There's a new face coming to the small town of Serenity this summer. Sweet Magnolias, Netflix's hit family drama, has recast the role of Katie Townsend ahead of the series' highly-anticipated July 20 Season 3 premiere. Child actor Ella Grace Helton (Hubie Halloween) will take over as the adorably clever daughter of Joanna Garcia Swisher and Chris Klein's Maddie and Bill Townsend.
Helton, who garnered critical acclaim for her small-but-mighty role in ABC's 2020 sitcom United We Fall, will fill in for Bianca Berry Tarantino, who played Katie Townsend in Sweet Magnolias' first two seasons. Tarantino exited the series due to scheduling conflicts, per Deadline. She is set to appear in the upcoming Natalie Portman-led Lady in the Lake miniseries, an Apple TV+ adaptation of best-selling author Laura Lippman's 2019 novel of the same name.
L: Tarantino as Katie Townsend. R: Newcomer Ella Grace Helton. (Eliza Morse/Netflix; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Sweet Magnolias, which debuted in 2020, centers on the follies and foibles of three lifelong best friends in a tight-knit South Carolina community. Reba alum JoAnna Garcia Swisher plays newly-divorced mother Maddie Townsend, whose ex-husband Bill (American Pie's Chris Klein) has fathered a child with his mistress Noreen (played by Jamie Lynn Spears) in Season 1. Tony Award-winner Heather Headley plays do-it-all lawyer Helen, while Drop Dead Diva's Brooke Elliott rounds out the lead trio as talented chef Dana Sue.
Based on best-selling author Sherryl Woods' 11-book series, Sweet Magnolias follows the best friends in their mid-life decision to open a spa in the charming Southern town of Serenity. But their tight-knit community proves to be a breeding ground for personal, romantic and career crises. Old flames reappear like apparitions, new loves spark new dramas and secrets don't stay hidden for long. When their dreams and relationships are threatened by small-town gossip, the childhood friends lean on each other for support.
All 10 episodes of Sweet Magnolias Season 3 drop July 20 on Netflix.
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