Designing Women

CBS (ended 1993)

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Show Summary

Premiered: Sep 29, 1986
Status: Ended

Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter), Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts), Charlene Frazier-Stillfield (Jean Smart) and Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) are associates at their design firm, Sugarbaker and Associates. Julia Sugarbaker is the owner of Sugarbaker and Associates and is very outspoken and strong-willed. Mary Jo Shively is a divorced single-parent who is just as strong-willed as Julia, but isn't as self-confident. Charlene is the naive and trusting farm girl from Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Suzanne Sugarbaker is the self-centered ex-beauty queen who has a number of wealthy ex-husbands.''

''At the end of Season 5 Delta Burke was fired from the series and Jean Smart left to pursue other goals. Two new characters were introduced: Allison Sugarbaker (Julia Duffy) and Carlene Frazier Dobber (Jan Hooks). Soon, Julia Duffy was taken out of the series and a final cast change brought in Bonnie Jean "B.J." Poteet (Judith Ivey).''

''The series was very successful for CBS, lasting 7 seasons (163 episodes). Reruns from the series continue to air on Lifetime.

In 1995, Delta Burke reconciled with the series creators and reprised her role of Suzanne Sugarbaker for the far less successful spin-off Women of the House, which co-starred Teri Garr and Patricia Heaton. Carter, Burke, and Bloodworth-Thomason had all previously worked together on the 1982-83 sitcom Filthy Rich, from which a lot of dialogue in Designing Women was recycled.''Nielsen Ratings:''(Top 30 or Better)''

''#23 in the 1989- 1990 Season
''#11 in the 1990- 1991 Season
''#6 in the 1991- 1992 Season
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8.2

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Episode Guide

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S 8 : Ep 1	Designing Women Reunion	Aired 7/28/03
S 7 : Ep 22	Gone With a Whim (2)	Aired 5/24/93
S 7 : Ep 21	Gone With a Whim (1)	Aired 5/24/93
S 7 : Ep 20	The Lying Game	Aired 5/7/93
S 7 : Ep 19	The Woman Who Came to Sugarbakers	Aired 4/30/93

Watch Designing Women Full Episodes

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Designing Women

S 1 : Ep 1

Aired 9/29/86

Designing Women News

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9

Remembering Designing Women's Dixie Carter

By Ilana Diamond, Apr 15, 2010

Dixie Carter, known for her portrayal of Julia Sugarbaker on the late-'80s/early-'90s show Designing Women, passed away last weekend at age 70. The role of Ms. Sugarbakeran iron fist in a velvet glovepioneered the role of the strong, outspoken female… more
2

Actress Dixie Carter dies at 70

By Press Association, Apr 13, 2010

Dixie Carter has died aged 70 (AP)" link="#" target="" loc="left">Publicist Steve Rohr, who represents Carter and her husband, actor Hal Holbrook, said Carter died on Saturday morning. A native of Tennessee, Carter was most famous for playing quick-witted Southerner Julia… more

Cast & Crew

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Dixie Carter

Julia Sugarbaker
Annie Potts

Mary Jo Shively
Meshach Taylor

Anthony Bouvier

Fan Reviews (16)

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It was a classic show.

10

"Perfect"

By Prowler86Kid, Apr 12, 2010 Report Abuse

I loved Designing Women. It lost some of it's appeal when Suzanne and Charlene lefet, but it was still funny. My favorite character was Julia. She was this polite, sophiticated woman, but when you got on her bad side, she'd go Terminator on you, which I found to be funny, but also true about whoever her anger was aimed at. My favorite episode with Julia was Full Moon, or the name of it was close to that. I loved the fact that she was always sticking up for what she thought was right. That episode where she kept crashing her car into a stand that had posters she spoke of as degrading to women. Mary Jo was my second favorite. Especially in the Big Hass episode, when she was talking about how big breast could get you anything. Mary Jo, i think would be in everyones top two, of the funniest ones of them all. I wasn't to happy when Suzanne ans Charlene left, but that epsidoe when they all spent the night at Charlene's (or is it Carlene's? I think both her and charlene's names were spelt the same) new apartment, had me laughing hard. I love old classic shows like these.moreless

