Candy Magnolias Season 4 was lately delivered to these with a Netflix subscription early within the 2025 TV schedule, and it didn’t allow us to down. Although I had my doubts about what followers would get after Season 3 disappointments, and needed to see a number of issues from the fourth outing of the romance, the drama managed to convey viewers some large surprises, particularly the place Maddie is worried. This included the top of Episode 2, which revealed that her dishonest, perpetually screwing up ex-husband, Invoice (performed by Chris Klein), had gone off and died. Now, the showrunner has opened up about why they did it and the way Klein responded.
Why Did Candy Magnolias Kill Off Invoice And How Did Chris Klein React To The Information?
Whereas followers who shortly binged all of Candy Magnolias when the fourth season debuted will know that it gave us numerous great issues (just like the acknowledgement of Black ladies as succesful leaders, and extra LGBTQ+ rep with Isaac), and the finale gave us a significant shock by introducing Maddie’s “invigorating” subsequent chapter, that was hardly the place the massive moments ended.
The final minute or so of the second episode noticed Maddie (who’d lately married Cal) all of a sudden confronted together with her former mother-in-law, Bonnie, who unceremoniously introduced that Invoice had died. Because of this the final we’ll see of an alive Invoice Townsend as portrayed by Chris Klein got here within the Season 3 finale, and showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson spoke to Deadline in regards to the resolution and the way the actor took the information, and stated:
To start with, we love Chris. This was purely story-driven, and I defined that to him. He was very gracious and understanding. We have been in search of an occasion the place we may actually monitor the ripples by all of his family and friends and reset their journeys accordingly.
Fortunately, the American Pie star is a professional, and didn’t take it badly when he discovered that the character he’d portrayed for 3 seasons was being minimize unfastened in dramatic style to “reset” the “journeys” of his many family and friends again in Serenity. Actually, it may simply be stated that his loss of life is what actually kicked off the vast majority of the drama this season.
As we’ve discovered all through Candy Magnolias, Invoice had almost all the time been a (generally lowkey) screwup who appeared to have all of it discovered, however completely didn’t. The revered city physician cheated on Maddie together with his nurse, Noreen, and acquired her pregnant. Then managed to additionally alienate Noreen by appearing like a jackass.
He additionally cheated on Maddie once they have been nonetheless in highschool, which led to present mayor Peggy having Isaac in secret again within the day and giving him up for adoption earlier than returning to city. With so many on the town linked to Invoice, it actually did trigger just about everybody to rethink quite a lot of issues about their lives, together with seemingly serving to Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue make some large (constructive) modifications. Anderson continued:
It clearly impacts his household, however we have been additionally focused on that impression if you’re on the age that our girls and their companions to be are, when that first individual in your age group dies unexpectedly, many years and many years earlier than they need to, the questions on mortality and legacy and ‘Am I the place I wish to be? Am I with who I wish to be with?,’ actually large existential questions.
Talking about her “am I with who I wish to be with” remark, if we have now Invoice Townsend’s loss of life to thank for Helen and Erik lastly breaking apart with their important others, getting collectively and getting down in Season 4, then I don’t suppose anybody may be mad at it!