Netflix is giving a fourth season to its romantic drama “Sweet Magnolias,’ which appears to be a reliable hit for the streaming service.
Shot largely in Covington, the series has focused around best friends Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), and Helen (Heather Headley) as they juggle relationships, family, and careers in the fictional town of Serenity, South Carolina.
Netflix, in a press release, said over its first three seasons, “Sweet Magnolias” has been in the Global Top 10 for a collective 10 weeks. It landed at No. 1 among all original streaming programs when season 3 returned in July and held that a week later, according to Nielsen. In all, it spent five weeks in the Nielsen top 10 original streaming service shows.
Each season has 10 episodes and season four will be the same.
The series falls in Netflix’s self-described category of “comfort/lean back” light dramas along with shows like “Virgin River,” “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “Ginny & Georgia.”
Credit: COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Credit: COURTESY OF NETFLIX
When season four returns for production is largely dependent on when the current SAG-AFTRA actors strike ends. The strike is now past the three-month point and it’s unclear when producers will get back to the negotiating table after walking away last week.
Fans of “Sweet Magnolias” who visit Covington will recognize some key regular locations on the show. For instance, the show’s Sullivan’s Restaurant is an actual restaurant called Mystic Grill, a name that is tied to a previous show shot in the town, the CW’s “Vampire Diaries.” The Corner Spa’s exterior shots are a law office. Serenity’s clock tower building is the Newton County courthouse. And Maddie’s and Dana Sue’s homes are both in Covington as well.
Serenity High School is Henry County Middle School about 20 miles west of Covington in McDonough. And scenes at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church are shot at Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur.
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