{"id":46529,"date":"2025-09-13T15:55:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T15:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/reba-star-was-not-the-first-choice-for-sweet-magnolias\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:55:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T15:55:28","slug":"reba-star-was-not-the-first-choice-for-sweet-magnolias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/reba-star-was-not-the-first-choice-for-sweet-magnolias\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Reba&#8217; Star Was Not the First Choice for &#8216;Sweet Magnolias&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Former <em>Reba<\/em> star JoAnna Garcia Swisher is one of the leading lights of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/tags\/sweet-magnolias\/\"><em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em><\/a>, but the show almost went in a very different direction from the start.<\/p>\n<h3>Who Was Originally Cast in <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>?<\/h3>\n<p>Netflix <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/netflix-virgin-river-sweet-magnolias-tv-series\/\" target=\"_blank\">first announced<\/a> <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em> in September of 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Based on a beloved series of books by Sherryl Woods, the show originally announced Monica Potter in the starring role of Maddie Townsend, with Brooke Elliott playing Dana Sue Sullivan and Heather Headley playing Helen Decatur.<\/p>\n<p>The story follows the trio of lifelong friends as they navigate relationships, families\u00a0and careers in the fictional small town of Serenity, S.C.<\/p>\n<div class=\"branded-app-shortcode-inarticle\">\n<div class=\"logo-wrap\" rel=\"fwef\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In August of 2019, a Netflix spokesman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/joanna-garcia-swisher-sweet-magnolias-replaces-monica-potter-recasting-netflix\/\" target=\"_blank\">confirmed to the Wrap<\/a> that Potter would no longer headline the show, and Swisher\u00a0\u2014 who&#8217;s best known to country fans for her role as Cheyenne on <em>Reba<\/em> from 2001-2007\u00a0\u2014 was stepping in to take over the role of Maddie.<\/p>\n<p>The network did not clarify why Potter did not move forward in the role, but the chemistry between Swisher, Elliott and Headley has been electric over the course of <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>&#8216; first four seasons, helping to make the show into a major hit.<\/p>\n<h3>Will There Be a <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em> Season 5?<\/h3>\n<p>There will.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/tv\/news\/sweet-magnolias-renewed-for-season-5-by-netflix\/ar-AA1DtRD8?ocid=BingNewsSerp\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Deadline<\/em><\/a>\u00a0reported that Netflix had renewed <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em> for Season 5 on April 23, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement did not clarify whether the fifth season might be the show&#8217;s last.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>READ MORE:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/sweet-magnolias-season-5-fan-reactions\/\">Fans Rejoice After Netflix Renews <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em> for Season 5<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"branded-app-shortcode-inarticle\">\n<div class=\"logo-wrap\" rel=\"fwef\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquare.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tasteofcountry.png?w=100\" alt=\"Taste of Country logo\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>What Will Happen in Season 5 of <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>?<\/h3>\n<p><em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>\u00a0Season 5 will bring the biggest change to the show we&#8217;ve seen yet.<\/p>\n<p>The three friends have been inseparable through all of their triumphs and tragedies across the seasons. However, in Season 5, Maddie accepts the job offer of her dreams.<\/p>\n<p>That requires her to move to New York City, meaning the friends will be separated for the first time in their lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are thrilled to let the Magnolias take Manhattan,\u201d <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em> showrunner and Executive Producer Sheryl J. Anderson tells <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/tudum\/articles\/sweet-magnolias-season-5-cast-photos\" target=\"_blank\">Tudum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot only is this adventure huge fun, it\u2019s also an opportunity to explore the facets of their relationships in a new context. While it\u2019s crucial to have true friends in day-to-day life, it\u2019s priceless to have them supporting you when you leap out of your comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>When Will Season 5 of <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>\u00a0Start?<\/h3>\n<p>Netflix has not yet revealed the premiere date for <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em> Season 5. The upcoming season will feature 10 episodes.<\/p>\n<h3>Will Any of the Other Stars of <em>Reba<\/em> Appear on <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>?<\/h3>\n<p>Swisher has said that she would love to have both Reba McEntire and Steve Howey appear on <em>Sweet Magnolias<\/em>, but only if it makes sense to the story.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photogallery-wrapper blog-photogallery \">\n<h2 class=\"photogallery-title\">What Happened To the Cast of &#8216;Reba&#8217;?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"photogallery-description\">\n<p>See the cast of Reba McEntire&#8217;s TV show <em>Reba<\/em>, then and now with updates on where each of the primary actors ended up.<\/p>\n<div>2024 update: Several producers and at least two stars are <a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/reba-mcentire-new-tv-show-happys-place-cast-plot-date\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">teaming up<\/a> for a new NBC sitcom called <em>Happy&#8217;s Place<\/em> in 2024. McEntire is the star of the show.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"photogallery-credit\">Gallery Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/author\/billydukes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Billy Dukes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"photogallery-wrapper blog-photogallery \">\n<h2 class=\"photogallery-title\">Famous Actors Who Are Also Country Singers<\/h2>\n<div class=\"photogallery-description\">\n<p>Kevin Costner, Billy Bob Thornton and more top-name actors also have parallel careers in music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"photogallery-credit\">Gallery Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/author\/sterlingwit\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sterling Whitaker<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/rest\/carbon\/api\/scripts.js?mver=70&#038;gver=6&#038;bid=204&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Fbtloader.com%2Ftag%3Fo%3D5642230212591616%26upapi%3Dtrue&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.p-n.io%2Fpushly-sdk.min.js%3Fdomain_key%3DGbJ4PR9JZzdxdLXzJnfIG9ZgkXSFQNevIcIY&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Ftownsquare.media%2Fpublic%2Fresources%2Fjs%2Fpubcid.min.js&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Fplatform.twitter.com%2Fwidgets.js&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Fapis.google.com%2Fjs%2Fplatform.js&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Fconnect.facebook.net%2Fen_US%2Fsdk.js&#038;urls[]=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.pinterest.com%2Fjs%2Fpinit.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\" async defer data-osano=\"ESSENTIAL\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofcountry.com\/reba-star-joanna-garcia-swisher-sweet-magnolias\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Reba star JoAnna Garcia Swisher is one of the leading lights of\u00a0Sweet Magnolias, but the show almost went in a very different direction&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":46530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-country","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}