"Delta" (1992) TV series

Creator:

Miriam Trogdon

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

15 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Delta Burke	...	Delta Bishop (17 episodes, 1992-1993)
Earl Holliman	...	Darden Towe (17 episodes, 1992-1993)
Beth Grant	...	Thelma Wainwright (17 episodes, 1992-1993)
Nancy Giles	...	Connie Morris (17 episodes, 1992-1993)
Bill Engvall	...	Buck Overton (17 episodes, 1992-1993)
Gigi Rice	...	Lavonne Overton (17 episodes, 1992-1993)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Stage 44, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Perseverance Inc.

Trivia:

Before the series aired, a commercial featured one of the cast members showing Burke how to hold a tray to wait tables. Burke gets irritated and questions why she should have to carry trays if she's the star of the show. Her fellow cast member says, "But Delta, what if this show doesn't make it?". Burke thinks for a moment and then continues with the lesson. The joke proved prophetic, the show was canceled after one season.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Painted Hills (#6.10)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Climb That Mountain

Overview

Delta Bishop was an enthusiastic woman who decided she wanted to make it in country music, just like her idol, Patsy Cline. When her husband Charlie refused to support her dream, she dumped him, quit her job as a hairstylist, moved in with her ditsy cousin Lavonne, and got a job waitressing at The Green Lantern bar, where Cline once sang. Working at the bar was Darden Towe, the owner with a gruff exterior but a heart of gold, and Connie, a loudmouth black lady from Detroit. Lavonne's redneck husband Buck was a constant foil for Delta, and Lavonne's boss Thelma was constantly spouting off eccentric advice. Seen later in the series was Delta's agent, the egotistical "tune mogul" Sandy, and Delta's shrill mother Rosiland.

Following a very public behind-the-scenes battle on "Designing Women," "Delta" was supposed to be Burke's big comeback. Didn't quite work that way though. The problem is that the show features a large cast, but it wasn't an ensemble -- Burke was the star of the show, all of the others were just eccentrically one-dimensional background characters. Darden was given more dimension than any of the other characters (it was obvious he'd have been a potential love interest if the show had survived), and Buck and Thelma each had numerous scene-stealing moments, but the rest of the characters were forgettable... not unlike the show itself. There was no edge, and it felt like a formulaic '80s sitcom that was aired in the '90s. Actually the show would be thoroughly forgettable, if not for the freakshow attraction of seeing a zaftig, blonde Burke uncomfortably crooning country songs. It's a shame because there was a lot of talent involved, but in the end, it was a pretty mediocre show.