"Designing Women" (1986) TV series 1986-1993

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Writer:

Bill Kenny (series)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

29 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Outspoken feminist Julia Sugarbaker runs a design firm out of her Atlanta home, along with her shallow ex-beauty queen sister...

Plot Keywords:

Atlanta Georgia | Friendship Between Women | American South | Small Business | Sister Sister Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Dixie Carter	...	Julia Sugarbaker / ... (151 episodes, 1986-1993)
Annie Potts	...	Mary Jo Shively (151 episodes, 1986-1993)
Meshach Taylor	...	Anthony Bouvier (132 episodes, 1986-1993)
Jean Smart	...	Charlene Frazier Stillfield / ... (119 episodes, 1986-1991)
Delta Burke	...	Suzanne Sugarbaker / ... (119 episodes, 1986-1991)

Runtime:

30 min | Germany:25 min (164 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Bloodworth-Thomason

Trivia:

Despite the fact that she had already had significant roles in two prior TV series, CBS was unsure about Delta Burke as the star of the show because of her beauty queen background.

Quotes:

Mary Jo: Anthony, where have you been all morning?
Anthony: The question should be, "Where have I been all night?" I'll tell you where I've been. I was locked in the basement of Suzanne's house!
Allison: Oh, were you locked in there? I thought I heard something.
Anthony: Did it sound anything like someone shouting "Let me out of here, bitch!"?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Roseanne: The Dark Ages (#5.3)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Georgia on My Mind

Hilarious, often touching Southern belles

Designing Women is a true classic show, certainly with its original cast, offering some of the best characters, chemistry, and scripts ever on television. The people behind the show were the Thomasons, good friends of Bill Clinton from Arkansas, and often, the show expressed their liberal point of view.

Julia, Suzanne, Charlene, Mary Jo etc., have now all passed into syndication where they can be enjoyed all the time. These wonderful actresses fleshed out their characters so were able to laugh, be appalled, and cry with them: Julia, the widow, outspoken with a good heart; Suzanne, her beauty queen sister, selfish, shallow, and lovable; Charlene, the patsy, pretty, sweet, and naive; Mary Jo, the divorcée, struggling with dating and motherhood, self-deprecating and funny. And what can be said about that supporting cast of Meshach Taylor as Anthony and Alice Ghostley as Bernice? Perfect.

Even though I laughed hysterically at many of the episodes, two stand out - one where, during freezing weather, Suzanne and Anthony are stranded at a fleabag hotel for the night; the other was when the girls went on some sort of camping trip and were ordered around by a counselor - I'm vague on the details, but I can still see the look on Charlene and Mary Jo's faces.

Like the Golden Girls, with the loss of one of the cast, in this case Delta Burke, the show suffered, although it was still funny with Julia Duffy and Judith Ivey. But audiences find it difficult to accept new characters as replacements, no matter how good. The chemistry was never the same. Nevertheless, even the later episodes make for great viewing.