Another Year In Serenity! Sweet Magnolias Announces Season 5

With the way that Season 4 of Sweet Magnolias went down, fans had to have a pitcher of margs on standby — and we all definitely need to pour ~at least one~ out to reckon with where we left our favorite gals (and guys) in the not-so-sleepy Southern town of Serenity. Fortunately, we will get the chance to find out what happens, because Sweet Magnolias Season 5 is officially happening.

Did you miss the announcement? Yeah, it kind of flew under the radar, tbh. But on April 23, the Instagram account for the beloved series dropped the renewal news, saying, “Ready for another round? 🥂 SWEET MAGNOLIAS has been renewed for a fifth season! We can't wait to show you what we've all been up to.”

Sheryl Anderson, show runner, executive producer, and lead writer for the show, confirmed the news, captioning her own post, “Blessed and thrilled to be going back to Serenity with some of my favorite people in the world. We will work hard but joyously to bring you another season to fill your hearts and lift your spirits. Feel free to pour it out in the meantime!”

And, of course, you know we were also going to hear it from our girl JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who plays one-third of the trio that comprises the beating heart of Serenity (with the other two-thirds being Brooke Elliott’s Dana Sue and Heather Headley’s Helen).

Sharing a string of behind-the-scenes photos, she wrote, “I love these people and nothing makes me happier to be getting to do another season of @sweetmagnoliasnetflix!! Season 5 is officially coming your way! Wherever we go The Magnolias will find the magic, mirth, and margaritas! Thanks to @netflix and all of YOU for allowing us to continue telling our story!”

Tellingly, Swisher added a Statue of Liberty emoji to the end of her caption, nodding to a major development in Maddie’s life revealed in Season 4. So, with all of that said, let’s get into what we know so far, what we definitely don’t, and what we’re hoping to see when we return to Serenity for another season.

Will everyone in the cast return?

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

The only solid detail released about the next season so far is that the show will be returning. However, we do know that at least one character won’t be returning — at least not in the same capacity.

One of Season 4’s big emotional bombs revolved around Maddie’s sometimes problematic, but trying-pretty-hard-lately, ex-husband Bill (Chris Klein). Bill hadn’t been around as much since moving to Texas to be closer to his parents, but he would presumably continue to be a part of future seasons. That is, until we find out early in Season 4 that he died suddenly. It’s a lot for the entire town to process, especially Maddie and Bill’s kids, Ty (Carson Rowland), Kyle (Logan Allen), and Katie (Ella Grace Helton).

Of course, there’s also Noreen (Jamie Lynn Spears), with whom Bill had an affair during his marriage to Maddie — the result of which was another daughter, Rebecca — and Isaac (Chris Medlin), the son Bill didn’t even realize he had until sometime in Season 2.

It is possible, though, that Bill could return in flashbacks. After all, Anderson told Tudum that “We absolutely love Chris.”

Outside of the absence of that character, we’re probably safe to expect all of the regular characters to return.

When might Season 5 release?

Oof, hard to say. The shortest time between seasons was 18 months between Seasons 2 and 3. The average is closer to two years. Two of the seasons (2 and 4) have debuted in February, so if the show stays on track, that could mean a February 2027 release date.

However, the way Netflix phrased their announcement, teasing “We can’t wait to show you what we’ve all been up to,” seems to hint that maybe production of some sort is already underway. Maybe that could shorten the timeframe a bit? Regardless, we’re probably looking at a minimum year-and-a-half wait.

What will Season 5 be about?

Let’s be real: We know one huge storyline will have to be what happens to the Magnolias when one of them moves away! In Season 4, Maddie got an incredible opportunity to pursue a dream publishing job. The hitch? It’s in New York City.

Following some hurt feelings about the secrecy surrounding Maddie’s surprise wedding to Cal (Justin Bruening), it seems for a second as though the news about moving could be a real breaking point for Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue. Happily, the season ends on a supportive note. But will their friendships be able to last once Maddie’s so far away?

Ahead of the Season 5 renewal, Anderson told Tudum, “The reason we even raised the question here at the end of Season 4 was because we feel so many women are confronted with, ‘Am I allowed to put myself first this one time?’ And how complicated it is for somebody like Maddie, with a new marriage, with kids still in the house, with dear, dear friends that you have seen every day your entire life. She’s so deeply woven into the community. Does that mean she has to say no to a dream?”

It’s definitely a relatable question to explore.

On the plus side, Dana Sue and Helen are both in really good places with their partners — Dana Sue and Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) renewed their vows recently, and Helen and Chef Erik (Dion Johnstone) FINALLY found their way back to each other and got engaged (!). So, maybe they’ll be able to frequently visit Maddie in New York. The trio in the Big Apple? Would love to see it.

One thing fans certainly seem to want to see more of is Tyannie, aka the “ship” name given to Maddie’s oldest son, Ty, and Dana Sue’s daughter Annie (Anneliese Judge). After a lot of back and forth, the young couple declared their feelings for each other and started a dreamy romance. However, Annie’s headed to college in California and Ty’s off to tour Europe with his band. And we all know young love has crashed and burned over much less, right?

Guess we’ll have to wait for Season 5 to see how it all pans out.