Prior to the premiere of Sweet Magnolias Season 5, it was confirmed that Carson Rowland would not be back as Ty, the eldest son of Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher). Fans have anxiously been waiting to see how the show would address his absence, especially in the context of his relationship with Annie (Anneliese Judge).
After Annie and Ty finally got together in Season 4, their relationship his a snag when he got the opportunity to travel to Europe for his music career. He asked Annie to put her college plans on hold and join him overseas, sparking an argument between them in the Season 4 finale.
Now that all episodes of Season 5 have been released, we know what Ty’s been up to and what happened between him and Annie. Scroll down for more. Warning: Spoilers for Sweet Magnolias Season 5 ahead!
What happened to Ty in Sweet Magnolias Season 5?
Ty was busy continuing to pursue his music dreams in Europe in Season 5, which picked up about six months after the events of the Season 4 finale. It was revealed in the premiere that Ty came home for Christmas, but skipped returning to Serenity for spring break. What disappointed everyone the most, though, was when he didn’t come back for Annie’s graduation.
The news was revealed in Episode 3 when Ty sent Maddie flowers with a note that said, “Mom, sorry I can’t make it home. Miss you. Love you. Ty.”
Steve Swisher/Netflix
Eventually, Ty’s bandmate Olivia (Tommi Rose) came home and offered some more information about what Ty had been up to. “We fell in with these local musicians in Copenhagen,” Olivia shared. “Well, he fell in, actually. Sidelined me. And then every time I suggested coming home, something would come up with Ty. But I stayed until it became very clear that he wanted to stay way more than he wanted to come home.”
“I think [Maddie] understands where Ty’s at in his life,” Swisher told TV Insider. “He’s striking out and going and following his dreams. I think, as a parent, you want your kids to spread their wings and see them go, but she also misses him, of course. … I don’t think she feels like she lost Ty forever or anything like that. I think he’s in a moment in his life and following his dreams, but those choices he’s making do have consequences in hurting the people he loves. But I think, by and large, she wants the best for him and understands where he’s at in his life.”
Are Ty and Annie still together in Sweet Magnolias Season 5?
No, Ty and Annie broke up in Season 5. They tried to make their relationship work while Ty was overseas and Annie finished high school, but when he decided not to attend her graduation at the last minute, she knew it was over.
Annie told her friends in Episode 1 that she and Ty were “on-again, off-again” and texting “on and off” between Christmas and graduation. He also sent her flowers to let her know he wasn’t coming for her big day, and Annie admitted that she wasn’t all that surprised.
“I’m sorry that this blindsided you,” she told Maddie. “At Christmas, he said we’d find a way to make it work, but he left early, then promised to come back for spring break, but didn’t. Same for prom. Same for graduation. He’s not being fair to me or you or anyone here. So, I just texted him to thank him for the flowers and tell him I’m done.”
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In Episode 7, Annie thanked Olivia for keeping her updated about life on the road with Ty. “You seemed to have that friend sixth sense for when I needed extra reassurance, and because of that, I saw the end coming more clearly than most,” she admitted. Olivia reassured her, “None of this was about you.”
After the official breakup, Annie found herself with two potential new love interests: Blake (Austin Woods) and Noah (Aidan Merwarth), the Whartons’ grandson who was in town for the summer and working on marshland conservation. She amicably ended things with Blake in Episode 9 because she wanted a “deeper” and more serious relationship than he was willing to give her.
Annie ignored a text message from Ty that said, “Miss you,” and then shared her first kiss with Noah. It’s unclear whether this will be more than a summer fling, though, as Annie is leaving Serenity for school and Noah is leaving to head home at the end of summer. However, at Helen’s (Heather Headley) wedding, he left her with a message that she really needed to hear after the way things played out with Ty: “No man worth his salt would tell you what to do. Chart your own course. Fly to where you’ll be fed.”
Just as Annie and Noah headed to the dance floor, her phone started ringing with a FaceTime from Ty, but she had already walked away.
Why did Carson Rowland leave Sweet Magnolias?
Rowland has not spoken out about his decision to leave the show, but Judge told Us Weekly that he had “some other opportunities” come up, which prevented him from being able to film the Netflix series.
Showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson previously told Deadline that Rowland’s reduced role in Season 4 was due to both scheduling conflicts and creative decisions. “What we wanted to demonstrate is that he’s caught up in the dream of going on tour as a musician and hasn’t fully thought out what the effect of being away from everybody he loves will be,” she shared. “So we let him go off and have a great time with Olivia while everybody in Serenity is dealing with his absence.”
Of course, the Season 5 finale seemed to hint that Ty wanted to be part of Annie’s life again, providing an opportunity for him to return if the show is picked up for Season 6. “I’m a big believer in open doors,” Anderson teased. “And I hope we’ll have the opportunity to see who walks through that open door.”
Sweet Magnolias, Season 5, Streaming Now, Netflix