Previously on Sweet Magnolias, Cal Maddox (Justin Bruening) and Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) get a spooky Halloween wedding. A storm passing through Serenity inadvertently gets Erik Whitley (Dion Johnstone) and Helen Decatur (Heather Headley) finally back together. Meanwhile, Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) and her husband Ronnie (Brandon Quinn) navigate old and dangerous habits. They do this while patching up their marriage. There are too many characters in this show where characters seem to juggle a bunch of jobs and projects. But I guess I’ll narrow it down to two – the first is Erik and Helen’s wedding and the second is the Magnolias are reviving the Art Guild and organizing art events.

One of the major plots of the fifth season of Sweet Magnolias is Dana Sue and Ronnie’s rocky marriage. The source of conflict is Ronnie’s investment in the Bike Barn, making him too busy for their daughter Annie. Anneliese Judge plays Annie, who isn’t a stranger to either men or boys who perpetually disappoint her expectations of family and romance. The show’s main characters are three women in their forties but a lot of the fandom is for Anni and her boyfriends.Namely, her relationship with Maddie’s eldest son Ty (Carson Rowland), but he chose Europe over her so that’s that.

In lieu of Ty’s absence, no, the show isn’t bringing Jackson Lewis (Sam Ashby), because he’s a charming coward. Instead, the show gives Annie two new love interests one of them being jock-y bicyclist Blake Monaghan (Austin Woods). Sweet Magnolias‘ other addition is Noah Wharton (Aidan Merwarth), a grandson of the Whartons who loves hiking. Annie’s friends, aka the Mini Magnolias, are already taking teams as to who they want Annie to end up with. Credit is due to this show that the Mini Magnolias are aware of what’s happening to Annie but her parents aren’t.

But let’s return to the middle generation characters in Sweet Magnolias, because in a way, they represent nostalgia culture. I consider this show to be the less stressful version of Virgin River – porn but with a meth subplot. Both show small towns as places of escape, this show thankfully having no meth but instead has its old hippies. Well, one hippie in the form of Maddie’s mother Paula Vreeland (Caroline Lagerfelt), who becomes a member of the Guild. Its depiction of small Southern towns are plausible, even if this feels less South Carolina and more like Virginia.

In a way, Paula is one representative of the ambivalence in Sweet Magnolias, progressive but nostalgic about small town pasts. Its nostalgia and loyalty towards Sherryl Woods’ source material is what’s holding it back from being much better. A show with characters who think like the past will also sound like the past, and they sound stiflingly stilted. Sometimes, the dialogue seems natural but at other times, they make Shakespeare seem like street dialogue. But again, maybe I’m asking too much for a show that’s fun and where women have friendships old and new.

Netflix is the only place to stream Sweet Magnolias.