Sweet Magnolias is a Netflix romantic drama developed by Sheryl J. Anderson and based on the Sweet Magnolias series of novels by Sherryl Woods.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley star as Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen, three South Carolina women who have been best friends since childhood.
The series premiered on May 19, 2020. A 10-episode second season was ordered in July 2020 and premiered on February 4, 2022. A third season will premiere on July 20, 2023.
Contains examples of:
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Kyle is upset with his parents' divorce in the novels, but the series takes his angst up a notch, culminating in the car accident in the first season's finale.
- Adapted Out: In the novels, Annie has a life-threatening eating disorder, which forces Dana Sue to bring Ronnie back to Serenity. In the series, Annie doesn't have an eating disorder and Dana Sue seeks out Ronnie for financial reasons related to her restaurant.
- Affair? Blame the Bastard: Averted, as Maddie attempts to keep her relationship with Noreen amicable since Noreen's daughter will be a half-sibling to Maddie's children.
- Affectionate Nickname: Most of Katie's family members call her Katydid.
- Anchored Ship:
- Helen and Erik both have their own baggage when it came to them starting their relationship. Helen recently broke up with her on-and-off again boyfriend and would like to have a baby when her boyfriend did not. Erik was once married and lost his pregnant wife when bringing her to the hospital.
- Dana Sue struggles with trusting her estranged husband again after he had lied and cheated on her and there is a lot of hurt and unhappiness from both ends long before he cheated.
- Childhood Friends: Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue are all childhood friends.
- Cliffhanger:
- The first season ends with the women gathering at the scene of a serious car accident. While the car belongs to Ty and the women see an unconscious Kyle removed from the wreckage, the episode ends without revealing who else was in the car or their condition. The second season premiere reveals it was Nellie.
- The second season ends with several unanswered questions. Who is the woman from the Magnolias' past caught on video vandalizing Dana Sue's van? Will Helen accept Ryan's marriage proposal? What will happen to Cal, after losing his coaching job at the hands of Mary Vaughn and getting arrested?
- Daddy's Girl:
- Annie is close with her father and tends to get along better to him than her mother, continuing to stay in touch with him despite him being separated from Dana Sue.
- Katie adores Bill and out of his children, is the only one who doesn't have any conflict with him.
- Extremely Protective Child: Out of the children, Maddie's oldest son Ty is the most displeased with his father cheating and divorcing his mother.
- Famed In-Story: Cal was a former professional baseball player and people often approach him for pictures or an autograph.
- Feuding Families: Due to the Magnolias' efforts to recall the Mayor, Mary Vaughn Lewis forbids her kids from socializing with any of Maddie or Dana Sue's offspring. This is unfortunate timing for the budding relationships between Nellie and Kyle, as well as Jackson and Annie.
- First Love: Discussed as Ryan was Helen's first love since they were young. Over the years, they would frequently get together and break up and get back together.
- Foreshadowing:
- When discussing about family wanting to keep Miss Frances's house, Helen is quick to become heated and says she doesn't care what a certain Ryan thinks. A few episodes later, Ryan himself appears and it's revealed that he and Helen used to date.
- Erik was calm and quick to act when Dana Sue collapsed in the kitchen and it's noted he has lots of medical knowledge, though he denies it when asked about it. He used to be a EMT but quit after being unable to save his wife and suffered PTSD afterwards.
- Good Adultery, Bad Adultery:
- Bill cheated on Maddie with his coworker Doreen. He is seen as wrong because he not only lied about the affair but also got Doreen pregnant and is divorcing Maddie to marry Doreen as a way to make it "right" and has no problem bringing his mistress to many social events.
- Ronnie, Dana Sue's estranged husband, did cheat on her but is shown to have remorse over it and is genuinely trying to make amends with Dana Sue.
- Gossipy Hens: In general, many townsfolk of Serenity love to gossip and any news tends to spread quickly.
- Honorary Uncle: Maddie and Dana Sue's children all call Helen "Aunt Helen" who is also the godmother for the children.
- Hypocrite:
- Bill complained about how Maddie was flirting with the baseball coach in public despite being the one to bring his mistress to many social events.
- Dana Sue does not like it when Annie keeps secrets from her but Dana Sue didn't want to tell Annie when she started getting back together with Ronnie. Lampshaded by Annie after she catches the two of them sleeping together.
- In-Series Nickname:
- The three main protagonists are referred to as the Sweet Magnolias.
- Annie's full name is Annabelle but only her mother calls her.
- Tyler is frequently called "Ty".
- Innocently Insensitive: Doreen was only trying to start a conversation but asking about prenatal yoga classes to Maddie, the wife of the man who she cheated with and is now pregnant with his child, could have had a bit of more tact. Similarly, she wanted to involve Bill's children in her wedding as a way to include them but Ty was sidelined by the invite and felt it would be disrespectful to his mother who naturally wouldn't go.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Kyle develops an Odd Friendship with Doreen, the woman whom his husband was cheating on and had gotten pregnant.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Jackson, who is largely a Jerk Jock and Ty's rival through the first season, shows his more redeeming qualities, such as helping Annie with her church's vacation Bible school, through the second season. It works, as they are dating by the end of the season.
