Netflix/Eliza Morse (NEW YORK) — If quarantine self-care came in the form of a TV show, it would be Sweet Magnolias. The new Netflix series, set in the fictional Southern town of Serenity, follows three best friends who decide to open a spa together.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher stars in the series as Maddie Townsend, a mom of three left to reinvent her life after her husband gets another woman pregnant. The actress tells ABC Audio the show’s themes are timelier than ever.
“It’s about surviving, it’s about supporting each other. It’s about community. It’s about having faith,” she says. “And we certainly weren’t predicting where we are right now when we started shooting the show [almost a year ago]. But we’re here now and it feels so of the moment.”
Garcia Swisher says she was drawn to the show’s depiction of strong female friendship. She’s been staying connected with her own friends during quarantine through Zoom happy hours and group chats.
As for how fans will connect over Sweet Magnolias, she hopes they’ll have online watch parties — she says she’d even join in, with some margaritas.
“I mean, if people are wanting to do that about Sweet Magnolias I would literally just kiss the ground,” she says. “I’m so proud of this show and I would love it if it excited people as much as it excites all of us who were, you know, a part of making it.”
Sweet Magnolias — also starring Brooke Elliott, Heather Headley, Chris Klein and Jamie Lynn Spears — is now streaming on Netflix.
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