7 Shows Like ‘Sweet Magnolias’ If You Love A Drama Sprinkled With A Little Bit Of Southern Charm

If you love a little bit of Southern charm, a little bit of romance and a whole lot of drama, Sweet Magnolias is definitely the show for you.

Based on the book series of the same name by Sherryl Woods, Sweet Magnolias tells the story of three childhood best friends, Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) and Helen Decatur (Heather Headley), and their journey starting a new business venture together within their small town of Serenity, South Carolina.

While it sounds like strictly a happy-go-lucky series, we also see the iconic trio experience various trials and tribulations throughout the hit television show, from divorce to forbidden romances and beyond. With the drama at an all-time high, Sweet Magnolias is sure to grasp your attention from start to finish, all while tugging on your heartstrings along the way. 

After premiering on Netflix back in 2020, the highly-anticipated third season dropped in July 2023, and fans seriously can’t get enough. With just one watch, you will quickly see why Sweet Magnolias is the number one television show on Netflix right now!

With the prospect of Sweet Magnolias Season 4 still up in the air, you may be asking yourself what to watch next while you wait…

If you love Sweet Magnolias as much as we do, then you’re in luck! The Decider team compiled a list of seven must-see television shows that are sure to be right up your alley.

1. Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce

   As we know, Maddie’s divorce plays a huge role within the plot of Sweet Magnolias. If that is an aspect of the series that you just can’t get enough of, then Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce is a television show that you need to add to your watchlist ASAP. 

   Also based on a book series of the same name, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce follows the life of Abby McCarthy (Lisa Edelstein), a self-help author who finds herself in the midst of a devastating divorce. 

   Throughout the show, we see Abby’s divorce taking a toll on her mental health, ultimately impacting all aspects of her life, especially her career. In these times of trouble, she leans on her friends and fellow divorcées, Phoebe Conte (Beau Garrett) and Lyla Straley (Janeane Garofalo), for support, creating a dramatic yet sweet series that is sure to leave you with an ear-to-ear grin. 

   With a much more comedic angle than Sweet Magnolias, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce is truly a must-see series that captures the good, the bad and the ugly of navigating a life post-divorce.

   WHERE TO STREAM GIRLFRIENDS’ GUIDE TO DIVORCE

2. Dead to Me

   If you want some more juicy drama, as well as a dash of comedy, Dead to Me is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

   Throughout the beloved Netflix series, a woman named Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) finds herself in therapy after her husband is tragically killed in a hit-and-run. Quickly befriending another grieving woman in therapy named Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini), things start to get interesting when she slowly but surely finds out that Judy is actually the one responsible for killing her husband. 

   While Sweet Magnolias deals with a divorce rather than a tragic death, that is not the part of the plot that bonds these shows together. The ride-or-die friendship between Jen and Judy in Dead to Me is similar to that of Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen in Sweet Magnolias, which is extremely heartwarming to watch as a viewer.

   With three seasons full of unexpected twists and turns, Dead to Me is a television show that you NEED to check out for yourself.

   Watch dead to me on netflix

3. This Is Us

   If the one-of-a-kind bond between Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen in Sweet Magnolias warms your heart just as much as it does with ours, then This Is Us will definitely have you shedding a few tears throughout its six-season run.

   The iconic trio in this beloved television series consists of Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), a set of triplets known as “The Big Three” who bond over their upbringings and love for their parents. Using a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, This Is Us tells the story of the Pearson family in an extremely engaging way, and it is sure to hook you right from the start. 

   With aspects of romance, heartbreak, drama and more, both Sweet Magnolias and This Is Us remind their viewers of the power of family, which is evident throughout the plots of each series, respectively. 

   With an impressive  94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, This Is Us is truly a fan favorite!

   Watch this is us on hulu

4. From Scratch

   Also based off of a novel of the same name, From Scratch is a fellow Netflix series that draws quite a few similarities to Sweet Magnolias. 

   Throughout the romance-filled show, Amy (Zoe Saldaña) spontaneously moves to Italy to pursue her dream of being an artist, where she unexpectedly falls in love with a chef named Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea).

   Throughout From Scratch, we see Amy taking a giant leap to pursue her passion, much like we see with Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen in Sweet Magnolias, however, this is not the only similarity we see between the former and the latter. In Sweet Magnolias, we witness an unsuspecting romance blossom between Maddie and Cal Maddox (Justin Bruening), her son’s new baseball coach, which greatly resembles the relationship between Amy and Lino in From Scratch.

   With just eight episodes, From Scratch is the perfect television show to binge-watch next.

   Watch from scratch on netflix

5. When Calls the Heart

   With numerous fans expressing that Sweet Magnolias feels like a program we would see on the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart is truly the real deal. 

   Serving as yet another television show based off of a novel of the same name, When Calls the Heart tells the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) leaving her high-class life and working as a teacher in a small mining town called Coal Valley. Taking place in the early 1900s, viewers watch Elizabeth’s kindness make a true impact on her students throughout the duration of When Calls the Heart, making for a truly heartfelt series that everyone is sure to enjoy.

   With the same small town charm as Sweet Magnolias, as well as the addition of vintage costumes and stunning Canadian landscapes, this beloved show may even have a romance aspect that you need to watch and find out for yourself…

   With its 10th season premiering this Sunday (July 30th), as well as its 11th season currently in the works, now is the time to binge-watch When Calls the Heart before the new seasons premiere.

   where to stream when calls the heart

6. Hart of Dixie

   Another show with the same small town feel as Sweet Magnolias is CW’s Hart of Dixie.

   Throughout the beloved series, we see a New York City doctor named Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) attempt to fit in as she takes over her long-lost father’s medical practice in Bluebell, Alabama after his unfortunate passing. In Hart of Dixie, Zoe struggles to embrace her new life, sparking a rivalry with a woman named Lemon Breeland (Jaime King), as well as finding herself in a scandalous love triangle involving George Tucker (Scott Porter), the town lawyer, and Wade Kinsell (Wilson Bethel), a local bartender.

   Packed with romance AND drama, this fish-out-of-water story is sure to have you hooked right from the start (no pun intended).

   where to stream hart of dixie

7. Chesapeake Shores

   Channeling the same small town charm as Sweet Magnolias, and (you guessed it) stemming from a book series of the same name, Chesapeake Shores is the grand finale of our list.

   Serving as one of Hallmark’s longest-running series, the six-season television show tells the story of Abby O’Brien-Winters (Meghan Ory) and her journey from New York City back to her hometown in Maryland to help her sister save her inn from foreclosure. Reuniting with family members, and even her first love named Trace Riley (Jesse Metcalfe), Abby’s return home may just be the fresh start (or should we say restart) that she has been needing. 

   With secrets coming to the surface throughout her time at home, Chesapeake Shores is jam-packed with drama, making for a must-see series that will keep your eyes locked to your screen from start to finish.

   Running for over five years and concluding this past October, Chesapeake Shores is definitely a series that you should add to your watchlist. 

   where to stream chesapeake shores

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Melanie Rooten is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Melanie has a true passion for all things pop culture, and she tends to spend her free time going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite TV shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course). You can connect with her on Twitter (@MelanieRooten) to see all of her recent articles.