# Designing Women (1986)

> Four women running an Atlanta interior design firm bicker, bond and bluntly navigate work and love in a sharp-tongued 1980s sitcom.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/675

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 163
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Julia Duffy, Jean Smart, Jan Hooks, Judith Ivey, Meshach Taylor
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090418/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: witty, sardonic, warm, breezy, comforting

## Synopsis

Designing Women (1986-1993) is a American network sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason for CBS. Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter) owns Sugarbaker and Associates, an Atlanta interior design firm, and the outspoken, strong-willed Julia leads a workplace ensemble of women who argue constantly while keeping the business afloat. Divorced single mother Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts) carries the firm's warmth and worry, naive farm girl Charlene Frazier Stillfield (Jean Smart) brings trusting good nature from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and self-centered former beauty queen Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) collects wealthy ex-husbands and schemes for attention. Meshach Taylor plays Anthony Bouvier, the firm's receptionist and a steady presence in the office. Each half-hour episode is built from a client's demanding commission, a clash over money or men, and a sharp exchange of one-liners that resolve in warmth. The result is a seven-season, case-of-the-week workplace comedy with a strong southern accent and a feminist edge. Its tone is brisk, witty and comforting, with a theme of female friendship and independence. Fans of Golden Girls and Murphy Brown will find resonance in its verbal sparring and close-knit women at the center.

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- [Cheers (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/128)
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