norman Buckley directed six episodes and was a 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, released on July 20, 2023. On October 19, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season, released on February 6, 2025. On April 23, 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth season, scheduled to premiere on June 11, 2026.

On May 20, 2019, Monica Potter, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley were named as lead actors. On July 1, 2019, Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Justin Bruening joined the cast as 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 regulars for the second season. On June 9, 2023, Ella Grace Helton joined the cast, replacing Bianca Berry Tarantino for the third season. On July 22, 2025, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Janice Wesley, Courtney Grace, John Gabriel Rodriquez, Aidan Merwarth, Austin Woods, and Iman Benson were cast in roles that were not specified for the fifth season.

Main filming for the series began on July 8, 2019, in Covington, Georgia. Filming for the fourth season started on February 20, 2024, and ended on May 30, 2024.

Reception

For the first season, the review website Rotten Tomatoes reported a positive reviews percentage of 78%, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2 out of 10. The second season has a positive reviews percentage of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8 out of 10. The third season has a positive reviews percentage of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3 out of 10. The fourth season has a positive reviews percentage of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10.

In the first 30 days on Netflix, season 2 was watched globally for 161.3 million hours.