Sweet Magnolias<\/em> is headed back to Serenity \u2014 and the cast gave Us<\/em> a glimpse at what to expect from their characters in season 3.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re depicting real life. We see that journey,\u201d Justin Bruening<\/strong><\/a>, 43, who plays Cal Maddox on the Netflix series, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cPeople are changing, they\u2019re evolving. Some for the better, some for the worse, some in between but we\u2019re all [changing].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Based on the bestselling books of the same name by Sherryl Woods<\/strong><\/a>, Sweet Magnolias<\/em> became an instant hit after it premiered in May 2020. The romantic drama\u00a0centers around childhood best friends Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher<\/strong><\/a>), Helen Decatur (Heather Headley<\/strong>) and Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliot<\/strong><\/a>) as their lasting bond guides them through parenthood, romance and adulthood in their small South Carolina town.<\/p>\n Season 2 answered many fans\u2019 burning questions<\/a> before dropping even more bombshell surprises. Season 3, meanwhile, premieres on Thursday, July 20<\/a>, and will pick up on the heels of season 2\u2019s biggest cliffhangers. While Maddie focuses her attention on Cal after his blowout fight at Dana Sue\u2019s restaurant \u2014 and helps oldest son Ty (Carson Rowland<\/strong>) find his path \u2013 Helen faces a huge decision about her romantic life. Dana Sue, meanwhile, will continue to work on her relationships with her previously estranged husband, Ronnie (Brandon Quinn<\/strong>), and their daughter, Annie (Anneliese Judge<\/strong>).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Despite any challenges thrown their way, friendship and margarita night will remain the utmost priority for the Magnolias \u2014 and the actresses who play them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c[Margarita nights are] probably our favorite scenes, or at least my favorite scenes,\u201d Garcia Swisher, 43, told Us<\/em>. \u201cWe have a lot of fun<\/a>. The first margarita night [in season 1] for me was very, very important and monumental. I looked at [our director] Norman Buckley<\/strong> and I said, \u2018If we can capture what just went on here, I think we have a really special show on our hands.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Keep scrolling for a sneak peek at what to expect from Sweet Magnolias<\/em> season 3:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Garcia Swisher told Us<\/em> that season 3 starts with a \u201cbang\u201d for her character as she \u2014 and the other Magnolias \u2014 try and \u201cpick up the pieces\u201d from Cal\u2019s altercation with Stu on the season 2 finale.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it sets off a real tone for her this season of, like, a lot of uncertainty, but a lot of trying to figure things out and how that applies to every single relationship in her life<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2014<\/span>\u00a0including the Magnolias,\u201d she hinted, noting that while \u201cthis season, you\u2019re going to see a lot of self-realization, a lot of uncertainty\u201d for Maddie, her story ultimately \u201cends in a very hopeful place.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While season 2 ended with<\/a> Ryan (Michael Shenefelt<\/strong>) proposing to Helen, Headley, 48, revealed that season 3 is all about her character figuring out what comes next.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHelen has to make some choices along the way. And I think this season is all about the choice she makes, that journey that she goes through with the choice and how that kind of blows up a little bit,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd how that not only just blows up in her personal and romantic life, but how that had consequences in the girls\u2019 lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Headley noted that season 3 will push Helen toward \u201cher mom (played by legendary Janet Hubert) and her family,\u201d giving viewers \u201ca little bit\u201d more insight into her family and where she comes from \u2014 and end with Helen focused on \u201cloving\u201d and \u201crecommitting\u201d to the community of Serenity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd then whatever happens after that happens,\u201d she teased. \u201cWe\u2019ll see. So I think that\u2019s where she is. She starts with a question mark and, and ends [with a] period.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Elliot, 48, hinted that season 3 will bring a lot of different aspects of Dana Sue\u2019s personality to the forefront as she continues to work with Ronnie on their relationship. The husband-wife duo has become a fan-favorite romance on the series, something Elliot attributes to both \u201cbeing a team\u201d with Quinn, 45, and \u201cthe magic of the universe\u201d putting them onscreen together.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen there are things that happen in the season that present challenges in that way of whether [Ronnie and Dana Sue] can [make it] or not. And I think that\u2019s really fun,\u201d she continued, noting that Quinn is a \u201creal gift\u201d to work with<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019ve got some situations that present difficulty from the past coming back to the current moment. But I think one of the best things that I really love for Dana Sue this season is that you get other colors of her, you get other sides of her, you get some flirtiness, you get some fun, you get some playful. And I think for the audience, it\u2019s gonna be really fun as they get to know a fuller Dana Sue. A more complete, understanding of who she is and where she\u2019s going.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Season 2 of Sweet Magnolias<\/em> left Cal in the wake of his showdown<\/a> with Stu at Sullivan\u2019s \u2014 and Bruening told Us<\/em> that things will be an uphill battle for the character from there.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think you can expect some very interesting things from Cal. I think he\u2019s not gonna be the same Cal that we saw last season. He\u2019s definitely trying to find himself,\u201d he shared. \u201cI would say that he\u2019s let his demons out. They\u2019ve haunted him for a long time. I used to say that he came to Serenity for some reason that I never really knew, but I always speculated that he was running from something and hiding from something. And those demons that he was hiding from found his forwarding address and showed up at his doorstep.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bruening added that Cal will be \u201cforced to deal with his past\u201d and \u201call of the things that he was running from\u201d which is \u201ca lot\u201d for him to \u201chandle all at once.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He continued: \u201cHe definitely let something out that had been bottled inside that had been locked away. And it scares him. And there are other reasons that he\u2019s scared of it too, that we will discover in this upcoming season. The first two seasons we sort of unloaded Maddie\u2019s baggage, her suitcases and now we get to unload Cal\u2019s \u2014 because he\u2019s got a whole duffle bag of stuff that he\u2019s just been keeping in his closet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rowland, 25, told Us<\/em> that Ty\u2019s story is largely about \u201cgrowth\u201d<\/span> this season\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 something the actor said became \u201cpretty personal\u201d to him while filming \u2014<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and he hopes audiences will be able to relate to the coming-of-age story line.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTy\u2019s story this season and even last season specifically, is all about growth. He\u2019s a child kind of transitioning into a man and figuring out where he needs to go,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s really interesting to see this kid kind of figure himself out and like kind of gain his sea legs with the world and trying to recuperate from losing baseball and going to college. And that\u2019s a main plot through this season, him trying to figure out what he loves and what he\u2019s passionate about.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Plans for Ty\u2019s romantic future remain to be seen \u2014 but Rowland has an idea of why his character\u2019s blurry friendship \u2014 and sometimes romantic \u2014 dynamic with Annie (Judge) is such a favorite<\/a> among viewers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s this like star-crossed lovers effect, right? They grew up together and Annie has feelings for Ty and Ty doesn\u2019t see her,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then it switches in season 2, and then what happens in season 3? Well, I guess we\u2019ll have to figure it out and watch, but it\u2019s this dynamic of friendship, of knowing this person so deeply as a friend and then becoming something more together is so sweet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJoAnna Garcia Swisher (Maddie Townsend)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Heather Headley (Helen Decatur)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Brooke Elliot (Dana Sue Sullivan)<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/The-Cast-of-Sweet-Magnolias-Shares-What-to-Expect-From-Their-Character-in-Season-3-224.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Justin Bruening (Cal Maddox)<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/The-Cast-of-Sweet-Magnolias-Shares-What-to-Expect-From-Their-Character-in-Season-3-222.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Carson Rowland (Ty Townsend)<\/b><\/h3>\n