It’s a rough time for people who appreciate low stakes easy drama like Sweet Magnolias and Ransom Canyon because Netflix has just canceled both. At the same time, despite the incredible viewership, Prime Video has canceled Ride or Die, which was an absolute blast from start to finish. While Sweet Magnolias was almost expected, it’s still relatively shocking that they wouldn’t at least give the show proper closure with one final season or a movie, considering its budget isn’t as large as most Netflix shows. At the same time, Ransom Canyon is one of the more shocking decisions because I know plenty of people who also appreciated what the show did in terms of its drama.
Cancellations aren’t rare on Netflix for bigger-budget fantasy properties like Shadow & Bone, and the same goes for Prime Video because they canceled our all-time favorite My Lady Jane. Yet both Sweet Magnolias and Ride or Die are odd, especially when a show like Virgin River is still going strong, and there are a number of thrillers featuring male stars.
Still, at the end of the day, it’s another frustrating decision that makes it harder and harder for fans to want to invest in shows because they can inevitably get axed if they aren’t wildly popular. For Sweet Magnolias, though, this isn’t the end for creator Sheryl J. Anderson, because according to Deadline, though Sweet Magnolias is canceled, they’ve been given the green light for another property alongside star JoAnna Garcia Swisher. “Ladies of the House is loosely based on Lauren Edmondson’s novel and has three women at the center.”
Ultimately, though, while it’s exciting to have another show to perhaps look forward to, it’s still incredibly jarring when we consider the story of Sweet Magnolias and the characters who deserved proper conclusions. It’s unclear if anyone from the film will guest star in the new adaptation or not. It’s a bummer, no matter how we look at it. Ride or Die is currently being shopped around, and there’s still hope that we can potentially see the show revived on another network. (My hopes are with Apple TV, considering how well-known Hannah Waddingham is for Ted Lasso.)