Warning! SPOILERS about Sweet Magnolias season 4, episode 10 and Stealing Home ahead.

The end of Sweet Magnolias season 4 brought changes in the lives of various characters, but the new job of one character in particular potentially risks their departure from the show. Ever since its series premiere, Sweet Magnolias established its story as revolving around Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue equally, their friendship, and how that impacted their life in Serenity and giving back to their community. The trio’s actions made life in Serenity better in Sweet Magnolias season 4 too, but the departure of one of them upends the careful balance achieved through the work of the Magnolia Community Foundation.

Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen always juggled various responsibilities in their quest to improve Serenity, always being equally part of the foundation’s business. Their stories were consistently at the center, just as much as life in Serenity always was. Maddie’s move to Manhattan for her marketing job thus makes a question arise on whether she will be present in a potential Sweet Magnolias season 5, as a titular Sweet Magnolia was never the focus of the story away from Serenity. This makes Maddie’s professional happily-ever-after have more weight if it were to write off Maddie from Sweet Magnolias season 5.

Maddie’s Job Reveal In Sweet Magnolias’ Season 4 Finale Means She’s Moving To New York City

Maddie’s New Job Brings Her & Her Family Away From Serenity

Maddie’s reaction to the publishing house’s job offer in Sweet Magnolias season 4, episode 9 was tepid because she knew how much she wanted it and how it would be well-suited for her, but she also couldn’t shake off the fact that to accept it she would need to leave Serenity. While some characters wished to leave Serenity at least once throughout Sweet Magnolias, that was never the case for Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen. Maddie needed to be convinced to accept the fantastic job offer by her family and best friends because leaving Serenity was never in the plans.

Sweet Magnolias’ two tenets have always been its focus on the titular Magnolias, Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen, and their life in Serenity, in whose community they were always pillars, even more now that they established the Magnolias Community Foundation.

Helen negotiating to get Maddie the best deal and her children being ecstatic about the prospect of Maddie doing what she had trained to finally let Maddie be unreservedly happy about the job and upcoming move. However, Maddie moving to New York inevitably changes Sweet Magnolias’ entire premise, as a potential Sweet Magnolias season 5 will have to follow Dana Sue and Helen’s lives in Serenity and update on Maddie’s life in New York. Sweet Magnolias hinted at part of Maddie’s family following her to Manhattan, making it unlikely for all of them not to be in season 5.

How JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s Maddie Can Still Be In Sweet Magnolias Season 5 (Despite Leaving Serenity)

Focusing On Her Life In Manhattan & Dana Sue And Helen’s In Serenity Can Help

With Sweet Magnolias season 5 not confirmed, not much is known about it. However, it would be unlikely for JoAnna Garcia Swisher not to return to portray Maddie. Between Sweet Magnolias season 4’s ending not being set up as a goodbye episode for the character and the fact Maddie and Cal would bring most of Maddie’s children with them to Manhattan, it would make the most sense for Sweet Magnolias season 5 to continue focusing on Maddie’s life, in New York instead of Serenity. Their move can give their story a sense of novelty it didn’t have for some time.

Maddie’s move to New York can also be the perfect setup for her return for good to Serenity, as her job can revive her career while also emboldening her to do something similar in Serenity.

Maddie and Cal’s talks about the move already highlighted how they would return to Serenity, Cal due to his stake in the restaurant, and Maddie to be close to Helen and Dana Sue, especially with Helen’s upcoming wedding needing to be organized. This can help them be part of the main story in Serenity while showcasing their life in Manhattan. Maddie’s move to New York can also be the perfect setup for her return for good to Serenity, as her job can revive her career while also emboldening her to do something similar like creating her own company in Serenity.

What Happens To Maddie In Sweet Magnolias’ Books

Maddie’s Story Ended Much Earlier In The Sweet Magnolias Books

Sweet Magnolias’s first book, Stealing Home, had an entirely different path set up for Cal and Maddie. Ending with Cal and Maddie’s engagement and wedding, Cal mentioned in Stealing Home how he would be as involved in their family as her so that she could build her career back. However, it was only mentioned in passing, with Maddie and Cal’s wedding and the news they were expecting a child together taking center stage in the book. This makes their move to New York even more uncharted waters, making their potential Sweet Magnolias season 5 story more compelling as a result.

Sweet Magnolias season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.