Sweet Magnolias – Picture: Netflix
Sweet Magnolias is one of Netflix’s best in-house feel-good series, so the confirmation that we will be returning to Serenity for a third season is no surprise. Here’s everything we know so far about Sweet Magnolias season 3 which is gearing up to begin production this summer, what we can expect, and how season 2 of Sweet Magnolias performed on Netflix.
The series is based on the novel series by Sherryl Woods and while there’s been some divergence between the story told in the book and what we’ve seen on screen, there’s plenty more source material for the show to pull from. So let’s dig into Sweet Magnolias season 3 chances and what we can expect.
First debuting in May 2020, we finally got a second season of Sweet Magnolias just a few months shy of two years after its initial premiere.
Will Netflix Renew Sweet Magnolias for a season 3?
Official Renewal Status: Officially Renewed in May 2022
Two months after season 2 dropped we were still yet to hear of an official renewal or cancelation but in early May, we got the thumbs up more episodes were on the way. Season 3 is once again expected to be 10 episodes in length.
The confirmation was followed by the Sweet Magnolias Writers Twitter page tweeting:
“We’re going back to Serenity, y’all! We are so thrilled to share we have a Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias. Can’t wait to welcome y’all home.”
Picture: Sweet Magnolias Writers / Twitter
Unlike some of the other shows in the genre, Sweet Magnolias hasn’t been renewed ahead of time so it comes down to viewership and the “stickiness” of the series.
What we mean by that is Netflix will be looking at the viewership of the show among other factors when coming up with what’s been referred to as adjusted view share.
Our renewal prediction was that the show maintained a solid base and is one of the few shows that manages to appeal to a broad audience across the United States and therefore, was highly likely to get renewed.
Sweet Magnolias. (L to R) Brooke Elliott as Dana Sue Sullivan, Heather Headley as Helen Decatur, Joanna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend in episode 202 of Sweet Magnolias. Cr. Richard Ducree/Netflix © 2021
When will filming start for season 3 of Sweet Magnolias and when will it release?
Production dates have yet to be fully finalized but we are now hearing that filming is due to begin at some point in Summer 2022. It’ll once again film in Covington and Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.
In early June 2022, the team behind the show was scouting for new locations. In an Instagram post, Sheryl Anderson stated:
“Thrilled to be plotting and planning Season 3, with friends, old and new!!!”
On July 1st, star of the show Joanna Garcia Swisher posted on Instagram revealing that she had dyed her hair once again to reprise her role in the upcoming third season once again suggesting that filming is imminent.
In the post Swisher said:
“‘Maddie’s’ lob is back 💇🏻♀️ Could only mean one thing… #sweetmagnoliasnetflix #season3”
Picture: jogarciaswisher/Instagram
Assuming the show follows a similar filming pattern to season 2 (in production for 3-4 months) then it should be wrapped by Fall meaning a mid-2023 release date for Netflix seems most realistic.
How well has Sweet Magnolias season 2 performed on Netflix?
After a strong start, Sweet Magnolias quickly tailed off in viewing according to Netflix’s top 10 data.
The arrival of season 2 also saw an uptick in viewership to the first season too. Season 1 recorded 21.64 million hours viewed between February 6th and February 13th.
Between January 30th and March 6th, 2022 (the first 30 days on the platform) the series clocked up 161,300,000 hours viewed globally.
Here’s how the viewership for Sweet Magnolias looks from week to week:
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 30th, 2022 to February 6th, 2022 | 43,000,000 | 5 | 1 |
| February 6th, 2022 to February 13th, 2022 | 58,150,000 (+35%) | 2 | 2 |
| February 13th, 2022 to February 20th, 2022 | 29,760,000 (-49%) | 3 | 3 |
| February 20th, 2022 to February 27th, 2022 | 18,610,000 (-37%) | 6 | 4 |
| February 27th, 2022 to March 6th, 2022 | 11,780,000 (-37%) | 9 | 5 |
If we compare the first two weeks to Virgin River season 3 given they’re very similar in genre, Sweet Magnolias lags behind.
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) |
|---|---|
| July 4th, 2021 to July 11th, 2021 | 62,580,000 |
| July 11th, 2021 to July 18th, 2021 | 87,270,000 (+39%) |
| July 18th, 2021 to July 25th, 2021 | 44,890,000 (-49%) |
| July 25th, 2021 to August 1st, 2021 | 28,320,000 (-37%) |
Nielsen’s top 10 data can provide us with a look into how well the show is performing in the United States. Between January 31st through March 6th, the show racked up 4,629 million minutes.
| Week Period | Rank That Week | Minutes (Millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 01/31 – 02/06 | 3 | 1320 |
| 02/07 – 02/13 | 2 | 1556 |
| 02/14 – 02/20 | 5 | 898 |
| 02/21 – 02/27 | 8 | 526 |
| 02/28 – 03/06 | 9 | 329 |
We can also look at the top 10s to see where the series is performing well.
Thanks to FlixPatrol, we can see a heat map of where the show is performing the best. The show is performing the best in regions like the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and South Africa.
Sweet Magnolias Popularity Heatmap – Picture: FlixPatrol
The Sweet Magnolias writer’s room celebrated their 7th day in a row in the Netflix top 10s with a big picture of the cast and crew.
Outside of viewing stats, we can look at how the show is performing on Google Trends and IMDb’s MovieMeter.
IMDb’s MovieMeter tracks inbound traffic to respective shows and movie pages. It allows you to get a good idea of how popular shows are compared to other networks. Season 1 of the show peaked at #4 in its launch week whereas the second season only managed to get up to #15.
Sweet Magnolias moviemeter over time
Google Trends echoes that the second season didn’t quite match the same heights as season 1. It also is seemingly showing a much steeper dropoff compared to the first season too.
Google Trends chart for Sweet Magnolias – Worldwide.
What to expect from Sweet Magnolias season 3
Season 2 ends with plenty of cliffhangers continuing the tradition over from season 1.
Season 2 ended with Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue mourning the passing of Miss Frances (Cindy Karr). Following the funeral, we see an unexpected event with both a proposal and a confrontation in the restaurant which leads to Cal being escorted away in cuffs. We also know that someone has returned after the main trio saw footage of tires being slashed on Sullivan’s delivery van.
Helen (played by Heather Headley) had a rough ride in season 2 with a number of traumatic events but the season ended with her being proposed to by Ryan. Season 3 will likely kick off with the decision she makes.
Picture: Netflix
In an interview with TVLine, Sheryl J. Anderson answered a number of the burning questions that many have after the conclusion of season 2.
When asked about who slashed Dana Sue’s tires, she said “I will just say she has a past in common with our ladies and some other folks in town,” adding “She’s been away for a while, but she has come back with an agenda. She has come home to settle some scores.”
Anderson also said we could “potentially” see the return of Victoria and implied we could see other “troublemakers” return in the future too. Dana Sue’s relationship was addressed too where Anderson said that three-way dance will likely continue to be complicated.
Speaking to Glamor, Anderson said there isn’t one sole question heading into season 3 compared to season 2 other than the big one being about a renewal saying “I hope the main question that everybody has at the end of season two is: Are they going to get a season three?”
Alongside the renewal confirmation, it was announced that stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley would all be reprising their roles.
While we’re waiting for more news on the third season, Netflix is still running its book club hosted by Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) and Sweet Magnolias was the book in focus in February 2022.
Finally, we’d also recommend giving the Sweet Magnolias Writers Room a follow on Twitter.
Are you looking forward to watching season 3 of Sweet Magnolias on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.