Sweet Magnolias is back!
On Friday, Netflix released a new trailer for the upcoming third season of the romantic drama series, which is set to premiere on July 20. Fans are in for a memorable ride as the trailer for the series — which is based on the eponymous novels by Sheryl Woods — teases “new relationships and new challenges” that are “good for the soul.”
The trailer starts with an opening shot of Serenity, North Carolina as Helen Decatur (Heather Headley) has a heart-to-heart conversation with her pals on the couch.
“This is the beauty of old friends,” she says tearfully as a scene of her laughing in a kitchen with Maddie Townsend ( JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) flashes on screen. “They meet me wherever I need you.”
“The three of us are forever,” Dana Sue gushes as Maddie finishes her sentence with: “And a day.”
Over a shot of her sitting with her head in her hands, Maddie narrates, “In a darkened land, there was a woman who was trying to do the right thing the best she could.”
The video then teases Cal Maddox (Justin Bruening) throwing punches as he’s led outside of a restaurant in handcuffs.
“I have never wanted to hurt anyone,” he tells Maddie. “But somehow I always do.”
“I’m trying to fix things, help people, make a difference,” Maddie says in a voiceover.
There might be a wedding in store for season three, too, as Helen reveals that her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ryan Wingate (Michael Shenefelt) has “asked me to marry him.” But dedication remains a problem in their relationship as she demands him to “commit.”
“I make a difference here,” Headley says passionately. “This is a side trip for you, but this is my home. I need you to commit too.”
It seems that Dana Sue may also be facing some life changes by moving on from Ronnie Sullivan (Brandon Quinn) and his indiscretions, as well as finding a way to use Miss Frances’ check to help the community without upending her family.
“Forgiving Ronnie for his mistakes means forgiving myself too. We’re still finding our footing, but we are back in the groove in all the important ways,” Dana Sue tells the rest of the trio who clink margarita glasses and exclaim, “Pour it out!”
Elsewhere in the trailer, Noreen Fitzgibbons ( Jamie Lynn Spears) wonders, “Why is it so hard to move on with my life? I let go of my past but it is hanging on to me.”
There’s also a potential love triangle between Helen, Ryan and Erik Whitley (Dion Johnstone).
“I care so deeply for Eric. Ryan’s been in my heart my entire life,” Helen confesses as Dana Sue quips, “I get it, it’s hard having two good men in your life.”
Despite the challenges thrown their way, friendship remains the utmost priority: “Throughout the season, the ladies tackle these problems — and all the complications they cause — with their trademark warmth, humor, and devotion to each other and those they love. And margaritas,” reads a logline for the series.
That is perhaps most clear by the end of the trailer, which concludes with each of the ladies reciting, “That’s how we get through one walk, one brunch, one conversation at a time.”
Besides Swisher, Elliott, Headley, Spears, Bruening, Quinn and Johnstone, the series also stars Chris Klein (Bill Townsend), Carson Rowland (Tyler Townsend), Logan Allen (Kyle Townsend), Chris Medlin (Isaac Downey) and Anneliese Judge (Annie Sullivan).
All 10 episodes of Sweet Magnolias season 3 will drop on Netflix July 20.
