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Carson Rowland’s absence from Sweet Magnolias has sparked backlash from fans, but the actor has been busy working on a new project — and it’s finally been revealed.
Rowland, 28, will have a “recurring role” on NBC’s The Rockford Files, Deadline reported on Thursday, June 11.
While Rowland’s character on the reboot has not been shared, the show was picked up to series by NBC last month.
The Rockford Files initially aired from 1974 to 1980 starring James Garner as former inmate turned private investigator, Jim Rockford.
In the new iteration, David Boreanaz will portray the lead. Felix Solis and Jacki Weaver have also been announced as part of the cast, playing Jim’s best friend, Nitty, and trailer park neighbor Karma, respectively.
According to the logline, the new series follows Jim Rockford after he’s been “newly paroled for a crime he didn’t commit, who returns to work as a private investigator in Los Angeles but finds himself targeted by both police and organized crime.”
While Rowland hasn’t publicly confirmed his part on The Rockford Files, he’s hinted that he’s back to work via social media in recent weeks.
“I’m alive. Promise!” Rowland wrote via Instagram on May 28, sharing a series of photos, including one picture of him on camera shooting something.
In addition to filming The Rockford Files pilot, Rowland recently shot three independent movies, according to Deadline, which have not been released.
The actor’s future on Sweet Magnolias, meanwhile, is still up in the air after his character, Ty, was missing from most of season 4.
His absence was explained by Ty — who is Maddie Townsend’s (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) eldest son — going on tour with bandmate Olivia (Tommi Rose). He even missed girlfriend Annie’s (Anneliese Judge) graduation, which led her to break up with him via text.
When season 5 premiered on June 11, fans were surprised that Ty wasn’t present at all. However, he was on the minds of viewers after Annie received a “miss you” text out of the blue.
Showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson told Deadline this month that the text and missed FaceTime message from Ty could spell a return for Rowland’s character down the line.
“We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?,” Anderson teased.
She noted that the writers wanted to “give that story emotional weight, stakes, consequences,” for Annie, explaining that “to just pretend that nobody thinks about him, nobody asks about him, and that he’s not thinking about them would have been insincere, I believe.”
Anderson added, “He’s still out there trying to figure out what happens next, she’s still in Serenity trying to figure out what happens next. And again, open doors we hope will lead to new information, different resolutions. Love isn’t cut and dry. You don’t just wake up one morning and say, I don’t love this person anymore, and move on. It takes time.”
Only time will tell if Rowland returned to Sweet Magnolias for season 6, but for now he’s focused on his new projects and life as a father of two.
Carson announced in October 2025 that his wife, Maris Rowland, gave birth to their second baby, a son named Asa. The couple, who tied the knot in 2021, also share 2-year-old daughter Eden.
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