Sweet Magnolias season 5 premiered on Netflix on June 11.
Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher opened up to Good Housekeeping about the new season and how her husband, former MLB star Nick Swisher, played a role in a major season 5 plotline.
Nick previously made a cameo in Sweet Magnolias season 2.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher has a personal connection to one storyline in Sweet Magnolias season 5.
The latest installment of the Netflix drama premiered on June 11, with viewers stepping back into the world of Serenity. As the new season centered around beginnings and endings for JoAnna’s character, Maddie Townsend, Sweet Magnolias also focused on a surprising plotline: baseball.
As Maddie’s husband, Cal Maddox (Justin Bruening), attempts to bring an independent baseball team to Serenity, the townspeople are excited by the prospect of more tourists. JoAnna is familiar with baseball because she's married to former MLB player Nick Swisher.
“Actually, this was one of my favorite storylines that we’ve ever had on the show,” she told Good Housekeeping over Zoom in early June. “It was something Nick and I talked about a ton, because we do live in a really small town outside of Atlanta, and we have an independent baseball team here. Nick’s been super friendly with the gentleman that owns it, and has been to some of the games, and we talked a lot about it behind the scenes.”
“Even though he already made a cameo in season 2, Nick will definitely be a huge part of the way it comes together on screen, for sure,” she added. “Even Justin, when filming the alumni game, was like, ‘I want to make Nick proud!’”
JoAnna’s husband played inMLB from 2004 through 2015 for teams such as the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, where he won the World Series in 2009. He eventually retired and is now a Special Advisor for the Yankees. He is also a sports analyst for YES Network and co-owner of the international pro baseball league, Baseball United.
We can only hope we’ll get to see Nick pop up alongside JoAnna on screen!
