Netflix hit ‘Sweet Magnolias,’ shot in Georgia, gets a second season

SWEET MAGNOLIAS (L TO R) BROOKE ELLIOTT as DANA SUE, CINDY KARR as FRANCES WINGATE, HEATHER HEADLEY as HELEN DECATUR, and JOANNA GARCIA SWISHER as MADDIE TOWNSEND in episode 105 of SWEET MAGNOLIAS Cr.

Credit: ELIZA MORSE/NETFLIX

Credit: ELIZA MORSE/NETFLIX

SWEET MAGNOLIAS (L TO R) BROOKE ELLIOTT as DANA SUE, CINDY KARR as FRANCES WINGATE, HEATHER HEADLEY as HELEN DECATUR, and JOANNA GARCIA SWISHER as MADDIE TOWNSEND in episode 105 of SWEET MAGNOLIAS Cr.

Netflix hit “Sweet Magnolias,” a charming drama featuring three women who are lifelong friends in a small town and shot in metro Atlanta, is getting a second season.

The series, which debuted in May, remained in the top 10 of the streaming service’s most popular programs for weeks, a surprise hit out of the gate.

“I figure we’d be a slow build, word-of-mouth kind of show,” said executive producer Sheryl Anderson, who was also the showrunner, to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in June. “But we resonated with people right off the bat. It’s been a major blessing. Somebody called us comfort food.”

>>RELATED: A deep dive into “Sweet Magnolias” and why it hit the mark

The city of Covington is used extensively for the fictional South Carolina town of Serenity while the sound stages are in Decatur. Several of the secondary characters were local actors.

During the 10-episode first season, recent divorcée Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), restaurateur Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), and attorney Helen (Heather Headley) juggle relationships, family and careers in what some would consider a play for the Hallmark Channel audience. Of course, there’s a cliffhanger at the end of the 10th episode.