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3 0
not that good

5.5

"Mediocre"

By CAPNDEL, Apr 12, 2010 Report Abuse

i can not believe how long this show was on. it lasted a lot longer than i thought it ever would. i never thought it was that funny. delta burke occasionally made me chuckle but that was about it. and meeshack taylor, i do not understand what his function on the show even was.

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0 6
HAHA!!! What a disgrace to tv sitcoms!! I wish i could give it a zero!!!

1.0

"Abysmal"

By YummyLuvr11, Apr 12, 2010 Report Abuse

This show is an absolute joke. I cannot believe I watched it. The only reason I watched it twice was because my sister held me at gunpoint!!! It is an absolute waste of 7 years. I pity anyone who watched it. It really screwed up a lot of little boys. My sister is the spitting image of Dixie Carter a.k.a. Julia. That character alone caused many people to flee in terror about her speech about "the night the lights went out in georgia". Many still have a complex about my sister reenacting it. It is completley a horror....Don't watch the reruns!!! Thank god they took them off the telly!!!!!moreless

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0 4
This show is one of my favorite shows. When I go back home in the USA I want to get DVDs if I can find any.

10

"Perfect"

By dixiedelight001, Nov 26, 2007 Report Abuse

I think my favorite woman has to be Suzanne Sugarbaker. Next one is Julia, her sister. I could watch the series all day long! I remember my favorite writer Lewis Grizzard was a guest star in it. I was in heaven! Anthony was so funny, and every show was just as good as the other one! I wish they would have shown the series here in the UK where I now live.
I enjoy the language and Southern hospitality in the show, and the proper manners and the old fashioned traditions. Well, what boils down is that we need more Southern shows like this.moreless

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2 0
Except for using the Anthony as a glorified donkey, it was an OK show . . .

6.9

"Fair"

By ez1jb, Aug 25, 2006 Report Abuse

Four women who shared stories, meals, secrets and sometimes worked on designing people's homes. Worked is a stretch, because most of the time, they did more gossiping than anything else. But that was fine-because it seemed more realistic that way. Delta Burke, who played Suzanne Sugarbaker made this show. She was honest and conceited and stereotypically southern. Although I don't like the way she treated Anthony like her own personal slave-she did grow to have a very strong friendship onscreen with him. The next funniest character was definitely Charlene. She was a loveable character whose naivity was only matched by her crazy back woods charm and her 'back home in Poplar Bluff' stories. The other 2 ladies, Julia and Mary Jo, I didn't care for that much. This was a wonderful show when the original characters appeared; after Delta and Jean Smart left- there was a lot taken away from the sorority/sisterhood that the original actresses had formed.moreless

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Season 6 on DVD: 3rd of april, 2012
http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Women-Season-Dixie-Carter/dp/B006UKX628/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1326073191&sr=8-6

By Zypherix, Jan 09, 2012

01/09/12

1
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It's back in Styndication
I was doing a search on my DVR like I do each week, hoping they would be there and today I found out they were. It airs on the TV...

By telvisnostic, Oct 04, 2011

10/04/11

1
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Season 5 DVD Info
December 6th http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Designing-Women-Season-5/15915

By telvisnostic, Sep 10, 2011

09/10/11

1
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Season 4 on DVD - 14th of September :)
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Designing-Women-Season-4/13806

By Zypherix, May 26, 2010

05/26/10

1
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Dixie Carter has passed on at the age 70
Not too many details as of yet. Just this blurb: [quote="The Insider"]"The Insider" breaks news that actress Dixie Carter, best ...

By telvisnostic, Apr 10, 2010

04/12/10

5
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