The small town romantic drama, Sweet Magnolias, has been a big hit for Netflix, and made even more recognizable faces out of the many actors who portray our beloved (and very much hated) denizens of the fictional Serenity, South Carolina. But, many fans probably already knew several of those in the Sweet Magnolias cast from other projects, including JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who first really came to fame on the sitcom, Reba. It turns out, though, that the Sweet Magnolias connection to Reba goes beyond Garcia Swisher, as her co-star, Brandon Quinn, also appeared on the early 2000s comedy.
Who Did Brandon Quinn Play On Reba?
For those whose memories of Reba McEntire’s 2001-2007 WB sitcom are fuzzy, the show centered on her character, Reba Hart, after divorcing her cheating husband, and her new life as a single mother balancing work, her ex and his new love, and her three children. The oldest of those kids, Cheyenne, was a recent high school graduate / newlywed / new mom, who was played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher.
While Garcia Swisher and Brandon Quinn (who plays Ronnie on the Netflix series) typically don’t have many scenes together on Sweet Magnolias, they did, in fact, share his time on Reba. Quinn had one scene on the comedy back in 2005 (via PureWow), during the Season 4, Episode 15 entry “Flowers for Van,” which saw Quinn play a flower delivery man who brings a bouquet to Cheyenne. In fact, if you skip to the 9:51 mark in the video below, you can see the Reba scene for yourself:
Yes, the moment is brief, but can’t you tell that that’s Sweet Magnolias’ sorta troublemaking Ronnie Sullivan that you’re looking at in the clip? It would be nearly 20 years before Quinn and Garcia Swisher shared the screen again, but I can bet that most Sweet Magnolias fans would say that it was well worth the wait.
While Garcia Swisher plays Maddie (who’s one of the trio of leading ladies known as the Magnolias around town) on the Netflix hit, Quinn’s Ronnie was introduced late in Season 1 as the estranged husband of one of Maddie’s besties, Dana Sue. And, while you certainly can’t tell from watching Quinn’s appearance on Reba, he’s definitely good at playing someone in a complicated romance who’s kinda bad, but still hard to stay away from.
No one who watched Ronnie come back to town and slowly wriggle his way back into Dana Sue’s heart, despite her swoon-worthy new romance with farmer Jeremy, could forget all of the simmering sexual tension Quinn helped to create with Dana Sue’s portrayer, Brooke Elliott (though he wasn’t the most suitable love interest, as far as I’m concerned).
It wasn’t long before good ol’ Dana Sue cut Jeremy loose (He was heartbroken!) and allowed Ronnie to work his way back into much more than her heart. (I’m talking about her pants and her bed, people!) And, Maddie and their other friend, Helen (Heather Headley), were more than happy about this change in their relationship status by the end of Season 2.
Basically, even though Brandon Quinn’s time on Reba was short, it helped set the stage for him to reunite with JoAnna Garcia Swisher on Sweet Magnolias, and fans are all the better for it!
Both seasons of Sweet Magnolias are currently on Netflix, but while we wait to hear about Season 3, be sure to check out other recently aired and upcoming romantic TV shows, see what else is coming to the 2022 Netflix TV schedule, and look at all of the 2022 TV premiere dates we have so far!
