“It’s Never Boring in Serenity”: JoAnna Garcia Swisher Reflects on Maddie’s Evolution and Sweet Magnolias’ Future

Sweet Magnolias’ JoAnna Garcia Swisher is the heart of the series. Maddie Maddox almost always puts others before herself, so it was a massive step for her to move to New York to take a publishing job.

While it may not have been exactly as planned, Maddie learned a great deal, which led to stronger relationships and new dreams.

TV Fanatic was lucky enough to speak with JoAnna Garcia Swisher recently, and she talked about Maddie’s evolution and shifting relationships with her family. She also discussed her love of books and bringing that to the show, as well as producing Providence Falls.

I’ve spoken with Joanna Garcia Swisher each season of Sweet Magnolias, making it especially fun to revisit these characters and stories with her once again. Check out our conversation below.

Hi JoAnna. I loved how much Sweet Magnolias Season 5 focused on Maddie’s happiness. What was your favorite part of this evolution?

Honestly, that was so refreshing. It was fun, and you could really see and feel it. That’s not to say that things didn’t happen, but it was a season of, once again, a new fork in the road. It was a very refreshing season for sure.

Did you actually film in Manhattan? I loved those scenes.

We filmed in Manhattan and in Savannah this year. So we got a lot of field trips during Sweet Magnolias Season 5. It was wonderful.

That sounds wonderful. I also liked how the season captured not only the strength of the women’s friendship but also their maturation as a group and as couples.

Yes, they did. It was a nice beginning to the season. You’re thinking this is what the group looks like. I know that as you journey, it may change.

Things may change in that way, but it was nice to feel kind of like, alright, this is what happiness looks like

It was. What do you think was your favorite part of what the Magnolias conquered together?

I think it’s the promise of what’s to come. The fact that they had to switch gears and things were changing.

It explored this new looming idea that they all have, that they’re percolating on and they’re dreaming together still, which is really cool.

They’re growing. They’re experiencing life together. It’s never boring in Serenity.

It’s definitely not. I love how much their friendship has changed from Season 1 to now. I was impressed that you directed Sweet Magnolias Season 5 Episodes 5 and 6. How did you capture all those emotional nuances?

So much happened in those episodes. We had our hands full. I had an awesome cast, but we thought a lot about the director of photography, Brian Johnson, and then my first assistant.

We sat down and really talked about how much chaos there was, and we wanted to capture what that looked like and the frenetic energy of an experience like that, given the disaster, but I don’t want to spill too much.

But we also wanted to make sure that we steadied the camera and brought ourselves back down as the dust settled. It was, metaphorically speaking, about what we experienced in those episodes and how we wanted to tell the story visually. 

Then, obviously, we have amazing actors and great writing.

Absolutely. And Cal and Maddie have been on quite a journey this season, too. We saw a lot more romance.

We talked about it at the beginning of the season. Sheryl Anderson asked how we felt about that. I think Justin Bruening and I both felt like Cal and Maddie never really had that honeymoon period.

We had some fun first dates, but it was in the midst of chaos and divorce and his career changing and everything that was going on. Then he went through so much stuff, and we never really had a blissful, romantic period.

I think there is something to be said for how supportive Cal was of Maddie’s dreams, of her going off to New York, and of him holding down the fort. He also came into his own with his dreams.

So, it’s a little bit of that for both of us. We’re reinventing ourselves and finding out what the future looks like and what’s important to us, but always having that romantic connection and that mainstay was really important.

It was a blessing to portray a couple who were together in every way and genuinely happy. Their relationship and the way their careers came full circle were among my favorite parts of the season.

I loved that. I feel like we also have to discuss the elephant in the room: Carson Rowland wasn’t here this season because Maddie and Ty were always so close.

That’s a big elephant, right? Life happens. It’s a business. I love Carson so much, and I love working with him. Everyone has a different journey.

We’ve been on the show for a really long time, so life happens, and obviously, I would’ve loved to have had him with me, and we got him a little bit last season. But I adore him and wish him well.

I do too. I did miss him. But I also liked that we got to see more scenes with Maddie and Kyle, and with Cal, that we usually don’t get to see.

Yeah, we did. Logan Allen is one of my favorite actors that I’ve ever worked with. He’s just such a special young man, and I love him. I think he’s so talented.

So it was really fun to see him grow and to watch his character navigate those things. So yeah, like anything, it shifts things around, and it makes room for something else, and I was happy to explore that.

I also feel like the Magnolias have come full circle across the five seasons, but they are starting new dreams, like you said, and new careers. Do you think there are still more stories to tell?

The world is doing life with us, so it’s never a dull moment in Serenity. I don’t think that we are void of any stories. If the fans want it and the show does well, we’ll get an opportunity to do more.

I know we have a lot of support over at Netflix for that, and I’m grateful, but every season is a gift, so I go into it all just being grateful for the moment.

It’s one of my favorite jobs with some of my favorite people, so I’ll always want to return.

Me too. I’ll always want more.

Let’s put that out in the universe.

I noticed that Maddie loves books, and so do you.

That is the coolest. It’s life imitating art or art imitating life. I don’t know what it is, but it’s really fun.

Sheryl, her daughter, Sarah, and I would sit and talk about books all the time, so it’s a fun part of the story for me. I’m very much geeked out on writers, authors, books, and all of it.

Because you love books, I wanted to ask about you producing Providence Falls, which was another one of my favorites.

Thank you. I love that. I was so proud of Providence Falls. It’s been so great to know Lachlan Quarmby is on Hope Valley: 1874 on Hallmark+ now.

It’s just cool to have had that experience with him and Katie Stevens and Evan Roderick and everyone on that cast.

The whole show, the three movies were spectacular. And honestly, so many years ago, I read the books in 2021;  well, I started reading the books. Not all three of them were out at that time, but it was a very full circle moment.

I was grateful that Hallmark let us do it in a way that felt consistent with our vision. It was a truly unique and wonderful experience.

We have several other books in various stages of development at different places right now that we’re really excited about. So, we’re continuing the journey.

I can’t wait to see what you produce because I am a book lover. Thank you for chatting with us. We can’t wait to spend more time in Serenity.

Sweet Magnolias Season 5 is streaming now on Netflix.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interviews like this take time and care — and we hope it shows.
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