Sweet Magnolias Deviating From the Books Turned It Into a Hot Mess
Fans never get tired of complaining about book-to-screen adaptations.
Screen adaptations usually differ from their source material, some to a greater extent than others, which is why people are quite used to ranting and raving about how much better the book stories are, compared to their TV versions. Sadly, this also applies to Netflix's hit show Sweet Magnolias.
Premiering in 2020, Sweet Magnolias has had three seasons so far, telling the story of three longtime friends from Serenity, South Carolina — Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen — in their endeavor to run a spa business together. Besides the main trio, the series also follows the lives of their friends and families, presenting viewers with plenty of drama to delve into.
Based on the eponymous book series by Sherryl Woods, the Netflix show deviates quite a bit from its source material. Unsurprisingly, the book fans have been really upset about these deviations, saying that the show failed to recreate the original's quaint storytelling and ruined the narrative itself.
According to readers, Woods' novels perfectly capture the essence of what it's like living in a small southern town like Serenity. The author brilliantly describes the tightly knit community, the principles it follows, the role religion plays in it, the hardships behind running a business there, and the effects of living under constant scrutiny — and that representation doesn't feel far-fetched in the books.
In its turn, Netflix's Sweet Magnolias appears to be less realistic, as the show's portrayal of life in a small town is rather stereotypical and dull. Another thing people complain about is that the story is flooded with drama, including Maddie's mess of a family, Dana Sue's affairs, Helen's ill-fated love life, and Bill's twisted storyline — the list of dramatic events could go on and on.
Naturally, fans of Sherryl Woods argue that the show has turned into a hot mess of a story, which is still pretty captivating to follow for those who haven't read the books.
At this point, Sweet Magnolias feels like drama for drama's sake — perfectly entertaining but somewhat toxic. Also, as three seasons have already aired, it's not clear where the story may go from there (and whether a fourth season is even coming, although the narrative suggests that it should).
If there will be Season 4, people are hoping that the writers will deliver a more wholesome story to satisfy both fans of the show and Sherryl Woods' readers.