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After an excruciatingly long wait for new episodes, Sweet Magnolias season 3 finally premiered on Netflix in July 2023 for a long overdue pour it out session with the titular trio. Naturally, the lovable third season left fans wondering if there would be a Sweet Magnolias season 4. Thankfully, Netflix didn't take very long to renew the beloved romantic drama.
Following the renewal and the resolution of the strikes at the end of 2023, filming finally began in February 2024. As of June 2024, filming on season 4 has officially wrapped, with series star JoAnna Garcia Swisher announcing production's completion and calling the season her favorite "by far." The actress, who shared a photo with her on-screen besties, also called the season "magical."
With filming now completed, we're one step closer to the next season, but as the writers have previously noted, we still have a long journey ahead! We're sharing everything we know so far about the exciting fourth season of Sweet Magnolias, including updates on release date predictions, what to expect from the season, and much more!
Sweet Magnolias season 4 won't be coming in 2024
Although we had hoped Sweet Magnolias season 4 would arrive sometime in 2024, Netflix has confirmed the latest season will not be coming until 2025. That's right, we have a long wait ahead of us before we get to return to Serenity to catch up with the Sweet Magnolias.
Word of Sweet Magnolias' delayed return came on Feb. 1 via Deadline, which announced the upcoming fourth season was being held for 2025. The series is part of a long list of Netflix Originals that won't be coming back in 2024 as Netflix shuffles its release plans around due to a number of circumstances.
While Deadline's report cited direct causes for many show's delayed returns, there were no specifics provided as to why exactly Sweet Magnolias is being pushed to 2025. One likely reason is the fact that the show will be filming through May and will then have to go into post-production which includes adding subtitles and dubbing for international regions.
For now, we're going to predict a release date sometime in early 2025, potentially in February or March. As of late, Netflix has been splitting its most popular shows into two-part releases, which could happen with Sweet Magnolias, though the streamer has not indicated it's in the cards. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that new episodes will hit our watch lists sooner rather than later!
Continue reading for our previous updates on season 4.
Production ran through May 2024
After the conclusion of both strikes by the end of 2023, work once again picked up on all of our favorite shows. While we'd hoped season 4 would be able to get back in action before the end of the year, Sweet Magnolias was still able to hit the ground running in 2024. Production on the fourth season kicked off on Jan. 9, as announced by creator Sheryl J. Anderson and executive producer/director Norman Buckley.
Anderson and Buckley both shared photos of getting "back to work," though it appeared as though it was mostly the writing and creative team sorting out production ahead of the cast's arrival for filming.
Filming on the new season kicked off in late February and was expected that the show will film for several months. While unconfirmed by Netflix at the time, rumor had it earlier this year that filming would run through May 2024, which aligned with the normal timeframe for the show as filming has typically taken approximately four months on average. And that's exactly what happened!
On Wednesday, April 10, the show's official Instagram account announced that season 4 had officially reach the halfway point in the filming process. Given that the season will again contain 10 episodes, it's likely that the cast and crew had finished filming episodes 1-5 and were getting to work on episodes 6-10. We'll still be waiting until 2025, even though filming was right on track.
To celebrate reaching the halfway point of filming the upcoming fourth season, the Chill Latte truck stopped by care of the show's producers and provided the cast and crew with some delicious sweet treats. The Atlanta-based food truck service offers coffee, espresso, tea, smoothies, and shaved ice with various flavors available. Too bad the truck doesn't serve margaritas and chips and salsa for the Magnolias, but they surely enjoyed another cold beverage!
JoAnna Garcia Swisher celebrated the start of filming on Valentine's Day 2024
Although it wasn't until Feb. 20 that the Sweet Magnolias writers' accounts celebrated the start of production, star JoAnna Garcia Swisher actually took to Instagram on Valentine's Day 2024 to celebrate her return to the show!
