‘Sweet Magnolias’: 6 Questions We Need Answered in Season 2

Netflix is headed back to Serenity, y’all. Sweet Magnolias, the hit series about a trio of best friends in a small Southern town, returns for a second season on Feb. 4.

Fans have been waiting nearly two years to find out what’s next for the ladies of Serenity after season 1’s massive cliffhanger ending. But that shocking prom night car crash isn’t the only unresolved issue heading into the new season. Here are six big questions Sweet Magnolias needs to answer in season 2. 

Is Noreen coming back to Serenity? 

Bill (Chris Klein) may have left his wife Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) for Noreen (Jamie Lynn Spears), but his lingering feelings for his ex and his inability to fully commit to his girlfriend were major problems in their relationship. Eventually, a very pregnant Noreen finally kicked him to the curb, deciding to move back home after she realized he was never going to put her or their child first. 

When Sweet Magnolias Season 1 ended, it seemed like there was a chance Noreen could be gone for good. But then Netflix upped Spears to a series regular for season 2, guaranteeing we hadn’t seen the last of her character. In a teaser for the new episodes, Noreen appears with her baby. In season 2, she and Bill will likely have to decide how to move forward with their relationship now that they’re parents. 

Is Maddie going to take Bill back? 

Speaking of Bill, he threw Maddie (and viewers) for a loop when he asked her to take him back in the season 1 finale. She’d spent season 1 processing the end of her marriage and then starting a new relationship with her son’s hunky baseball coach Cal (Justin Bruening). But she was still mourning the loss of what she’d once had with Bill. And it was clear the divorce had been hard on their three children, Tyler (Carson Rowland), Kyle (Logan Allen), and Katie (Biana Berry Tarantino).

With one – and possibly two – of their kids injured in that season-ending car crash, could Maddie have a change of heart and reunite with her ex? It seems unlikely, especially given the way she and Cal are getting cozy in the season 2 trailer, but anything is possible. 

Will Dana Sue get back together with Ronnie? 

Maddie isn’t the only one of the Sweet Magnolias who is thinking about her future with an ex.  Dana Sue’s (Brooke Elliott) estranged husband Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) was out of the picture for most of season 1. And when he did show up, she bluntly told him she wanted a divorce. But based on the trailer – and the news that Quinn is now a series regular – it looks like Ronnie is back in a major way in season 2. Farmer Jeremy (Chase Anderson) might have caught Dana Sue’s eye, but fans shouldn’t count Ronnie out just yet. 

Will Helen have a baby?

Poor Helen (Heather Headley). By the time the credits rolled on Sweet Magnolias Season 1, she’d finally ended things with her on-again, off-again love Ryan (Michael Shenefelt). She wanted a baby. He didn’t, telling her he thought it was “irresponsible to bring another child into a world that cannot support the people that are already here.” 

Helen seems prepared to take steps to become a mother on her own. But her fertility journey might be rough. The trailer shows Maddie and Dana Sue comforting a tearful Helen. Perhaps she’s upset over a failed IVF attempt? But there’s also the promise of romance for Helen, with the trailer hinting that Helen and chef Erik’s (Dion Johnstone) relationship heats up in a big way.

Who is Isaac’s mother?

Isaac (Chris Medlin) who works in the kitchen at Dana Sue’s restaurant, moved to Serenity in Sweet Magnolias Season 1 in an attempt to track down his birth parents. So far, he hasn’t succeeded, though in the finale he asked Dana Sue point-blank if she was his mom. Viewers didn’t see her answer to Isaac’s question, but she did spend some time away from Serenity in high school. An unplanned pregnancy could have been the reason. 

While the woman Isaac is looking for might have been right in front of him all along, that seems a little too obvious. Another candidate is Peggy (Brittany Smith), a nosy reporter who’s had a long-standing rivalry with Helen. When Peggy’s year-long absence from Serenity as a teen came up, she seemed reluctant to talk about it. And she’s hinted at a troubled past with Helen’s ex Ryan. If Peggy is Isaac’s mother – and “I don’t want to be a dad” Ryan is the father – it would provide plenty of juicy material for season 2. 

Who was in the car with Kyle? 

Finally, there’s the question that’s been on the mind of every Sweet Magnolias fan since the season 1 finale: Who was in the car with Kyle when he crashed the car? 

Tyler and Jackson (Sam Ashby) got in a fight after Jackson insulted Tyler’s girlfriend CeCe (Harlan Drum) at the prom party. When Kyle tried to intervene, Tyler lashed out at his brother. An angry Kyle fled the party, followed by Tyler, Annie (Anneliese Judge), CeCe, and Kyle’s date Nellie (Simone Lockhart). Presumably, one of them got in the car with Kyle before he drove off and got in his accident. 

Right now, it’s anyone’s guess who the passenger was. But Tyler’s a strong possibility. At the end of the season, he was attracting attention from major league scouts. An injury could dash his hopes of going pro and give his character an interesting new direction in season 2. 

Sweet Magnolias Season 2 premieres Feb. 4 on Netflix. 

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