Netflix has officially ordered Sweet Magnolias season 3, and the next chapter of the popular drama series will soon premiere on the streaming service. The second season of the southern romance drama series dropped on February 4, 2022, and the Sweet Magnolias season 2 cast saw JoAnna Garcia Swisher return as Maddie Townsend, Heather Headley as Helen Decatur, and Brooke Elliott reprise the role of Dana Sue Sullivan. Since the finale ended with many questions left unanswered, no doubt many viewers are wondering what to expect and when to see Sweet Magnolias season 3.

Set in South Carolina, Netflix's Sweet Magnolias is based on the Sweet Magnolias novels by Sherryl Woods. The Netflix series focuses on the lives of these three lifelong friends living in Serenity, South Carolina. While season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger, Sweet Magnolias season 2 instead offers several individual twists for multiple characters — setting up exciting stories for Sweet Magnolias season 3. Sweet Magnolias fans had to wait two years to find out who was in the car with Kyle in the season 1 finale. Luckily, history isn't repeating itself and audiences only have to wait a little over a year for Sweet Magnolias season 3.

Related: 8 Shows To Stream If You Liked Netflix's Sweet Magnolias

The Latest Sweet Magnolias Season 3 News

Sweet Magnolias Three Best Friends

The latest Sweet Magnolias season 3 news sees the next chapter of Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue's respective stories get a premiere date. The Sweet Magnolias season 3 release date is fast approaching, with Netflix promising to debut the third installment on July 20th, 2023. The streaming giant will follow the trend of releasing the entire season in one go, rather than trickling out episodes one by one. This means that all 10 of Sweet Magnolias season 3's one-hour-long episodes will be available on July 20th.

Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Release Date

The cast of Sweet Magnolias hugs each other

Sweet Magnolias season 3 is confirmed, and the upcoming installment finally has a release date. Sweet Magnolias season 3 will debut on Netflix on Thursday, July 20th, 2023, giving audiences the entire weekend to binge all 10 one-hour-long episodes. Netflix announced the official release date back in May (via Deadline) and released some first-look photos to go along with the news. Viewers didn't have to wait long for Sweet Magnolias season 3 to be confirmed by the streaming giant, as Netflix officially renewed the TV show in May of 2022, just two months after the season 2 premiere.

Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Cast

Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen linking arms

Many of the Sweet Magnolias cast will be reprising their roles for season 3, save for one. The Sweet Magnolias season 3 cast will see the three main leads, JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Reba) as Maddie Townsend, Heather Headley (The Lion King) as Helen Decatur, and Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva) as Dana Sue Sullivan, returning to their respective roles. In addition, Chris Klein (American Pie) will reprise the role of Maddie's deadbeat ex-husband Bill, as will the actors who play their three children, Logan Allen's (Bernie the Dolphin) baseball star Kyle, Carson Rowland's (Pretty Little Liars) theater-loving Ty, and Bianca Berry Tarantino's (Swamp Thing) Katie.

Anneliese Judge (Where's Rose) returns to the Sweet Magnolias season 3 cast as Dana Sue's daughter Annie, and the same goes for Justin Bruening's (Grey's Anatomy) Cal Maddox, Kyle's ex-baseball coach and Maddie's love interest. Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101) will once again play Bill's mistress Noreen, and despite the mystery of Isaac's parentage being solved, there's sure to be more unfolding drama as Chris Medlin (Diana) plays Isaac yet again. Finally, Dana Sue's sous chef Erik returns, played by Dion Johnstone (The Tempest). Unfortunately, Cindy Karr won't be a part of the Sweet Magnolias season 3 cast as Miss Frances because her character passed away in season 2.

What Sweet Magnolias Season 3's Story Could Be About

Helen clapping in Sweet Magnolias

Undoubtedly the Sweet Magnolias season 3 story will feature drama, hidden secrets, and more romance. Viewers will hopefully find out the identity of who owns the Instagram account, Serenity Secrets, and of the new mysterious character that comes into play in the final episode of season 2. New relationships will be explored, more secrets will be revealed, and the main characters will have to face those repercussions in Sweet Magnolias season 3. For starters, Maddie will have to figure out what to do with Cal's anger issues after getting arrested for a fight at Sullivan's and losing his job.

Helen, fresh from the grief of a miscarriage, is torn between Sweet Magnolias' best romances as she is forced to choose between Erik and her ex Ryan when he suddenly proposes in the season 2 finale. Meanwhile, Dana Sue and her husband Ronnie have officially reconciled, but she'll receive an unexpected check at some point in the Sweet Magnolias season 3 story, which causes her to question how to best help Serenity while keeping her fragile family intact. There are other revelations to be explored, such as Bill being Isaac's father and the impact of Frances' death. Regardless, Sweet Magnolias season 3 looks to amp up the drama tenfold.

Sweet Magnolias Season 3 Trailer

Carson Rowland As Tyler Townsend in Sweet Magnolias

The Sweet Magnolias season 3 trailer dropped just a few weeks shy of the release date, teasing a few of the storylines that are to come for the upcoming installment. The trailer first and foremost highlights the ultimate theme of the show: friendship. While romances, careers, and the lives of their children drive the narrative, Sweet Magnolias season 3 still touts the friendship between Helen, Maddie, and Dana Sue with the utmost importance. Though the trailer reveals few secrets about the Sweet Magnolias season 3 story, it does give viewers a first look at where the characters are when the next chapter of the story kicks off.

The Sweet Magnolias season 3 trailer starts with an undying declaration of friendship between the three protagonists, before launching into the struggles they'll be facing. Cal and Maddie reunite after his arrest, with the former telling the latter that he doesn't mean to hurt people, but it always ends up happening. The scene then moves to Helen, struggling between choosing Ryan and Erik, she tells Ryan he must commit to staying in Serenity for things to work between them. Dana Sue and Ronnie seem to be getting along swimmingly, but the mysterious character from the Steel Magnolias season 2 finale has some connection to Dana Sue, and it looks to be detrimental at best.