Sweet Magnolias fans got some bad news this week, and some good news right behind it. Netflix has canceled the drama after five seasons, but the cancellation comes bundled with a new series from the same creative team behind it. Here’s why the show ended and what’s replacing it.
Why was ‘Sweet Magnolias’ canceled?
Sweet Magnolias, starring JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley, wrapped its fifth season with 2.8 million views in its opening week, a 30% decline from Season 4’s premiere-week viewership, per Deadline. According to Deadline, Netflix did not commission a Season 6 writers room ahead of time as it typically does for established shows, and ultimately weighed renewing the series for a sixth season against greenlighting a new project from the show’s team, choosing the latter. The options on the Sweet Magnolias cast were allowed to expire the same night that new series was picked up, with the cancellation following the next day.
Following the news, the show’s writers shared a message to fans on its Instagram page: “All grand adventures must eventually end. And here, dear friends, is where ours goes. Sweet Magnolias is now complete with five seasons streaming on Netflix.”
What is replacing ‘Sweet Magnolias’ at Netflix?
Netflix has greenlit Ladies of the House, a new drama series from Sweet Magnolias executive producer and showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson, with Garcia Swisher set to executive produce and star. The new series, based on Lauren Edmondson’s novel of the same name, follows three women at the center of a family winery. Per Netflix’s Tudum: “When its charismatic owner dies unexpectedly, his wife and two adult daughters must battle through their issues with each other in order to confront challenges with the business, their extended family, and the men in their lives. Good friends and good wine will aid in the journey to hang on to the winery, but what matters most is that they find a way to hang on to each other.”
Anderson will serve as showrunner and executive producer, reuniting with Garcia Swisher, who executive produces alongside Kate Gordon under their Rolling Clover banner. Black Label Media, the company behind La La Land and Sicario, also executive produces.
Anderson told Netflix, “When Jo shared the novel with me, I immediately saw the foundation for a series centered on three women grappling with the complexities of family, friendship, and romance — the kind of stories Jo and I most enjoy telling. I cannot wait to share the Richardson women and their world with Netflix’s global audience.”
Garcia Swisher told Netflix, “From the moment I read Lauren Edmondson’s Ladies of the House, I fell completely in love with Daisy, Cricket, and Wallis: their relationships, their messiness, their strength, and most of all, their heart. I am beyond excited to continue to tell meaningful, female-driven stories alongside the incredible Sheryl Anderson, and to bring this to life through our production company, Rolling Clover, and with our wonderful partners at Black Label. Netflix has been my creative home for the past seven years, and I couldn’t imagine a better place, or a better team, to tell this story.”
Featured image photo credit: Netflix
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