Young love! Sweet Magnolias fans have been shipping Ty Townsend (Carson Rowland) and Annie Sullivan (Anneliese Judge) since season 1, but only time will tell whether the chemistry between them turns into something more.
The Netflix drama technically centers around best friends Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) and Helen Decatur (Heather Headley), but the teens on the show quickly stole viewers’ hearts. As Maddie’s son and Dana Sue’s daughter, Ty and Annie developed a close relationship of their own over their years, but things got complicated between them during season 1, which premiered in May 2020.
Following the debut season, Rowland was just as intrigued as fans were by the possibility of a romance between his and Judge’s characters.
“I would love to see what happens with Ty and Annie. They are essentially ‘meant to be,’ and the first season was a chaotic one for those two and their relationship,” the actor told PureWow in June 2020. “I cannot wait to see all of the drama that can ensue with Ty and Annie in season 2.”
However, Annie had her eye on someone else during season 2, striking up a new relationship with Ty’s rival, Jackson Lewis (Sam Ashby).
“Wherever the writers room would like to take this story, I’m all in,” the actress told HollywoodLife in February 2022 shortly before the second season dropped. “I think a lot of things change this season, and there’s a lot that we’re going to see happen that is going to be unexpected to viewers and was to the cast ourselves.”
Judge added: “Annie does … find some love this season and I think that that affects everybody. No matter what is going on in somebody’s life, it always somehow ends up impacting everybody in Serenity. Everybody’s got an opinion.”
The Where’s Rose actress doubled down later that month on her refusal to pick a side in the love triangle. “Controversial, but I actually do love Annie and Jackson … dare I say just as much as I love Ty and Annie,” she tweeted. “I mean it could also be because I know the people behind the characters. I adore them both and working with them is so fun. The opportunity to explore either storyline [sic] excites me.”
Rowland, for his part, was firmly Team Ty, commenting on one of Judge’s Instagram posts in February 2022, “Ty and Annie endgame.”
Scroll through the gallery below to revisit Ty and Annie’s relationship: