“New relationships and new challenges are good for the soul,” says Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) in the trailer for Sweet Magnolias Season 3. That’s a good thing, because from the first look at the new season it’s clear that childhood best friends Maddie, Helen Decatur (Heather Headley) and Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) have plenty of trials ahead of them this year.

The series follows the trio as they juggle romantic relationships, family and careers in the tight-knit small town of Serenity, South Carolina. In the Season 3 trailer, we see Dana Sue trying to move forward with her formerly estranged husband, Helen stuck between two great men who love her and Maddie pacing herself in her relationship with baseball coach Cal (Justin Bruening). Then there’s the rest of their families, plus the resurfacing of a mysterious woman from the Magnolias’ past. 

Watch the trailer above to prepare for the return of the series on July 20. And if you want to catch up before Season 3 premieres, read on for everything you need to know about Sweet Magnolias, including what happened in Seasons 1 and 2.

When is the premiere date for Sweet Magnolias Season 3?

You’ll be able to hang out with all your friends in Serenity beginning July 20, when all 10 hourlong episodes of Season 3 debut.

Who’s in the Sweet Magnolias cast?

In addition to the three women, there’s Maddie’s no-good ex, Bill (Chris Klein);  Kyle (Logan Allen), Maddie and Bill’s baseball superstar oldest son; Ty (Carson Rowland), their theater-loving middle son; Katie (Bianca Berry Tarantino), their youngest child and only daughter; Annie (Anneliese Judge), Dana Sue’s photographer daughter; Cal Maddox, Kyle’s ex-pro baseball coach; and Noreen (Jamie Lynn Spears), Bill’s pregnant mistress. Other town characters include Isaac (Chris Medlin), one of Dana Sue’s employees who comes to Serenity searching for his birth mother, and Erik (Dion Johnstone), Dana Sue’s sous chef who strikes up a friendship with Helen.

Is Sweet Magnolias based on a book?

Prolific romance and mystery novelist Sherryl Woods — whose Chesapeake Shores books were turned into a Hallmark Channel TV series — wrote the 11 (and counting!) Sweet Magnolias books that serve as inspiration for the show and were shepherded to the screen by executive producer Sheryl J. Anderson.

What happens in Sweet Magnolias Season 1?

The women team up and open a spa, which Maddie manages as Helen continues to practice law and Dana Sue runs her restaurant/town watering hole, Sullivan’s. In the romance realm, Maddie strikes up a relationship with her son’s handsome former MLB pro baseball coach, Cal, though they have a major fight before the season ends. Dana Sue, meanwhile, summons her estranged husband, Ronnie (Brandon Quinn), home so they can officially divorce — but Ronnie wants to move back in instead. She also reconnects with her old fling and silent business partner, Micah (Marland Burke), and grows close with hot farmer Jeremy (Chase Anderson). 

Helen finally breaks up with her longtime, on-and-off boyfriend Ryan (Michael Shenefelt) because she wants children and he doesn’t, and develops a connection to  Erik. Noreen and Bill break up, and Bill begs Maddie to take him back. 

The younger generation has its own romantic woes, too: Annie has a crush on Ty but Kyle has a crush on Annie, and it all ends very badly in a dramatic post-prom party that leads to a massive accident. Kyle is pulled out of the car unconscious, but he has a passenger in the car. Who could it be?

How did Sweet Magnolias Season 2 end?

First things first: Kyle’s fine, and so is his passenger, Nellie (Simone Lockhart). But the accident continues to have repercussions throughout the season, including the fact that Kyle’s now sidelined from sports because he tore his ACL. Isaac discovers that his birth mother is the Serenity newspaper editor, Peggy Martin (Brittany L. Smith), and she informs him that his birth father is none other than Bill Townsend. Meanwhile, Noreen welcomes a little girl and reconciles with Maddie. 

The Magnolias deal with a zoning issue related to the spa, which leads them to start a petition to recall the mayor. Cal’s past anger issues get him fired by the school board and later arrested after a brawl at Sullivan’s. Dana Sue officially gets back together with Ronnie. Helen suffers a miscarriage and is torn between starting a real relationship with Erik or reuniting with her ex, Ryan, who proposes. And finally, a mysterious woman from the Magnolias’ past comes to town. Who is she?

What is Sweet Magnolias Season 3 about? 

Following the fight at Sullivan’s, Maddie wrestles with the best way to help Cal and works to clear her own emotional path. Helen faces difficult decisions about the men in her life. And Dana Sue searches for a way to use an unexpected check to help the community without upending her family. 

Can I see some photos from Sweet Magnolias Season 3?

Voila!