Sweet Magnolias Season 5 Review: Good Background Watch, But Not Much Else

Sweet Magnolias has returned for Season 5 with the same comfort vibes, a new location (though don’t worry, you won’t be in New York for long), and our three leading ladies navigating some long-overdue issues, both romantic and not. In that regard, the show delivers for its three protagonists, particularly for Maddie and Helen, who get not just the good romances but the good secondary storylines. The same cannot always be said of Dana Sue.

My issues with Dana Sue are twofold. She has the worst romance out of the main three, not just because the cheating trope is the absolute worst, but also because the show never really dealt with it properly—as the cliffhanger of this season proves. But there’s also the fact that Dana Sue’s secondary storylines always seem to be way less happy and comforting than Maddie’s or Helen’s.

The friendship, however, continues to be top-tier. If Sweet Magnolias knows how to do something, is deliver on the connection between these three women, who you always 100% believe are each other’s not just best friends, but almost sisters. In some ways, the show has built almost as good a rapport between Cal and Eric. The problem is, oh yeah, Ronnie. Well, part of the problem, at least.

Yes, Sweet Magnolias is Still a Good Comfort Watch

If you came here for a show that you can watch in the background and enjoy without having to worry too much that things will go horribly wrong, Sweet Magnolias is still the perfect escape. The New York experiment lasts 0.2 seconds, but Maddie comes out of it somehow better for it, and her relationship with Cal is a delight to watch this season. Talk about winning all the supportive husband awards, Cal Maddox.

But as fun as knowing this isn’t the kind of show that will deliver a surprising death or that will truly rip your heart out, five seasons in, it might be good if Sweet Magnolias took a chance or two. And coming back to Serenity isn’t truly that. Perhaps that’s what they’re trying to do with Annie and Ty, but even that feels more like them just playing the cards they were dealt than a decision.

Did I hate Season 5? Absolutely not. I enjoyed it in the same way you enjoy watching a show you’ve already watched five times before, one that won’t surprise you but that can still make you feel a little warm and fuzzy. But is that really what the show wants to be?

But Sweet Magnolias is Also Very Slow

The show is what it is, and a small-town romance show, or one based on a series of small-town romances, was never going to be a mystery thriller, much less give us frantic storytelling. But sometimes it feels like Sweet Magnolias is taking the whole comfort-watch thing too seriously.

Maddie’s storyline was about New York for 0.2 seconds, and then we spent the rest of the season trying to figure out what she wanted. Helen’s storyline was mostly about her wedding and about Erik’s issues. Cal was just a background perfect husband this season, which is kinda great but also…you should also be sending a message or fifty to Ty, father of the year.

And again, Dana Sue and Ronnie were just… underwhelming this season, as a couple and as separate people. Ronnie keeps walking into bad situations with his eyes wide open and then seems somehow surprised that things don’t work out for him, and Dana Sue has just never trusted him, so it’s been really hard to truly root for their romance when that much is clear.

Of course, now the problem is that the show set up a couple of things, especially for Dana Sue’s family, that can only be solved with another season. Will we get at least one more?

Where in the World is Ty?

The absence of Carson Rowland’s Ty is like adding insult to injury, considering how the last season ended for Annie and Ty and how much the show has set them up as an endgame couple. It was hard to invest in any other connection for Annie, not just because we’re already too deep in with Ty, but also because we fully expected him to show up. And though this might be better than what happens in their book, that doesn’t mean it’s good!

Don’t Google their book. Trust me, you don’t want to know.

Rowland’s absence can be somewhat explained for Season 5, but if this show gets a Season 6, there’s no way to do what comes next—or to end this story properly—without Ty. Hopefully, Sweet Magnolias knows this. Because right now, about 90% of the reason why I even want more is to see how they fix this mess they didn’t even need to create.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Sweet Magnolias Season 5? Share with us in the comments below!

Sweet Magnolias Season 5 is now available to stream on Netflix.