Netflix cancels Atlanta-produced ‘Sweet Magnolias’ after five seasons
Margarita nights are over.
Metro Atlanta has lost another long-running series: Netflix’s lighthearted drama “Sweet Magnolias” has been canceled after five seasons.
The series starred three best friends played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley in the small fictional town of Serenity where their weekly margarita nights became a signature of the show. Covington was the town square for Serenity while interiors were shot on soundstages in Decatur.
The news of the show’s cancellation came out on the official “Sweet Magnolias” Instagram page and creator Sheryl J. Anderson’s social media.
“Living in Serenity for five seasons has been a privilege and a blessing,” Anderson wrote on Instagram. “The people I’ve met and worked with — our incredible writers, cast, crew, executives, and producers — have touched my heart and changed my life. And our fans have been amazing in their passion for our characters. Thank you all. Though our journey has sadly come to an end, I hope Serenity will always have a place in your heart. Keep pouring it out!”
Netflix in the past couple of years has ended two major series shot out of metro Atlanta: “Cobra Kai” and “Stranger Things.” But the streaming service has not abandoned the area. A reboot of “A Different World” debuts Thursday, Season 2 of Bert Kreischer’s “Free Bert” is in the can and a new scripted series “Scooby Doo: Origins” just wrapped.
Season 5 of “Sweet Magnolias” filmed during the spring and summer of 2025 and debuted June 11.
In its opening week, the show brought in 2.8 million views, ranking No. 4 on Netflix’s Weekly Top 10 for English series. But that was 30% fewer than Season 3’s premiere week, according to a story in Deadline earlier in the summer.
“It’s disappointing, but when they didn’t open a writers room after Season 5, that was a telltale sign it was going to end,” said Alpha Trivette, an Atlanta-based actor who played Neville Wharton, a local restaurateur in Serenity.
“Sweet Magnolias,” based on novels written by Sheryl Woods, was a show focused on sweetness and love, where people acted more often with warmth than bile.
“It was one of the most comfortable sets I’ve ever been on,” Trivette said. “Everyone from the actors to the crew were as genuine as you’d see in Serenity itself. They reflected the small-town atmosphere that Serenity portrayed.”
The show caught on in 2020, capturing a cozy, feel-good milieu during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution visited the set near the end of taping Season 5 in Decatur in September of 2025, and the actors were aware this might be the final season.
“I notice the amount of people we affect and have come up to us and tell us how much the show means to them and their family,” Elliott said. “It’s so important and heartwarming. This show has always been based on love and kindness and forgiveness. I think people want to receive that and give that.”
Anderson said she loved working in Atlanta. “Just the depth of actors and crew here is undeniable,” she said. “I’ve always said we’re a show about community made by a community. It makes a difference.”
Netflix is not known for greenlighting a lof of seasons for most of its scripted series. Only a handful have even made it to Season 6, like “Orange is the New Black,” “Grace and Frankie” and “The Crown.”
The streaming service’s current longest-running scripted series is “Virgin River,” a romantic drama, which has aired seven seasons and has been renewed for an eighth.