Netflix renews surprise hit drama for rare third season

Netflix has renewed Sweet Magnolias for a third season, a huge win considering the numerous cancellations that have taken place at the streaming firm recently. 

As reported by Variety, the romantic drama that is based on the novels of the same name by Sherryl Woods will return once again alongside showrunner and executive producers Sheryl J. Anderson. The second season was released on February 4th, 2022 before shooting to the top of Netflix's own ranking system for the week.

Sweet Magnolias revolves around three best friends (Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue) born and raised in Serenity, SC, a small southern town where everybody knows everybody and everybody knows everybody’s business. 

T3 has reached out to Netflix for comment.

"We’re thrilled to be embarking on our third season for Netflix, and we’re looking forward to returning to Serenity," said executive producer Dan Paulson in a statement given to Variety. 

Season two picks up with the trio discovering who is in the car at Prom Night before long-hidden secrets disrupt jobs, change lives, and shift the balance of power in Serenity. As a result, everyone is affected however the Sweet Magnolias continue to fight for what is right for themselves and the people they love -- even when those efforts come with a high price tag. 

With so many shows failing to receive a third season (sometimes even a second), clearly, Netflix is happy with Sweet Magnolias' performance. While Netflix keeps its figures to itself, we do know that the series earned 1.556 billion streaming minutes, according to Nielsen's weekly streaming rankings for February 7th to February 13th, 2022. 

This proved to be a lot better than Space Force, Pretty Smart and Raising Dion, which all suffered cancellations in the last month alone. As a result, over a dozen Netflix shows have been cancelled already in 2022, making Sweet Magnolias one of the rare exceptions at the minute. 

Sweet Magnolias stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, Heather Headley and Jamie Lynn Spears. The complete two seasons can be watched on Netflix now.