SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Season 5 of Netflix‘s Sweet Magnolias.
Season 5 of Netflix’s South Carolina drama Sweet Magnolias revealed a surprise exit: Tyler “Ty” Townsend was completely MIA as original cast member Carson Rowland, who portrays him, quietly left the show after Season 4. Read all about his departure, how Ty was still part of Season 5 and whether he may return in Season 6 here.
Who Else May Be Leaving?
Two of Sweet Magnolias teens, Annie (Anneliese Judge) and Kyle’s (Logan Allen) girlfriend Lily (Artemis), graduated high school in Season 5, with Annie headed to California to study photography, while Lily by the end of the season was planning to pursue costume design.
The Season 5 finale took place during the summer post-graduation. Deadline asked Sweet Magnolias developer and showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson whether there will be a time jump between Seasons 5 and 6 and what will be happening with Annie and Lily. (Sweet Magnolias has not been renewed for a sixth season yet as Netflix is expected to wait and see how Season 5 performs before making a decision.)
“That’s our cliffhanger, right?,” she said. “The season actually starts in the spring, and we’re only halfway through the summer in this season, so there’s an opportunity to come back at various points in the timeline, but summer’s not over, which is why we have open questions about who’s going to do what by the actual end of summer.”
While Rowland has been MIA this season, other actors whose characters, like Rowland’s Ty, had previously graduated from high school, have been dropping in occasionally, including Harlan Drum whose CeCe is now part of the Mini Magnolias, and Al-Jaleel Knox as Ty’s former baseball teammate and CeCe’s boyfriend Gabe, who is eyeing a larger presence in Season 6 as part of the staff for a new professional baseball team that is coming to Serenity with Cal (Justin Bruening) as manager.
Will Judge and Artemis too be back in some shape or form next season?
“It would certainly be my hope to be able to explore where both those young ladies are, if we get a Season 6,” Anderson said.
Aidan Merwath in episode 503 of ‘Sweet Magnolias’
More Noah & Olivia?
While mourning the end of her relationship with Ty, Annie embarked on a love triangle with the laid-back Blake (Austin Woods) and nature enthusiast Noah (Aidan Merwarth). After a casual fling with Blake, Annie settled on Noah and, by the season finale, the two are a couple — knowing full well that their paths will be taking them in different directions in the fall. Will we see more of their love story before that happens next season?
“The summer is not over, and as we like to say, we leave all the doors open at the end of the season, and we’ll see who comes back,” Anderson said.
While Ty stayed away, his bandmate Olivia (Tommi Rose) left him in Europe and came back to Serenity where she got integrated into the Mini Magnolias alongside Annie, CeCe and Lily. Will she be staying home for awhile?
“We’ll have to see because she hasn’t given up on music, she just didn’t want to stay in Europe with Ty.”
(L to R) Brooke Elliott, Brittany L. Smith, Heather Headley and JoAnna Garcia Swisher in episode 508 of ‘Sweet Magnolias’
Who Could Be Promoted?
Sweet Magnolias has not added a series regular to the cast since Season 3 when Chris Medlin, who plays Isaac, was upped from recurring. Would the show promote someone to a regular next season, for example Evan Cleaver, introduced this season as Javi, Cal’s former baseball teammate and now partner at the new baseball team he is managing.
“We introduced a couple of interesting people this season that we would like to see more of,” Anderson said cryptically without elaborating further.
In addition to Javi, that includes Clark (John Gabriel Rodriquez), a rival business owner in Serenity and a high school foe/potential romantic interest for Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) as he partners with the Magnolias on a new venture.
Additionally, Isaac’s boyfriend Michael (Kyle Findley) is becoming a permanent resident of Serenity, as revealed in the Season 5 finale, and Mayor Peggy’s (Brittany L. Smith) prominence has been growing, so there are a lot of choices for promotions.
“I don’t want to make anybody in business affairs nervous, but sure,” Anderson said about the prospects of elevating one of the show’s recurring players.
