History Series / DesigningWomen

* Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts): A single divorced mother who performs unspecified duties (actually, she's a designer, and frequently speaks of things like sketches and clients) at ''Sugarbaker's''. She spends much of her time [[OneHourWorkWeek sitting around the office/living room]] [[DeadpanSnarker tossing out one-liners]].

--> '''Mary Jo:''' Do you think chewing sugarless gum [counts as eating]?
--> '''Julia:''' Yes I do, and when I get back I'm checkin' your breath.

--> '''Mary Jo:''' (weakly) Bitch!"

The cast was rounded out by [[MiscarriageOfJustice ex-con Anthony Bouvier]] (Meshach Taylor) , [[CloudCuckoolander Bernice Clifton]] (Creator/AliceGhostley), and a steady parade of children, boyfriends, ex-husbands and assorted oddballs. After half the cast left in 1991, some [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute new characters appeared]] to replace them, but they were not as well-received. The series ran on CBS from September 29 ,1986 until May 24, 1993 and spawned an unsuccessful spin-off (''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_the_House Women Of The House]]'').

* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch : Mary Jo gets one in the pilot. Suzanne starts dating Mary Jo's ex. Mary Jo says "Have a wonderful time," as Suzanne is running out the door. She adds "Bitch," after the door closes.

The cast was rounded out by [[MiscarriageOfJustice ex-con Anthony Bouvier]] (Meshach Taylor) , [[CloudCuckoolander Bernice Clifton]] (Alice Ghostley), and a steady parade of children, boyfriends, ex-husbands and assorted oddballs. After half the cast left in 1991, some [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute new characters appeared]] to replace them, but they were not as well-received. The series ran on CBS from September 29 ,1986 until May 24, 1993 and spawned an unsuccessful spin-off (''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_the_House Women Of The House]]'').

* DropInCharacter: Bernice did not work at Sugarbaker's nor did she have a financial stake in the company, yet she spent much of her time there (much to the annoyance of the others, particularly Anthony).

* TheMistress: Spoofed in an episode aptly titled, "The Mistress." Sugarbaker's is hired to decorate both the home of a wealthy married man, and the condo where he keeps his mistress. The women are eventually so disgusted by the mistress that they tell her off in an attempt to defend the wife, but [[TwistEnding it turns out they have the situation entirely wrong]], and so HilarityEnsues.
** The way the truth unfolds [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBlvRMx9tvM is pretty masterfully done.]]
* NoBisexuals: In one episode, Suzanne mentions that she told some guy's parents that he was bisexual because, "I always tell the parents. And I'm not sorry. I don't believe in bisexuals. I figure the rest of us have to choose, so why shouldn't they?"

* OddCouple: For a time, Allison and Anthony reluctantly shared Suzanne's home after [[PutOnABus her departure]] and attempted to force each other out. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity ensued.]]
* OddFriendship: Despite their many differences and occasional unpleasant encounters (including [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace an accidental shooting]]), Suzanne and Anthony became very close friends during the series. So close in fact that Anthony once referred to himself, somewhat confusedly, as Suzanne's "best girl friend." They even had a reunion on the {{spinoff}}.

** The show puts a button on this in an episode spoofing "Gone With the Wind," when each lady imagines what she'd be like as Scarlett O'Hara.

The cast was rounded out by [[MiscarriageOfJustice ex-con Anthony Bouvier]] (Meshach Taylor) and [[CloudCuckoolander Bernice Clifton]] (Alice Ghostley) and a steady parade of children, boyfriends, ex-husbands and assorted oddballs. After half the cast left in 1991, some [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute new characters appeared]] to replace them, but they were not as well-received. The series ran on CBS from September 29 ,1986 until May 24, 1993 and spawned an unsuccessful spin-off (''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_the_House Women Of The House]]'').

* ACupAngst: Mary Jo gets an episode about whether or not to get breast implants.

* AnAesop: Frequently, and many delivered Julia, who often [[AuthorFilibuster served as something of a mouthpiece]] for show creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Her fiery rants touched on all kinds of issues, from sex education and sweatshop exploitation to inane magazine editorials.

* BadSanta: In one episode, Suzanne hires a mall Santa to slip into Mary Jo's house and make her son believe that Santa is real. Santa proceeds to rob Mary Jo blind.

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Charlene, Allison, and BJ were blondes, Suzanne, Julia, and Carlene were brunettes, and Mary Jo was the redhead, all though every few episodes or so her hair would look almost dark enough to be brown and later on every once in a while would almost look blonde!

* TheCameo: The show had a smattering of celebrity appearances over the years, although possibly the most memorable is DollyParton as Charlene's "guardian movie star" when she's in the hospital to give birth.

* CoolPet: Noel, the Pig.

** Lampshaded, in that Perky, Julia and Suzanne's mother, asks them to keep an eye on Bernice, since Perky herself is [[WalkingTheEarth always out of the country]].

* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: The episode in which Julia's son gets married, she's feeling her age. In response, she gets drunk and sings a very sexy "Sweet Georgia Brown" [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crv1pgHF2Ns as seen here.]] Then she wakes up with his college roommate.

* OddFriendship: Despite their many differences and occasional unpleasant encounters (including [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace an accidental shooting]]), Suzanne and Anthony became very close friends during the series. So close in fact that Anthony once referred to himself, bewilderedly, as Suzanne's "best girl friend." They even had a reunion on the {{spinoff}}.

** During another episode, Charlene tells an old Southerner joke. It goes like this: "A woman says to a Northerner, 'Where y'all from'? The Northerner says 'We're from a place where they don't end a sentence with a preposition.' The Southern says 'Where y'all from, bitch?'"

A {{Work Com}} by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason about four Southern women who operate an interior design company in [[UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} Atlanta, Georgia]]. The cast included:

A {{Work Com}} by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason about four Southern women who operate an interior design company in [[{{Atlanta}} Atlanta, Georgia]]. The cast included:

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Jean Smart discovered she was pregnant the day that Charlene and Bill's wedding episode was filmed. [[HideYourPregnancy Rather than stick her in a bunch of baggy clothes]], Charlene was written to have gotten pregnant on the honeymoon, and baby Olivia was born the following New Year's.

* HideYourPregnancy: Averted with Jean Smart (see RealLifeWritesThePlot below) but played straight with Annie Potts later on.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: Anthony often walks into the Sugarbaker's at inopportune moments.

-->-- "Dash Groff, the Writer", season 2, episode 6

* TheCastShowoff: In exchange for performing Julia's decidedly left-wing rants, Dixie Carter (a Republican) requested that the character be allowed to sing in a number of episodes.
** Jean Smart also sang on the show. Pretty much everybody performed at one point or other, [[CrossingTheLineTwice once even in blackface (Suzanne)]].

* ChristmasCake: This was a rare show showcasing single women over 30 [[TheGoldenGirls but below 65]].

* IronyAsSheIsCast: As mentioned above, the very conservative Dixie Carter played the very Liberal Julia Sugarbaker.

* RealLifeRelative: Delta Burke's RealLife husband Gerald [=McRaney=] played one of Suzanne's ex-husbands; Dixie Carter's RealLife husband Hal Holbrook played Julia's longtime sweetheart, Reese Watson, until the character's death.

* AnAesop: Frequently.

* BattleOfTheSexes: Another of Julia's memorable [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHW1GS8ZxS8&feature=related rants]] is on this very subject.

* BigFancyHouse: Julia's stately home, which doubled as the company's office.

* DropInCharacter: Bernice did not work at ''Sugarbaker's'' nor did she have a financial stake in the company, yet she spent much of her time there (much to the annoyance of the others, particularly Anthony).
** She was Julia and Suzanne's deceased mother's friend. Keeping her around reminded them of their mother.

* FurAndLoathing: Spoofed in an episode.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Charlene's taste in men to date, until she met her husband.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: As mentioned above, the very Conservative Dixie Carter played the very Liberal Julia Sugarbaker.
* MiscarriageOfJustice: Naturally, Anthony was completely innocent of the crime that caused his [[CatchPhrase "unfortunate incarceration"]] and spent the entire run of the series getting his life back in order (earning his GED, going to college, becoming a partner in ''Sugarbaker's'', etc.) and trying to put his past behind him. This fact did not stop Suzanne from constantly [[CrossingTheLineTwice expressing her displeasure with having a black ex-con around the office.]] She did get better about it as the series progressed.

* NoodleIncident: The reason for Anthony's prison term is never clarified.

* OddFriendship: Despite their many differences and occasional unpleasant encounters (including [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace an accidental shooting]]), Suzanne and Anthony became close friends during the series and reunited on the {{spinoff}}.
* PimpedOutDress

* SouthernBelle: Suzanne and Allison Sugarbaker in particular, but really, the main characters all fit the bill one way or another.

* StoodUp: Happened often during the ladies' dates.

* SweaterGirl

* WidowWoman: Julia Sugarbaker

* PrepositionsAreNotToEndSentencesWith: If someone calls on you for this, correct the sentence with calling the GrammarNazi a fitting name.
* PrettyInMink: Except for the instance of the other trope, Suzanne wore furs with no comment. And, on rare occasions, so did the others.

* SpinOff: ''Women of the House'', in which Suzanne's latest husband -- a Congressman -- has died, and she moves to Washington to serve out the remainder of his term.

The cast was rounded out by [[MiscarriageOfJustice ex-con Anthony Bouvier]] (Meshach Taylor) and [[CloudCuckoolander Bernice Clifton]] (Alice Ghostley) and a steady parade of children, boyfriends, ex-husbands and assorted oddballs. After half the cast left in 1991, some [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute new characters appeared]] to replace them, but they were not as well-received. The series ran on CBS from September 29 ,1986 until May 24, 1993 and spawned an unsuccessful spin-off ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_the_House Women Of The House]]).