WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Sweet Magnolias.

Sweet Magnolias season four has finally landed but fans of the book series will know that Netflix’s adaptation has taken a very different approach.

It’s been two years since Maddie (played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue (Brooke Elliot) and Helen (Heather Headley) were last seen gossiping over margaritas but thankfully, the wait has come to an end.

The drama, based on author Sheryl Woods’ unforgettable book series of the same name, returned for its fourth outing on Thursday, February 6, delving into Serenity’s next chapter.

But in an unexpected turn of events, Netflix writers have changed quite a lot from the original source, including two of its massive twists.

Sweet Magnolias season 4’s biggest differences from the book

Ty’s career path

In season four, Ty (Carson Rowland) gets a massive career opportunity as he is asked to be an opener for another band going on tour around Europe.

This massively contrasts Woods’ book plot as Ty focuses on his passion for baseball and goes on to play for the Atlanta Braves.

Sweet Magnolias seaosn four: Ty and Annie end their relationship after he gets an offer to be the opening act of a band touring around Europe.
This plot change puts a spanner in the works for Ty and Annie (Anneliese Judge) who make their relationship official at the start of series four but he then gets this job offer and she is accepted into her dream school in California.

And when Ty asks Annie to defer her place so she can join him on tour, she chooses to put a stop to their romance.

Maddie and her mother-in-law

As soon as Bill Townsend’s (Chris Klein) mother Bonnie (Judith Ivey) lands in Serenity, there is tension in the air between herself and Maddie.

It is clear their relationship has been a fractured one for quite some time given that Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen make jokes about her appearing if they said her name three times.

Things then go from bad to worse when Bonnie gears up to strike Maddie but is stopped when she is able to catch her hand before a slap in the face.

None of this actually happens in the books though as Bill is barely in the novels and so neither is his mom

Sweet Magnolias season four: Maddie and Bill Townsend’s mom Bonnie don’t see eye-to-eye.

Maddie and Cal’s wedding

In season four, episode one, Cal (Justin Bruening) and Maddie host a Halloween party but to everyone’s surprise, it turns out to be their wedding, leaving Helen and Dana Sue hurt and caught off-guard.

But when it comes to the books, once again, this doesn’t happen.

Cal and Maddie have a conventional engagement and wedding where her best friends are involved from the beginning but Netflix instead decided to create this rift between the trio.

Bill doesn’t die

Bill didn’t exactly make it easier for anyone when he was in Serenity, having cheated on Maddie with Noreen Fitzgibbons (Jamie Lynn Spears), before going on to date Ronnie’s (Brandon Quinn) sister which, again, didn’t last.

In a bid for a fresh start, Bill decided to leave the town behind and move to Texas to be closer to his parents but at the start of the fourth outing, it is revealed that he died of a fatal heart attack.

Sweet Magnolias season four: Maddie announces she’s accepted a publishing job in New York.

While Bill has a fairly big presence in the show, he was barely in the books at all following his split from Maddie.

Nevertheless, his death was a turning point in Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias for the characters to have a think about their lives and what they really want.

Maddie doesn’t move to New York

At the end of series four, the show took a very surprising ending as Maddie shared that she had accepted a publishing job in New York, a plot line that didn’t exist in the books.

If this does go ahead, this will be a massive change for the show as it would now be splitting time between Serenity and New York.

There’s also questions about whether Maddie’s family is going to be moving with her and, inevitably, there will be less screen time between the show’s leading trio.

As of yet, Netflix hasn’t confirmed if there is going to be a season five but if there is, some big changes could be on the horizon.

Sweet Magnolias is available to watch on Netflix.