Sweet Magnolias is raising the romance bar when the Netflix show finally comes back for its fifth season.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly while promoting Hallmark’s Providence Falls, JoAnna García Swisher says the next installment has the “most romance” Sweet Magnolias has ever had.
“That is across the board. It’s a roller coaster as it always is but I think this is the first season in a really long time that fans are gonna get those butterflies again,” Swisher, 45, teased. “There are some fresh faces that are joining our cast in really unique and fun ways. The Magnolias are seeing new possibilities on the horizon that are going to only expand our world.”
Swisher went on to confirm that “no one dies” in season 5 after Chris Klein‘s controversial character Bill was previously killed off. Instead, viewers will get to see the show return to its roots.
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“It is very exciting this season. We are all over the place. It’s taking us a little bit longer to complete a season because we’ve gotten the opportunity to travel,” Swisher teased last month to Us of the show’s long-awaited return. “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.”
The actress, who has played Maddie since season 1, said she was looking forward to enjoying some new opportunities behind the scenes, adding, “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. It just feels exciting. A lot happens this season and our world is getting a little bit bigger.”
Based on Sherryl Woods’ novels Sweet Magnolias follows three women who have been best friends since childhood as they navigate their romantic lives, careers and family. In addition to Swisher, the show stars Brooke Elliott, Heather Headley, Logan Allen, Anneliese Judge, Carson Rowland, Justin Bruening, Jamie Lynn Spears and more.
In season 4, Sweet Magnolias surprised Us when Maddie decided to move to New York for a job. Swisher recalled the mixed response — and hinted how it will affect the future of the show.
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“Someone had mentioned something about people who were not happy that Maddie took a job in New York City. And I was like, ‘OK, let’s look into that. Let’s kind of dive into that because it’ll help me as I navigate Maddie in season 5,’” she noted. ”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.”
Swisher isn’t just working on the next season of Sweet Magnolias —she is also an executive producer on Hallmark’s three-part Providence Falls film series, starring Katie Stevens, Lachlan Quarmby and Evan Roderick, based on the book series by Jude Deveraux set in 1844 Ireland.
“We filmed in order and we knew where we were gonna end up,” she told Us. “We are all bubbling with ways to continue these stories.”
Providence Falls returns to Lifetime with Providence Falls: An Impossible Promise premieres on Saturday, August 9, and Providence Falls: Thief of Fate on Saturday, August 16, both at 8 p.m. ET.
