After years of near-misses, lingering feelings and one of Sweet Magnolias’ most beloved slowburn romances, Annie Sullivan finally got her happily ever after with Ty Townsend, only for it all to fall apart. But for star Anneliese Judge, that heartbreak may be exactly what her character needed to truly bloom.
“I know Ty and Annie’s relationship has been such an important piece of Annie’s journey,” Judge, 24, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing season 5 of the Netflix series. “I think that, of course, it’s sad, but it’s also really exciting. And I think I’m also really excited for Annie to have this opportunity to redefine herself outside of that dynamic.
Sweet Magnolias’ fifth season premiered on Thursday, June 11, picking up six months after Annie and Ty (Carson Rowland) found themselves at an impasse. Having just confessed their love for one another episodes prior, Annie was preparing to head off and chase her photography dreams at college in California. She ultimately refused to defer her enrollment to join Ty’s band on their European tour, causing a fracture in their new relationship.
When their growing distance — after an array of missed visits and calls on Ty’s end — came to a head at her high school graduation, Annie finally ended their romance for good, opening the door for a surprise love triangle and an even bigger summer of self-discovery.
Enter two new characters: Blake (Austin Woods), the fun and flirty local, and Noah (Aidan Merwarth), the introspective and thoughtful conservationist visiting for the summer. While the addition of two new potential love interests for Annie came as a surprise to many fans, Judge admitted that she enjoyed getting to play into some new and different — but equally “romantic” — energies for Annie.
The actress explained that even she was kept on her toes by the surprise cast additions.
“I was like, ‘OK, wait, I need to know: who do I like more?’” Judge recalled with a laugh, noting that she wasn’t told who Annie would choose until it came time to film the final season 5 episodes. “The writers were kind of like, ‘No, we want you to explore this, because Annie doesn’t know [either]!’”
Annie ultimately decided that Noah was the guy for her, as the pair formed a deeper connection that she felt “challenged” by. The newcomer also said the one thing Judge believes Annie needed to hear — something Ty wasn’t able to give her.
“Noah being so steadfast and such a rock [really swayed her],” she explained. “His line of, ‘No man worth his salt would tell you what to do.’ I think that that was maybe the piece that she needed. I think if he hadn’t said that, she wouldn’t have chosen him either!”
The two ended the season by attending her godmother Helen’s (Heather Headley) wedding to Erik Whitley (Dion Johnstone) and sharing a sweet kiss. But for Judge, Annie’s journey with both Blake and Noah — and the fallout with Ty — went far beyond the status of her love life, as it was equally about self-growth and finding her own footing before heading off to college.
“I think it was really cool to see her turn some of the care [she has for others] back on herself and choose herself and her dreams and goals,” Judge told Us. “I think that’s something I would want people Annie’s age to see and know that’s a good thing.”
She continued, “She’s learning how to be really honest in her communication, and more direct and asking for what she needs. But there are also pieces of this season where she’s like, ‘Don’t like, don’t perceive me! Don’t look at me! Leave me to figure this out.’ And I feel like she had a really transformative season of going into herself and reflecting on what she wants and what’s going to make her feel the most fulfilled.”
In some ways, Judge sees Annie and Ty on similar paths of self-discovery, even though it proves to be something they need to do separately.
“In the same way that Annie is dealing with a lot, I think [Ty is] also dealing with a lot, and we don’t always see every single moment that happens between scenes,” she said. “I think that while Annie’s discovering a lot about herself, Ty is also discovering a lot about himself.”
And though Judge is careful not to make “excuses” for Ty’s behavior — “He is being dumb in a lot of ways,” she admitted — she feels it’s important to highlight how much Ty has gone through in Sweet Magnolias’ five seasons, including the death of his father.
“I hope that people can have empathy for both sides of the equation,” she told Us. “I feel like [Ty has] had a lot of loss, from baseball to his father. Like, that’s a huge, huge deal. He’s had so many different seasons of his life that look completely different. I hope that viewers this season don’t completely villainize him, because while he isn’t acting the way we would hope that he would act, he’s a teenager, and teenagers don’t always have the capacity to handle super big feelings like that.”
Judge also stressed that Annie hasn’t put Ty completely in the rearview— at least from her perspective.
“I don’t think [anything] has ever really compared to her heartbreak with Ty. I think that is, like, the big one [for her],” she confessed, adding that the twosome’s romance was “meaningful” to viewers for a reason. “It was really special.”
As for whether Annie and Ty have a future together, Judge is undecided. While Ty didn’t make an appearance on screen in season 5, he haunted the narrative through countless mentions, an “I miss you” text, a box full of graduation gifts and even a phone call in the finale’s final moments — although viewers don’t find out if Annie picked up.
“I think it’s a really interesting story line that’s threaded through the whole [season]. Even though we don’t see [Ty], it’s still very much present in Annie’s life,” Judge explained. “So I don’t know what will happen.. I could see [it] going either way.”
Sweet Magnolias is available to stream on Netflix.
