Filming for Season 5 of Sweet Magnolias is underway, and JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who stars on the show and will direct two upcoming episodes, provided a new update on the production timeline.
While she told Us Weekly that filming this season has been “very exciting,” she also warned that it’s taking “a bit longer to complete a season because we’ve gotten the opportunity to travel.” Swisher didn’t give specific updates about what that traveling entails, but her character, Maddie, did accept a job offer in New York at the end of Season 4.
Some fans weren’t thrilled about the shocking Season 4 finale bombshell, which would mean Maddie leaving Serenity and her fellow Magnolias, Helen (Heather Headley) and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), behind. Swisher said she’s been using this reaction to help guide how she’ll “navigate” her character in Season 5.
Courtesy of Netflix
In response to the backlash, she also said, “It’s really all about just expanding and contracting. That’s what life is. Just because we got the man or we have the kids at home, we’re still vital, living, breathing people. Our dreams don’t end when we just get to one destination. That’s the part that I’m really leaning into.”
Swisher teased that we’ll see new faces when the show returns to Netflix, too. “Actually, last night we were shooting at the baseball field and I was looking around, and we have a lot of new cast members. There’s these new faces in Serenity, South Carolina, that are so exciting for me,” she gushed. “I get to direct two episodes this year and I’m prepping that right now. I get these incredible moments with the heart and soul of our show — our Magnolias — and the kids on our show. But there’s new, fresh blood and energy in Serenity.”
Season 4 of Sweet Magnolias dropped on Netflix on February 6. On April 23, the streamer confirmed it’d been renewed. ““We are thrilled to let the Magnolias take Manhattan,” showrunner and executive producer Sheryl J. Anderson told Tudum. “Not only is this adventure huge fun, it’s also an opportunity to explore the facets of their relationships in a new context. While it’s crucial to have true friends in day-to-day life, it’s priceless to have them supporting you when you leap out of your comfort zone.”
A premiere date for the next installment has not been confirmed yet.
Sweet Magnolias, Seasons 1 to 4, Streaming now, Netflix