‘Sweet Magnolias’: JoAnna Garcia Swisher Talks Maddie’s Future After Season 4 Twist

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Sweet Magnolias Season 4.]

The town of Serenity experienced plenty of joyful moments in Sweet Magnolias Season 4 but also a few devastating ones. Through it all, Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) remained a pillar of strength for her family, friends, and the rest of the community.

By the end of the season, Maddie was getting the opportunity to turn the page on a new chapter of her life — one that could change everything. She was offered a marketing job in New York City. She accepted the position, but will Maddie really leave Serenity? Swisher spoke with TV Insider about Maddie’s future, that tragic death, and Maddie’s “niche” wedding.

How did you react when you read the script and realized Maddie and Cal were going to be getting married so early on in the season?

JoAnna Garcia Swisher: I just held onto my hat. I read all the scripts all at once this season, which I don’t normally do, and I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. It was like, Episode 6, and then I was like, okay, I can breathe out. So much was happening and big jaw-dropping moments at the end of every episode, and the fact that one of those was Cal and Maddie finally sealing the deal and having their moment was so heartwarming. And then, of course, quickly followed up with lots of drama and craziness.

There haven’t been many Halloween TV weddings. 

It’s niche. It’s definitely niche. That was so fun. I was laughing. I was telling my husband, everybody was coming out of their hair and makeup trailer in their costumes and owning it and just really feeling it in their guts. I don’t really dress up for Halloween in real life, but with the talent of our wardrobe, hair, and makeup department, I definitely got into it. It was fun.

Were you surprised Maddie kept the wedding a secret, especially from the Magnolias?

I was scared. I was afraid of what they were going to say, honestly. I was afraid that Heather and Brooke were going to kick my butt, and I had nothing to do with it. But I got an earful about it from both sides, from Helen and Dana Sue and Brooke and Heather. But we got through it.

This really joyous occasion was followed by the heartbreaking death of Bill. Were you aware of Bill’s death before you read all the scripts? 

I did know about it beforehand, and I was equally stunned. That’s the truth. It was just a lot to take in. It was very surreal. It was hard. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to a character, and even though Bill has really put everybody through a lot, there was a lifetime there that they had together. Maddie said the best things that they ever did, they did it together, and that was their children. As a mom in real life, I just related to that in a really beautiful way. I also thought it just allowed for all of us to kind of have a little closure. He’s caused so much chaos along the way. I don’t think anybody would have voted for it, but I think it was a great opportunity for characters to really come to grips with their relationship with him and the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, and really get the closure that they needed. I thought it lent itself to some really special storytelling.

Do you think Maddie had found closure with Bill before he died? Was she at peace with that relationship?

I certainly felt that way. The last look that they shared at the end of Season 3 was this look of we’ve been to hell and back. You’re on your way. I think Maddie is an eternal optimist and hopes for the best and was grateful for the space that he was creating for her and for the children. But I do think in a lot of ways she had closure for that relationship, but then, in perfect Bill fashion, he always can surprise her.

Is Maddie still worried about how Bill’s death will impact her kids moving forward?

There was this scene in the season where I just break down in bed at night, and Cal is there to hold me. I lost it while we were shooting it and Justin, he’s also a father, we talk about our kids all the time. Our families are really close. I just looked at him, and I was like, “Can you just imagine for your kids what this would feel like?” It’s so messy, it’s so complicated, it’s so heavy, and it’s just a lot, and it will inform the rest of their lives. I definitely felt the gravity of that.

Maddie gets the opportunity of a lifetime at the end of the season — a job in New York City. How do you feel about this moment for her and what it could mean?

I am excited for her. I love the idea that we can continue to discover new things about ourselves. To me, there’s a coming of age at every moment in life. I think that so much of Maddie’s existence over the past few years, since her and Bill split and discovering Noreen and that she’s pregnant and all of these things, she’s really had to reconcile a lot of things in her life and part of that was how she let that side of her go. There’s something really invigorating and exciting about being able to be good at your job if that’s what you love to do. I think she got away from that and convinced herself that she maybe didn’t need that. I love the idea that she’s going to get to step into those shoes and see what that looks like for her and how that feels for her.

What are your hopes for Season 5?

I’m so excited about seeing Erik and Helen’s love story. I am excited to see their family shape up. I would love to see that happen. I thought this year for Dana Sue was a year of change. Her relationship is in a different place. She’s experiencing career change. She’s trying to find herself in that way, and then also she’s looking down the barrel of an empty nest. I think that’s really rich storytelling to see explored, what that feels like and looks like. So I think that would be really cool, and I’m excited to see Maddie in New York City.

Sweet Magnolias, Season 4, Streaming Now, Netflix