JoAnna Garcia Swisher can’t spill too many secrets about the upcoming season of Sweet Magnolias — but she wants you to get your margarita mix ready, because it’s going to be quite the journey.
“I believe, and I actually said it this morning about [season 4] — something happens in every episode and this season is really the greatest yet!” Garcia Swisher, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Post-it® Brand and Scotch
Brand’s ultimate all-in-one Back-to-School Countdown Kit. “I feel like this season is really for the fans.”
Garcia Swisher portrays Maddie Townsend on the Netflix series, which premiered in 2020. The show follows Maddie and her lifelong BFFs, Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) and Helen (Heather Headley), in the fictional South Carolina town of Serenity. Season 3 of the series, which hit Netflix in July 2023, saw the trio end on a happy note after facing some major conflicts in their friendship.
Season 4, which is expected to premiere sometime in 2025, will also feature Garcia Swisher stepping behind the camera for her directorial debut. The actress told Us it’s an “exciting” new chapter after decades in the industry — especially since she believes this will be the show’s best season yet, filled with all types of emotion.
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“There are so many amazing fun moments that fans will love, but also a lot of tears, because its Sweet Magnolias there have to be tears,” she teased. “I’m so excited for the fans to see the next season, it’s very much a wild ride for everyone.”
Exactly how long fans will have to wait before finding out what elicits those strong emotions is unclear, but production on season 4 officially wrapped last month, leaving Garcia Swisher “a little emo” having to say a “bittersweet goodbye” to her cast and crew.
“There is a huge sense of accomplishment for all the hard work, crazy hours, and time spent bringing this story to life,” she wrote via Instagram alongside a photo with Elliot and Headley after her final day on set. “There is also an overwhelming sense of gratitude. The majority of our crew has been with us since the beginning. We have lived, loved, and laughed through a lot of life together. Even the newest members of our family have felt like we have known each other forever and they were that missing piece to making things just right.”
The Sweet Magnolias official Instagram page also confirmed the end of filming with a post of its own, sharing that the new batch of episodes will be “filled with love, laughter, tears, thrills, and many, many margaritas.”
For now, Garcia Swisher has plenty of other projects to focus on. She’s also the host of The Ultimatum: Queer Love, which premiered on Netflix in 2023. She’ll return for season 2 later this year, which will take place in Miami and feature both women and non binary people.
“I’m so involved and invested in these love stories,” she gushed to Us, teasing that the cast of the upcoming season are an “incredible” bunch. “I’m always blown away by the emotional intelligence and willingness to be there for the experience and understanding of the experience. I’ve really become part of every decision they make and the next cast really has some amazing people on it.”
The Reba alum joked that she was even told to “get it together” from production during season 1 after finding it hard to not get “emotionally invested” on camera. Although she said she thinks she’s “figured out” how to have a bit more of a stiff upper lip this year, fans will be even “more invested’ than ever before.
Balancing multiple jobs and thriving in her career is something Garcia Swisher doesn’t just do for herself, but for her two daughters, Emerson Jay, 9, and Sailor Stevie, 6, whom she shares with husband Nick Swisher.
“I feel that when I have to leave for work, it’s showing [my daughters] that their mom is a hard worker and passionate about her job,” she told Us, noting that she tries to “balance the guilt” of being a busy working mom “with teaching them to be passionate about their jobs.”
Helping Garcia Swisher balance all the craziness — especially with the kids going back to school in the next couple of months — is Post-it and Scotch Brand, which just announced its ultimate all-in-one Back-to-School Countdown Kit complete with tips and products to ease back into a routine, take upcoming school projects to new places, and conquer the year ahead.
From a pocket organizer to a “cool little calendar,” Garcia Swisher says the kit has every product parents need to build excitement as count down to a new school year.
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“I’ve taken a new approach to back-to-school preparation this year. We’re starting early, getting organized, and having fun as we ease into the season,” she explained of her back to school tactics. “Just like all parents, I want to ensure the best for my family and be ready for whatever comes our way throughout the year. The Post-it and Scotch Brand Back-to-School Countdown Kit helps us achieve just that! It’s keeping us energized and focused – we’re making our lists, preserving our favorite summer memories, and setting new goals for the upcoming year.”
The mom of two added that she loves “anything” that can help a person “organize,” sharing that the Back-to-School Countdown Kit reminds her of her own days as a kid.
“I remember getting all the supplies and getting everything together and being excited and it’s great my girls can too,” she told Us. “My girls are both very organized humans and they love the planning and organization and getting ready for the school year. This kit has a countdown which is a tool we all really love.”
The Back-to-School Countdown Kit Giveaway kicks off Thursday, July 11, at 8 a.m. ET and closes Friday, July 19, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
