We were joined on the Poptenative show by JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Reba) to discuss the upcoming fourth season of the Netflix drama series, Sweet Magnolias, premiering on the streaming platform February 6. Season 4 will take audiences from Halloween to Christmas in the charming town of Serenity as Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen face the twists and turns of their romantic lives as well as their family lives at home.
“In this season, not to get too crazy, but a lot happens. At the end of every episode there’s a jaw-dropping moment, for better or for worse,” hints JoAnna about what to expect from the new season.
Season 4’s key cast also includes Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva), Heather Headley (Respect), Logan Allen (Stranger Things), Anneliese Judge (Where’s Rose), Carson Rowland (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin), Dion Johnstone (Star Falls), Brandon Quinn (The Fosters), Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101), Chris Medlin (Pass the Light), and Justin Bruening (Grey’s Anatomy).
In addition to returning as Maddie, JoAnna steps into a new role as she directed episode 7 in Season 4 which altered how she prepared for filming. She explains, “I don’t like to get too ahead of myself, especially because we shoot 2 episodes at a time generally. I like to take things as it comes and just kind of feel it as it unfolds. But this time, I had to read [all the scripts] to start with because I was directing and it was such a different experience.”
On what makes the series such a hit, JoAnna says, “We’re not trying to do anything more than [just give] you a slice of life. I think there’s something really comforting about that, at least for me as an actor being on the show, as a human working on the show for as long as I have. We’ve all experienced so many things personally. There’s just a lot of warmth and heart surrounding it.”
Watch the full conversation with JoAnna Garcia Swisher below.
Season 4 of Sweet Magnolias will debut with all 10 episodes on Netflix on February 6.
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