“Sweet Magnolias” has returned to Netflix for Season 5, but one former series regular won’t be showing his face in Serenity this time around. Despite promising to come home for Annie’s graduation, Ty (Carson Rowland) is nowhere to be seen in the 10 episodes that just dropped.
Showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson confirms to TVLine that “it was Carson’s choice to leave” the show, adding that it’s possible we could see Ty again someday — assuming that Netflix renews the show for a sixth season, and that Rowland is willing to return. “I’m a big believer in leaving doors open for the future,” she says.
Even though Rowland isn’t physically in Serenity this season, his character looms large. Even from another continent, Ty’s actions factor into multiple characters’ storylines, and he doesn’t exactly come out looking like the good guy.
“We’re looking at a character who’s going after a dream, and in the actor’s absence, we were able to look at what the character’s absence does to the people he left behind,” Anderson explains. “When you love somebody and they need to go somewhere far away, it’s hard. You want them to be happy and successful, but you miss them. Maybe you feel left out, even cut out. We wanted to look across the community and see, particularly with Annie and Maddie, the ripple effect of his absence and the things he may not have considered when he left. He was so excited about getting his big break, he really didn’t calculate the cost to the people he said he loved.”
Carson Rowland’s absence made JoAnna Garcia Swisher ‘very sad’
Of course, no one feels Ty’s absence in “Sweet Magnolias” Season 5 quite like his on-screen mom JoAnna Garcia Swisher.
“I sort of knew what the logistics were, and I think there are only so many ways you could work around that the situation at hand. Knowing we weren’t gonna have Carson back this season made me very sad, because I love him so much.
But just like her character, Garcia Swisher is able to find the silver lining in any situation, including Rowland’s decision not to return to the show this season.
“It’s hard because people get so attached to a storyline or a character, but it also opened up this amazing door for Annie to be able to go on a journey, and we got to see some new faces on the show,” she says. “With anything, I think like there’s an opportunity in these harder moments to see the good, and it did present some really wonderful moments.”
Do you miss seeing Ty in Serenity? How far along are you in your Season 5 binge? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.
