6 Shows to watch if you like Sweet Magnolias

If you’ve already seen “Sweet Magnolias” season two, which debuted on Netflix on February 4, you might be desiring a few more series that are similar. While no one can substitute for the sweet magnolias themselves — Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Helen (Heather Headley), and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliot) have a truly admirable friendship — there are plenty of shows with small-town hospitality, a good mix of family drama, and, of course, romance to choose from.

If you enjoy “Sweet Magnolias,” the six series listed below should easily find a home in your heart — or, at the very least, your Netflix queue.

Virgin River

Like “Sweet Magnolias,” Netflix’s “Virgin River” is based on a series of romance novels (authored by Robin Carr) and is set in a tiny town full of eccentric residents. “Virgin River” follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckinridge), a nurse practitioner and midwife, as she takes a position in a tiny Northern California community while dealing with a devastating loss. She finds recovery, a lot of drama, and an exceedingly gorgeous pub owner named Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) in the town of Virgin River. You can probably predict where this is going.

Hart Of Dixie

Sweet Magnolias oozes southern charm and hospitality, and you’ll find an idea resembling The CW dramedy Hart of Dixie, starring Rachel Bilson as Zoe Hart, a New York City doctor who shifts to Bluebell, Alabama, to take over her father’s medical practice after he passes away. Hart of Dixie, a fish-out-of-water story driven by wacky customs, small-town drama, and a swoon-worthy love triangle that involve the town lawyer (Scott Porter) and the hunky native barman (Wilson Bethel), will make you want to pack up and head to the South in hopes of discovering even a little bit of what Zoe has.

Poldark

It can’t be more sweepingly romantic than Poldark, the British historical drama based on Winston Graham’s trilogy of novels. Aidan Turner plays the dashing Ross Poldark, who comes home after the American Revolutionary War to discover that not only has his father dead and his estate is in tatters but also that his first love, Elizabeth, is now engaged to his cousin. He immediately falls in love with his scullery maid, Demelza, which surprises his friends and neighbors but makes viewers drool. While the series is unabashed about romance and will offer you plenty of opportunities to drool over Turner, the true sight to see here may be Cornwall, which looks lovely on-screen.

When Calls The Heart

Sweet Magnolias is a Netflix series in the style of a Hallmark movie, so why not watch one? When Calls the Heart, based on Janette Oke’s novel series, has the same small-town charm as Sweet Magnolias, but it’s set in a little town on the Canadian border. Erin Krakow plays as a young teacher from an affluent background who accepts a teaching post in Coal Valley, a tiny mining town in Western Canada. We don’t want to give anything away, but she might or might not fall in love with a gorgeous Mountie.

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is a terrific program to watch after Sweet Magnolias since it has a similar focus on powerful female relationships and a nice dose of a small-town atmosphere. Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, and Kelly Bishop star in the WB-turned-CW dramedy about three generations of women. While the language is sharp and pop-culture referencing and everyone in the little Connecticut hamlet of Stars Hollow is odd (and maybe insane), there is still a great feeling of camaraderie and charm about it all.

Jane The Virgin

This CW dramedy, which begins with protagonist Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) being mistakenly artificially inseminated, is full of romance. It’s also filled with great writing, magical realism, standout performances, and witty parodies of many TV genres, including telenovelas. The three central characters in the novel — Jane, her mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), and her abuela Alba (Ivonne Coll) — will make you laugh, weep, and wish you had a porch swing for genuine chats.