- Love Across Battlelines: Although forbidden by his mother to socialize with Annie, Jackson openly defies Mary Vaughn and promises Annie that he won't let their parents keep them apart.
- Love Triangle:
- Maddie and Bill are in the midst of getting divorced when Cal comes into the picture and becomes involved with Maddie.
- Dana Sue was involved with Jeremy when her estranged husband, whom Dana Sue still has strong feelings for, returns into the picture
- In the first season, between Maddie's sons, Ty and Kyle, and Dana Sue's daughter, Annie. In the second season, Kyle has moved on, but the triangle evolves to Annie, Ty, and Jackson.
- The second season finale takes the triangle between Helen, Ryan, and Erik to another level when Ryan unexpectedly proposes to Helen.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: It's revealed in the second season that Isaac's birth father is Bill, who didn't know he got Peggy Martin pregnant in high school.
- Mama Bear: Paula is not outspoken about it but she does send subtle hints to Bill that she did not like how he cheated on her daughter. When Ryan came back to Serenity initially planning to stop the spa renovations, Paula comes in hot and demands to know why Ryan wants to ruin her daughter's business.
- Middle Child Syndrome: Kyle often feels left out when it comes to his family. While his parents and siblings do care for him, Kyle feels his parents, especially their father, pay more attention to Ty.
- My Beloved Smother: Peggy Martin may be the face of the local newspaper, but it’s her influential mother who is clearly calling the shots behind the scenes.
- Not Wanting Kids Is Weird: The crux of the conflict in Helen and Ryan's relationship, since Helen wants kids while Ryan does not.
- Parental Favoritism:
- Kyle feels that his parents, especially his father, tend to ignore him, with Ty being the star baseball player and Katie being the adored baby sister.
- In a coach to team sense, Jackson and his parents have accused Cal of paying more attention to Ty because he is dating Ty's mother.
- Parental Substitute: Isaac sees Erik and Dana Sue as his parental figures, even hoping that they are his biological parents.
- Parents as People:
- Maddie and Bill love their children fiercely but their divorce and the ensuing drama causes friction for the children, particularly with Ty.
- Dana Sue wants her daughter to have the best life and avoid the mistakes she made when she was younger but often clashes with Annie due to differing opinions.
- Parent with New Paramour:
- Noreen struggles with trying to fit in with Bill's children. While she has success with Kyle and Katie, she has a harder time with Ty who dislikes how his father cheated on his mother.
- On the other side, Ty initially had difficulty accepting that his mother started dating Cal, not because he disliked Cal but because he was already dealing with gossip and slander about his father cheating on his mother but would now also have to deal with the ensuing gossip about his baseball coach dating his mother. Meanwhile Kyle and Katie have no problem with Cal.
- Plot-Inciting Infidelity: The series begins with Maddie and Bill in court for their divorce proceedings, brought upon by Bill cheating on Maddie with Noreen, a nurse at his practice.
- Primal Scene: Annie returns home to catch her parents having sex on the couch. Played for Drama since Dana Sue and Ronnie had been estranged and did not want to tell Annie that there was a possibility of them getting back together to avoid breaking her heart if it did not work out.
- Sexy Soaked Shirt: Cal gets one when trying to help Maddie with a leaking sink.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Dana Sue and Helen are quick to support Maddie in her new relationship with Cal.
- Maddie's mother also ships Maddie with Cal and often arranges for them to be alone together.
- Frances flat out tells her nephew Ryan to be honest about his feelings for Helen.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Maddie and Mary Vaughn have been at odds even when they were younger, particularly since both their sons have a chance to the star pitcher on the high school team. It escalates when Maddie starts spearheading a recall on Mary Vaughn's husband as the mayor.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: In the second season finale, Nellie meets up with Kyle to end their relationship, as her mother has forbidden her from socializing with Maddie or Dana Sue's families due to the recall.
- Sweet Home Alabama: Or Serenity, South Carolina, more precisely.
- Through His Stomach: Erik is an excellent baker and he has charmed and won over several people with it, especially with Helen.
- Tragic Stillbirth: Helen became unexpectedly pregnant after Ryan left town and was ecstatic but not too long after, she miscarriages and has to deal with the emotional fallout afterwards.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Maddie gives one to Bill after he shares that he is Isaac’s father.
- Unpleasant Parent Reveal: Looking for answers about Isaac's birth mother based on clues she left, Helen and Isaac visit Peggy Martin to search the newspaper archives. Peggy quickly deduces from the clues that Isaac is the son she gave up and is so upset that she bolts out of the room.
