Sweet Magnolias has wrapped filming its second season in Georgia and if you’re looking for the latest news and what we can expect from the new season, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a comprehensive everything we know so far for Sweet Magnolias season 2.
The series comes from Sheryl J. Anderson who is mainly known for her work on Charmed and Ties that Bind. The story is about the bond between three women as they all face their own unique challenges. The series was first announced back in 2018 and released on Netflix on May 19th, 2020.
So let’s now turn our attention towards a potential second season of Sweet Magnolias.
Has Sweet Magnolias been renewed for a second season?
Official renewal status: Officially renewed (last updated: 07/27/2020)
The closest we came to renewal until the eventual announcement was in July 2020 when a GIF was posted by the showrunner indicating she’s hard at work writing the next season.
The official announcement for Sweet Magnolias season 2 came on July 23rd, 2020.
#SweetMagnolias has been renewed for a second season! pic.twitter.com/QJUj7Y4Iup
— Netflix Queue (@netflixqueue) July 23, 2020
On the renewal, Sheryl Anderson said the following:
“I’m thrilled and excited to come back with a cast and a crew that I love so much. It’s such a valentine to everybody who worked so hard to make Serenity such a beautiful place. JoAnna, Brooke, and Heather and I were jumping up and down while texting each other, and we look forward to doing that over Zoom too.”
How has Sweet Magnolias performed on Netflix?
The good news is that there’s plenty of evidence that the show is performing well, particularly in the United States.
In total, the series spent 33 days in the top US TV chart peaking at number one. Over in the United Kingdom, the series also performed well with 13 days in the top 10 TV chart.
As of November 17th, the show, according to the top 10s, ranks at 99 in the most popular shows of 2020.
What to expect from Sweet Magnolias season 2
Fans have a lot of questions going into season 2, especially after the dramatic way season one came to a close, particularly in the last 10 minutes.
The big cliffhanger at the end of season 1 is the outcome of the fight from the after-prom party. It led to a car crash and Kyle is currently unconscious. However, it’s never revealed who the passenger in the car is so that’s the major question leading into season 2.
Elsewhere, Maddie is already strained by the fact that her ex-partner has suggested they give their relationship another shot while using her kids as a good reason to give it a go.
Helen just split from her on-and-off-again boyfriend, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens there especially since she’s desperate for a child.
Finally, Dana has her own problems trying to keep her business afloat and is now confronted with the fact she may have an estranged son working in her kitchen.
As you may know, the show is actually based on a novel series that spanned 11 books in total. Those include:
- Stealing Home (2007)
- A Slice of Heaven (2007)
- Feels Like Family (2007)
- Welcome to Serenity (2008)
- Home in Carolina (2010)
- Sweet Tea at Sunrise (2010)
- Honeysuckle Summer (2010)
- Midnight Promises (2012)
- Catching Fireflies (2012)
- Where Azaleas Bloom (2012)
- Swan Point (July 29, 2014)
So there’s plenty more source material to cover from Sheryll Woods but how exactly the Netflix series keeps with the original source material remains to be seen.
Cast for Sweet Magnolias season 2
So far, IMDb confirms the return of four of the stars including:
- Brooke Elliott as Dana Sue Sullivan
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend
- Heather Headley as Helen Decatur
- Carson Rowland as Tyler ‘Ty’ Townsend
- Anneliese Judge as Annie Sullivan
- Brooke Elliott as Dana Sue Sullivan
- Dion Johnston as Erik Whitley
- Chris Medlin as Isaac Downey
- Jamie Lynn Spears as Noreen Fitzgibbons
- Bianca Berry Tarantino as Katie Townsend
Deadline reported that Jamie Lynn Spears, Dion Johnstone and Brandon Quinn had been upped to series regulars for the second series.
We suspect this list will grow with the majority of the main cast to return.
On May 26th, we learned exclusively that young Adelynn Spoon who has appeared in Tell Me Your Secrets and more recently on HBO’s Watchmen limited series will feature in season 2.
Where is Sweet Magnolias season 2 in production and when will it be on Netflix?
Because of the pandemic, it wasn’t initially clear when production was going to start and Sheryll Woods, who wrote the books, stated that production was currently eyeing to start in 2021.
Yes, we are so excited about bringing you all season 2 of #SweetMagnolias Keeping our fingers crossed that NOTHING will keep us from getting into production in Georgia in 2021. Stay tuned. https://t.co/ULifQEEUZC
— Sherryl Woods (@sherryl703) October 30, 2020
In February 2021, we learned that production teams were in Georgia mapping out the next season and in addition, Netflix planned for production to begin in Spring 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
This turned out to be on April 6th with many cast members posting on their feeds about the return to filming. You can also see the show currently listed on the “Now Filming in Georgia” table which also currently lists Cobra Kai season 4, First Kill and Raising Dion season 2.
Before filming started, Sheryll Woods stated that the writing staff is aware of how desperate people are for season 2 saying: “Please know we are pouring our hearts into all the answers and the new questions that are at the center of Season 2”. Sheryll later added that she didn’t know when exactly season 2 would hit, saying: “That’s hard to answer because we are still trying to figure out any precautions that need to be taken and how that will impact the pace of production,” adding “There are a lot of unknowns.”
Filming officially got underway in early April 2021. Numerous pictures have been posted by the cast and crew plus other members of the public since filming began.
In July 2021, filming is still ongoing with several set photos getting out on Twitter such as the one below posted by Rockdale County’s Twitter feed (although it has since been deleted).
While we’re waiting though, the cast did have a big reunion on Zoom throughout the lockdown. Set aside some time, though, as the reunion is over three hours long!
Filming concluded in mid-July 2021 with JoAnna Garcia Swisher posting on Instagram that revealed that she was getting make-up for the final day.
Filming has wrapped on #SweetMagnolias season 2.
Here’s JoAnna Garcia Swisher on the last day of filming. pic.twitter.com/rjQdJTvZq4
— What’s on Netflix (@whatonnetflix) August 8, 2021
Here’s the text that accompanied the video:
“Last day in the chair with my sister, @symartmakeup as we wrap up season 2 of #sweetmagnoliasnetflix ! Bitter sweet feelings because I’m going to miss this group so much. But I’m so proud and EXCITED for all of you to see what we have been cooking up in Serenity and can’t wait for this dream team of a cast and crew to (hopefully!) be reunited ASAP to continue the journey!”
As for when season 2 will be on Netflix, only a broad 2022 release date for Sweet Magnolias return has been given so far.
What to watch on Netflix in the meantime
Experiencing Sweet Magnolia’s withdrawal symptoms? Check out our big list of similar titles on Netflix to Sweet Magnolias.
Virgin River is the best comparison we have. It’s a feel-good Netflix show that dropped onto Netflix without much fanfare and is thankfully got a second and now a third season which is due to release in July 2021. A lot of people are comparing the show to Gilmore Girls which is an excellent series with both the original and the Netflix revival season still available globally.
Are you looking forward to Sweet Magnolias season 2 on Netflix? Let us know down in the comments. In addition, keep this page bookmarked as we’ll be updating as and when we hear of snippets of news regarding the future.