‘Sweet Magnolias’ Renewed for Season 5 at Netflix

“Sweet Magnolias” will be returning for a fifth season, Netflix announced Wednesday. News of the pickup was tied to “World Book Day,” and came as part of a series of announcements that also included the greenlight for two new shows, “The Age of Innocence” and “Unaccustomed Earth,” in addition to the “Sweet Magnolias” renewal.

“Sweet Magnolias” is based on the book series by New York Times best-selling author Sherryl Woods. According to Netflix, which described the series as a “comfort drama,” the show “continuously ranks among Netflix’s Global Top 10 list in over 60 countries.”

“Sweet Magnolias” centers on the lifelong friendship between Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), and Helen (Heather Headley) “as they juggle relationships, family, and careers in the charming small town of Serenity, S.C.”

Back for Season 5 are showrunner/exec producer Sheryl J. Anderson (“Ties That Bind”), as well as exec producers Dan Paulson (“Chesapeake Shores”) and Matt Drake (“Chesapeake Shores”). Norman Buckley is co-showrunner. Paulson’s Daniel L. Paulson Productions shingle is producing.

The cast includes Swisher, Elliott and Headley, along with Jamie Lynn Spears, Justin Bruening, Carson Rowland, Logan Allen, Anneliese Judge, Brandon Quinn, Dion Johnstone and Chris Medlin.

Season 4 of “Sweet Magnolias,” which dropped on Feb. 5, followed besties Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen through the holidays — including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maddie and Cal (Justin Bruening) were married during Halloween, while Dana Sue and Robbie (Brandon Quinn) reconnected and Helen and Erik (Dion Johnstone) reconnected in the middle of a hurricane.

Also, tragedy struck with the passing of Bill (Chris Klein). Among other dramatic movements, Maddie’s son Ty (Carson Rowland) and Dana Sue’s daughter Annie (Anneliese Judge) developed a relationship — but they’re about to go their separate ways — while Maddie has been offered a job in New York.

As part of “World Book Day,” Netflix touted its impact on book sales thanks to its series adaptations. For example, thanks to Harlan Coben’s “Missing You” and “Just One Look,” Netflix reports that “according to BookStat, ‘Missing You’ saw a 213% increase in sales across online print sales, audiobooks and ebooks in the 30 days following the limited series’ release and ‘Just One Look’ saw a 111% increase in US sales for online print, audiobooks and ebooks in the 30 days after the series’ debut.”

Also, 30 days following the release of “Bridgerton” Season 3, Part 1, “Julia Quinn’s ‘Romancing Mr. Bridgerton’ saw a 302% increase in book sales, according to BookStat. The novel has consistently reappeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list following the release of Seasons 1, 2 and, most recently, Season 3, spending a total of eight weeks on the list.” And with the fifth and final season of “You,” following the Season 1 premiere in 2018, “the first book in the ‘You’ series by Caroline Kepnes saw a 584% increase in sales, according to BookStat.”

The Elin Hilderbrand novel “The Perfect Couple,” which inspired the Netflix series, jumped back onto the New York Times Best Seller list and the USA Today Best-selling Booklist after the trailer’s release, the streamer said, and following the series’ debut, “the audiobook jumped to No. 1 in suspense and No. 5 overall on Amazon best sellers.” Meanwhile, after “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” debuted at No. 1 on the Netflix Global Top 10 English TV list, Netflix reports that Holly Jackson’s novel returned to No. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list and still remains in the top 3.

“The impact of these adaptations can be so powerful that it not only captivates new audiences around the world, it also causes a resurgence in popularity for the original source material, with many books returning to bestseller lists many years after their initial release,” said Netflix drama VP Jinny Howe.