Out of All Sweet Magnolias Characters, This One Doesn't Deserve the Hate He Faces

All fiction stories have protagonists and antagonists, and we as viewers or readers are supposed to root for the former and revile the latter. Sometimes, however, bad guys have so much on their plates all at once that the audiences' hatred towards them seems undeserved.

Season 3 Netflix's Sweet Magnolias has recently been released, continuing the story of Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen — three longtime friends from the South Carolinian town of Serenity. Since the first season premiered in 2020, the melodrama has garnered a pretty large fandom, thanks to its heartwarming stories and plenty of drama to entertain viewers.

Even though the series' main trio have faced enough challenges and heartbreaks throughout the three seasons, they've always managed to cope with whatever difficulty comes their way. By contrast, the antagonists in Sweet Magnolias get much harsher treatment from the writers — and there's one particular character who suffered most of all in Season 3.

Bill Townsend, Maddie's treacherous ex-husband, may very well deserve all the hate in the world. He cheated on his wife who had supported him during the long years of his medical training. He deserted his children. And he lied to his mistress. But in Season 3, Bill's story just got a lot worse — so much so that some of the fans started pitying the man.

First and foremost, Noreen, his ex-lover who just gave birth to their baby, leaves him and refuses to include his name in the birth certificate. Second, Isaac takes it out on Bill after finding out the man is his birth father — but in Dr. Townsend's defense, he never knew that Peggy had given birth to his son.

Last, everyone in Serenity treats Bill as the ultimate blackguard, seemingly forgetting that Noreen was also responsible for breaking up the Townsend family.

There is no denial that Bill isn't an angel and deserves a comeuppance of some sorts. However, he's also a loving father who tries his best to stay connected with his children — as many of them as he has — despite the circumstances. And besides, he is a good doctor the townspeople need, so they should treat him with respect instead of canceling the man.

We hope that Bill gets better treatment in Sweet Magnolias Season 4, which hasn't been greenlit by Netflix yet.