Sweet Magnolias

Netflix

This week, we saw the return of Sweet Magnolias for season 5, one of Netflix’s sleeper hits, alongside a similar series like Virgin River. Sweet Magnolias may not top Virgin River’s Netflix-record 8 seasons, but it’s certainly trying to, and that would involve getting a season 6. Spoilers follow.

There was no double-renewal ahead of season 5, but that doesn’t mean season 6 won’t happen. With a #2 debut behind only Michael Jackson on Netflix’s top 10 list, it seems likely the low-budget series will keep going. And we already know what’s likely to come, given an interview with the Sweet Magnolias showrunner, Sheryl J. Anderson. Here’s what she told Deadline:

On a possible time jump in between seasons:

“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.”

It is also her “hope” that Annie Sullivan and Lily Song will be back “to be able to explore where both those young ladies are, if we get a Season 6.” She goes on to say that she’s leaving the doors open at the end of this cliffhanger season to see who returns for season 6. She also says that newly introduced characters would probably be given more time in season 6.

It’s not unusual for showrunners to give these kinds of interviews hyping up a future season that hasn’t been greenlit yet, indicating to both fans and Netflix that they have a clear idea of what’s to come, and obviously, Anderson has thought a lot of this through.

As for the release date? With 10 episodes a season, Sweet Magnolias isn’t exactly a blindingly fast production, but it certainly could be worse compared to its competition. Most of the gaps are around a year and a half, as shown:

• Season 1 to Season 2 – 20.5 months
• Season 2 to Season 3 – 17.5 months
• Season 3 to Season 4 – 18.5 months
• Season 4 to Season 5 – 16 months.

So, let’s say a year and a half from now. We’re talking a potential Sweet Magnolias season 6 release date somewhere around December or January. These gaps usually have the show rotating between winter and summer, and it's time for another winter run.

Sweet Magnolias has the benefit of being low-cost and widely watched, something Netflix loves more than anything, and it seems likely it will follow a similar trajectory to Virgin River, and it might just end when the showrunner thinks it should, rather than running into actual cancellation.

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