Sorry, but we need to talk about how we're all obsessed with Sweet Magnolias.

A few months back, I wrote about the deep void that came with finishing the TV show Virgin River and not knowing what to watch next.

Well, that next show is here and it’s called Sweet Magnolias.

Not to be confused with the excellent 80s film Steel Magnolias, Sweet Magnolias is Netflix’s latest sugary rom com I’d describe as a soapy mash up of Virgin River, Gilmore Girls, Chesapeake Shores and Hart of Dixie.

With southern accents. And Jamie Lynn Spears.

WATCH: Check out the trailer for Sweet Magnolias below, post continues after video.

The show, based on a series of novels by Sherryl Woods, is set in the small South Carolina town of Serenity, where, naturally, life is anything but.

Sweet Magnolias follows Maddie Townsend as she attempts to pick up the pieces of her life after her husband leaves her for his pregnant mistress, who also happens to be a nurse at the small town doctors clinic where they all worked.

Now jobless and at the centre of Serenity’s cheating scandal, Maddie reluctantly opens a spa with her two best friends, lawyer Helen and restaurant owner Dana Sue. Throw in a dash of teenage angst from their kids, three separate romance story lines (one of which features a very attractive high school sports coach who may or may not be shirtless a lot of the time) and an final epic cliffhanger, and it’s no wonder fans are already asking, when is Sweet Magnolias season two dropping?

Yes, it’s cheesy and yes, some of the southern accents are terrible, but at the core of this show is a story of female friendships, and the important role they play when sh*t hits the fan. In other words, you’ll laugh and roll your eyes while watching this show, but you’ll also sob.

Sweet Magnolias cast.

We also need to talk about the Sweet Magnolias cast because there are a lot of vaguely-famous faces to remember.

Jamie Lynn Spears as Noreen Fitzgibbons.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jamie Lynn Spears (@jamielynnspears) on May 20, 2020 at 8:22pm PDT

Honestly, Sweet Magnolias had me at Jamie Lynn Spears.

After taking time away from the spotlight to have a baby at 16 in 2008, this is the younger Spears sister’s first acting gig in more than 12 years.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by JoAnna Garcia Swisher (@jogarciaswisher) on May 26, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

This woman’s face looks mildly familiar, right?

You might’ve seen JoAnna Garcia Swisher in Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Freaks and Geeks, Once Upon a Time, or Reba.

Chris Klein as Bill Townsend.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Chris Klein (@iamchrisklein) on May 24, 2020 at 11:20am PDT

Yes, this is that guy from American Pie.

Chris Klein played Oz in the US teen movie franchise. He was also once engaged to Katie Holmes (pre-Tom Cruise), went to rehab after two drunk driving arrests, and is now a wholesome married father.

Justin Bruening as Cal Maddox.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sweet Magnolias Netflix (@sweetmagnoliasnetflix) on May 20, 2020 at 1:00pm PDT

Grey’s Anatomy fans will recognise Justin Bruening as paramedic Matthew Taylor. He’s also been on other soaps, including All My Children.

And, you should know, there’s a Sweet Magnolias scene in which this man is washing his car and takes off a wet t-shirt. Just saying.

Caroline Lagerfelt as Paula Vreeland.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Caroline Lagerfelt (@mslagerfelt) on Apr 22, 2020 at 2:52pm PDT

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Caroline Lagerfelt (@mslagerfelt) on Mar 31, 2020 at 3:38pm PDT

Yes! This is the evil grandma from Gossip Girl!

Caroline Lagerfelt played CeCe Rhodes on the iconic show, and has had cameos in every TV show from Law & Order SVU and The Bold Type (she plays Richard’s mum!) to The Mindy Project and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In short, Sweet Magnolias is a very excellent trashy TV show with all the essential elements a binge-worthy series must have.

Romance. Female friendships. Small town scandal. Family drama. And most of all, tension.

So, if you’re out of things to watch and need something to chuck on, or just unashamedly love soapy, romantic TV shows like me, give Sweet Magnolias a go.

But don’t come crying to me when you get to the end and find yourself in a deep void waiting for season two to come out, OK?

Image: Netflix.

Have you watched Sweet Magnolias? What are your best TV show recommendations right now? Tell us in the comments below.