Designing Women (TV series)
**Overview of Designing Women (TV Series)**
"Designing Women" is a television sitcom that aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s, focusing on the lives of four women who run a design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. The main characters include Julia Sugarbaker, the strong-willed owner portrayed by Dixie Carter; her sister Suzanne, played by Delta Burke; Mary Jo Shively, an initially timid but later assertive associate; and Charlene Frazier, the cheerful office manager. The show is celebrated for its clever dialogue, authentic Southern accents, and engaging humor, which often highlights Southern culture without ridicule.
Each episode features the women engaging in witty discussions on a wide range of topics, from societal issues to everyday life, rather than focusing on actual design work. Notably, the series did not shy away from addressing serious themes, tackling issues such as sexism, racism, and domestic violence with a mix of humor and sensitivity. "Designing Women" garnered a dedicated fan base and successfully returned for an extended run after a brief hiatus, thanks in part to viewer advocacy. The show's impact is reflected in its memorable speeches, particularly those delivered by Julia Sugarbaker, which have become iconic among fans.
Designing Women (TV series)
Identification Television comedy series
Date Aired from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993
Set in Atlanta during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and revolving around four female characters, Designing Women presented a new image of Southern women that appealed to a diverse audience.
Celebrating rather than mocking the South and Southerners, Designing Women featured strong characters and snappy dialogue delivered with authentic accents. It elevated Southern humor to an entirely new level. The show introduced audiences to the Sugarbaker Design firm of Atlanta, which was owned and operated by the characters. The women of the show—the spirited, feisty owner of the firm, Julia Sugarbaker (played by Dixie Carter); Julia’s younger sister, Suzanne Sugarbaker (played by Delta Burke, a former beauty queen); their initially shy but later aggressive associate, Mary Jo Shively (played by Annie Potts); and the sweet, naïve office manager, Charlene Frazier (played by Jean Smart)—were beautiful, smart, and funny.
When the series began, all four women were single, either by circumstance or by choice, and in each episode, instead of actually designing anything, the characters would deliver their highly opinionated commentary on everything from fast food to the First Amendment. Action was limited, but scripts were packed with clever jokes, memorable one-liners, witty verbal repartee, and sentimental anecdotes of eccentric ancestors. The material highlighted the show’s Southern charm and showcased the talents of the cast, particularly their impeccable comic timing. The women’s banter would also often be punctuated by the voice of Anthony Bouvier (played by Meshach Taylor), the Sugarbakers’ handyman and later partner. He would contribute—often very unwillingly—the male perspective on subjects decidedly feminine. While consistently funny, Designing Women also ventured to explore some of the 1980’s most controversial issues. With episodes devoted to denouncing sexism, racism, the exploitation of the poor, and domestic violence, the show was edgier and more sophisticated than many other sitcoms of the decade.
Impact
Even though its ratings were respectable, after its first season Designing Women was put on hiatus. Fans of the show, though, mounted a successful letter-writing campaign to persuade network executives to give the show another chance. After returning to the air, the show ran for six more years. A large part of the show’s success can be attributed to the impassioned speeches delivered dramatically and convincingly in nearly every episode by Julia Sugarbaker, who was occasionally referred to by the other characters as “the Terminator.” Thanks to the show’s long second run in syndication, primarily on the Lifetime Cable Network, fans of the show learned to recite many of these speeches word for word.
Bibliography
Burke, Delta. Delta Style: Eve Wasn’t a Size 6 and Neither Am I. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
Carter, Dixie. Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
McPherson, Tara. Reconstructing Dixie: Race, Gender, and Nostalgia in the Imagined South. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2003.
Owen, A. Susan, Sarah R. Stein, and Leah R. Vande Berg. Bad Girls: Cultural Politics and Media Representations of Transgressive Women. New York: Peter Lang, 2007.