"Back with my favorite Magnolias," Swisher captioned the photo snapped during a table read for the new season. The photo included name cards for the show's three Magnolias including Swisher, Heather Headley, and Brooke Elliott:
JoAnna Garcia Swisher tells fans to buckle up for season 4
After the actors’ strike concluded, the cast of Sweet Magnolias was finally able to react to the renewal news and JoAnna Garcia Swisher wasted no time jumping onto Instagram to celebrate both the success of season 3 and the show’s season 4 renewal.
“The support of each and every one of you at home (all of the world!) gives us the chance to keep telling a story that means so much to us,” Garcia Swisher wrote in a post sharing a ton of amazing behind-the-scenes moments from filming season 3.
After thanking fans for embracing the show’s third season, Garcia Swisher warned fans to “buckle up” for the show’s upcoming fourth season which she promised is “going to be a big one!”
Knowing this show, we can only imagine what the writers have planned as Sweet Mags is no stranger to including shocking twists. Since we know the season will still be the same length episode wise, we imagine the writers are going big with ther stories ahead and can’t wait to see what they’re cooking up.
Season 4 will consist of 10 episodes
As confirmed by Netflix, Sweet Magnolias season 4 is set to consist of 10 episodes total. This is in line with the show’s previous season episode counts as each of the previous seasons of Sweet Magnolias consisted of ten episodes.
While we’d love a longer season, ten episodes is the standard episode order for Netflix originals and it’s worked well for the show. The ten-episode format has been the sweet spot for the show, allowing the writers to perfectly pace out each season’s storylines in an organic way without the need for filler content.
Ten episodes also is a bit more doable for studios post strikes as it’s easier to turnaround 10 episodes versus larger orders such as 13+ episode seasons.
Sweet Magnolias showrunner confirmed work began post-strike
Less than a week after Netflix announced the renewal of Sweet Magnolias, showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson took to Instagram to confirm work had officially begun on the fourth season of the show! The writers' room for season 4 opened around October 23, 2023, with a group of creative forces coming together to begin working on the new season of the show which Anderson promises fans they’re going to love!
"Now that the news is out, I thought you might enjoy meeting the brilliant people who are working with me to craft Season 4 of SWEET MAGNOLIAS. From top left: Bianca Sams, me, Alex Rubin, Barret Helms (with Room Mascot Tilly), Kale Futterman (with Room Mascot Charlie), Anthony Epling, Sara Jumel, and Sean Benum. You’re going to love what they’re creating!!!"Sheryl J. Anderson
JoAnna Garcia Swisher teases what could happen in Sweet Magnolias season 4
In an interview conducted with TV Line prior to the actors’ strike, JoAnna Garcia Swisher hinted at a loose thread left behind in season 3 that would be explored in a potential season 4.
The second season revealed that Bill is the biological father of Isaac, which makes Isaac a relative of Maddie’s three children and Noreen’s baby daughter. He’s also closely connected to so many people in Serenity, but the kicker? They still don’t know!
Here’s what Garcia Swisher said about that storyline’s future:
"That’s going to be a big one. We don’t really go too much into [that storyline] at the end of the season, because it’s obviously a very celebratory moment. But when Bill is walking away, there’s this realization that there’s so much she’s going to have to explain to her kids."JoAnna Garcia Swisher
The star explained that even though Maddie might have “washed her hands” of Bill and moved on, there’s still lots of stakes in play since the reveal of Isaac’s parentage will impact her children. Garcia Swisher went on to express her faith in Bill in spite of everything he’s done. Perhaps we’ll get to see him turn over a new leaf if season 4 does in fact happen.
Sweet Magnolias star Carson Rowland welcomes baby girl during off-season
While the offseason tends to be a bit uneventful for shows, this offseason was quite a special one for star Carson Rowland, who plays Ty in the series.
Earlier this year, Rowland announced to his fans via social media that he and his wife, Maris, were expecting their first child. “Baby Rowland coming in November,” Rowland beamed, excitedly sharing the news. “Your mom and I love you so much already. We can’t wait to meet you!
Fast forward to November and the couple welcomed their daughter Eden Stone Rowland into the world!
Stay tuned for more Sweet Magnolias season 4 news and updates from Netflix Life!