'Sweet Magnolias': Jamie Lynn Spears's return is a pleasant surprise as fans revive hopes of 'Zoey 101' reboot
Jamie Lynn Spears returned to the screen 12 years after the end of her stint as Zoey in Nickelodeon's 'Zoey 101'. She appeared in the new Netflix romance drama 'Sweet Magnolias' and it is all fans have been talking about. After being away from the spotlight for a very long time, her comeback while anticipated also came as a shock to many. Nevertheless, people are excited to see the former teen star return to acting again.
Spears portrays Noreen Fitzgibbons, the young assistant nurse to Dr Bill Townsend (Chris Klein), who has an affair with him and ends up pregnant with his child. Noreen is what you would call 'the other woman', or to put it crassly, the 'homewrecker' because her engaging with Bill, ultimately sabotaged his 20-year marriage to Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher). But no matter how much you want to hate her for destroying the Townsend family, she is really hard to dislike. She comes off as a young and bubbly woman, who wants nothing more than to be loved by someone. She's made mistakes just like any other person but there is also some naivete to her. She has no malicious intent and is also respectful to Maddie and the kids.
There's no one else that is more thrilled to have Spears back in the acting business than former 'Zoey 101' fans.
"Listen I loved Zoey 101. I’m glad Jamie Lynn is back. #SweetMagnolias", one fan expressed. "I’m watching sweet magnolias and like I recognized Jamie Lynn Spears but I also didn’t", said a second fan. Another fan added: "Watching #SweetMagnolias for the sole fact of @jamielynnspears."
"My favorite part of #SweetMagnolias is not that it's a great mix of Lifetime and Hallmark, but that it is Jamie Lynn Spear's acting comeback. This show!" quipped another fan.
Fans couldn't help but refer to glory days on 'Zoey 101' with every other tweet on Jamie Lynn expressing their surprise to see the star on the new show. A Zoey fan said, "Yesterday all I wanted to do was watch Zoey 101, which isn’t steaming anywhere. Started a new show today and who’s there? Jamie Lynn Spears!"
An eagle-eyed viewer also pointed out the irony between Noreen's character and Jamie Lynn's real life. "So you’re telling me that Jamie Lynn Spears quit acting and ended Zoey 101 because she got pregnant, only to make her first return to acting since playing a pregnant character, the irony is amazing," they tweeted.
That said, some fans are still holding on to the hope that Jamie Lynn's comeback could potentially mean that she's ready to revive her role as Zoey, and there could potentially be a reboot of the popular Nickelodeon teen sitcom. "PSA Jamie Lynn Spears is in the new series Sweet Magnolia & she looks the exact same ..... so maybe they can bring back Zoey 101," said another user. Is Nickelodeon listening? It is the season for revivals after all.