Hit Netflix show Sweet Magnolias sees a 30% viewership drop with its season 5 premiere, with a season 6 renewal not yet confirmed.
Based on the series of romance novels by Sherryl Woods, Sweet Magnolias stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley as a group of women helping each other navigate life, love, and loss in South Carolina.
Per Deadline, the Sweet Magnolias season 5 premiere drew 2.8 million views, placing it at #4 on the Netflix Weekly Top 10 list for English shows, which should do a lot to help the show secure a renewal. However, this represents a 30% drop in premiere week viewership compared to season 3’s premiere, which brought four million views.
While it is unclear exactly what the cause of this drop might be, it is not a new phenomenon for Netflix. Several of the streamer’s successful shows experienced first week drop-offs with their new seasons, including season 2 of hit ensemble comedy The Four Seasons. The subject matter definitely weighs in Sweet Magnolias’ favor, with romantic shows typically seeing lower drop-offs compared to other genres.
However, this could have long-term repercussions for the future of Sweet Magnolias. To date, there has been no official Sweet Magnolias season 6 renewal, and Netflix is seemingly taking a ‘wait and see’ approach. If this is the case, a premiere week drop off is less than ideal for the show’s chances of a return.
Having said this, it is possible Sweet Magnolias season 5 can recover, and post strong enough viewership figures across the season that it warrants a renewal. As one of the most popular and successful Netflix adaptations, it makes sense for the streaming giants to want to keep the show around for as long as possible, and provided there is continued interest, there’s every reason to bring the show back again.
The fact that Netflix has renewed shows with bigger declines also bodes well for Sweet Magnolias. And, provided season 5 can end in a satisfactory way, while setting up more storytelling opportunities for season 6, a renewal would be a logical next step.
With Ty actor Carson Rowland departing the show before the season 5 premiere, this created a casting shake-up, and allowed the show to move in a new direction. This could work well for season 6, with more potential departures, or, even, replacements possibly planned, as a way of keeping things fresh and exciting.
Catch Sweet Magnolias season 5 right now, exclusively on Netflix.
Sweet Magnolias
6/10
- Release Date
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May 19, 2020
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Sheryl J. Anderson
- Directors
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Norman Buckley, Mary Lou Belli, Lauren Petzke, Christine Swanson, Kelli Williams, Laura Nisbet Peters, Mykelti Williamson, Yangzom Brauen, Joy T. Lane, JoAnna García Swisher
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Brooke Elliott
Dana Sue Sullivan
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JoAnna García Swisher
Maddie Townsend