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The year, Patreon friends: 2003. The goal: bring back the original cast of "Designing Women". Sprinkle in: LBT, Pam Norris, and allll the husbands for good measure.
We couldn't possibly close out the series without chatting about the Lifetime Reunion: general reactions, favorite moments, and biggest surprises.
Come on, y'all, let's get into it!
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The time hath come, friends - we’re on our “Designing Women” farewell tour. After four years, seven seasons, hundreds of episode watches, and countless hours with these lovely creatures, our time together has come to an end. We’ll kick off the “goodbyes” sharing our all-time favorite episodes, ranking the seasons, and finally revealing our favorite characters (for today.) And, if we’re extra-nice, Salina may do some math for us!
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
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This “Extra Sugar” officially calls to order the Sweet Tea & TV Book Club! Grab your copy of “Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker” by the one and only Dixie Carter and settle in for a gab-fest. This episode turned out longer than normal, but it turns out these two talkers - one a Georgia Talker and one a South Carolina Talker - also had a lot of opinions.
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Ah, the age-old fun-house version that’s not so “fun” - that’s what we were facing this season with Ms. Julia Sugarbaker. Her condescension was at an all-time high throughout the season and the runner of the tension between her and Mary Jo wasn’t our favorite part of the season. HOWEVER, there were some high points, so let’s chat about it.
And come back later this week for the second installment of the “Sweet Tea & TV Book Club” - we’re talking all things Dixie Carter’s 1996 book, “Trying to Get To Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker.”
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This week’s Extra Sugar is inspired by Mary Jo’s brush with the supernatural after Elvis’s face appears on her shovel in season 7, episode 17.
We’re also introduced to Jade Herman, a self-proclaimed expert in the “para-spectacular”, who “markets and promotes everything from Jesus’ face on a toaster to UFOs landing in a wheat field outside of London.”
Naturally, Salina then curated a list of five para-spectacular…occurrences…for your listening pleasure. So if you’re into toasts, ghosts, and UFOs, well, this one's for you.
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Justice for Mary Jo! That’s what we were yelling at the end of season 7. Mary Jo - and, in fact, Annie Potts - deserved so much more than the “Designing Women” writers gave her this season. Of course, there were some funny parts and a couple social commentaries but, for the most part, we veered into funhouse territory - just minus the fun.
Come on y’all, let’s rip off the Band-aid and get into it!
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This week’s Carlene episode opened the door to something we just have to talk about: Southern Suffragists (courtesy of Carlene’s boyfriend, Eric, giving Julia a book on the topic in episode 20).
We’ll talk about the women’s suffragist movement generally, unpack the South’s role and what happened here, and wrap up by looking at some women (and men!) suffragists who helped make it happen.
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
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The short version of this episode is: Salina and Nikki are disappointed that the writers/producers/universe short-changed easily one of the high points of the post-shakeup “Designing Women” cast. Poor Carlene is reduced to just a couple storylines and a few pop-in jokes here and there. But, that won’t stop us from giving her her due!
Let’s get into our thoughts (and feels) about Carlene’s portrayal in season 7 - from the funniest parts all the way down to the cringiest (including being nekkid on Anthony’s sheets!)
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
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All the way back in season 4, in “Bernice’s Sanity Hearing” (which we called “Some LIke Dolls, Some Like Revenge”), Julia said: "I'm saying this is the South, and we're proud of our crazy people. We don't hide them up in the attic. We bring 'em right down to the living room and show 'em off. See, Phyllis, no one in the South ever asks if you have crazy people in your family. They just ask what side they're on.”
Which leads us to the thesis of this “Extra Sugar”. We’ll poke around in that concept a little bit - what does Bernice’s character show us about mental health and “crazy" in the South? Is there anything in our collective experience that plays out through Bernice’s story?
And, since we’re a culture in crisis, we’ll end by sharing our own tips for preserving your sanity.
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All aboard! Headed to our next stop on the ST&TV Season 7 Train - BERNICE.
The writers for “Designing Women” season 7 were ALL IN on Bernice as the comic relief this season and so were we. (Don’t be surprised if we break all the rules and share dozens of “funniest moments” for Bernice this season!) We’ll hit all the highs and lows for this red-hot mama.
And don’t forget to come back Thursday for a mental-health focused “Extra Sugar.”
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Our Anthony episode– and his rebound trip to Las Vegas – was a perfectly adequate excuse for Salina to talk about the Dixie Mafia. Confused? OK, stay with us. When people think about Vegas, they think about the mafia. But what if we told you there was a Southern mafia? The Dixie Mafia. AKA the Southern mob, AKA the Cornbread Cosa Nostra.
Join us as we shed some light on their origins AND some of the most interesting figures and cases in their sordid history.
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Next up in our character run-down for season 7, the one, the only: ANTHONY BOUVIER!
As we wrap up our time with Anthony, let’s take a second to appreciate the endless shenanigans the Designing Women have put him through, his quickie, season 7 marriage, his never-ending law school career, and the twist ending that has us all wondering if Bernice’s feelings for him were truly unrequited.
We’ll make a pit-stop at Salina’s Sidebar, to talk about the one and only, Sheryl Lee Ralph.
And we have a special bit for our Patreon listeners, inspired by the crew’s two-part Vegas visit this season.
Finally, don’t forget to come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” that was weeks of internet research, podcast listening, and light book-skimming in the making - Salina’s taking the Southern route to Vegas, talking all about the Dixie Mafia.
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In season 7, episode 13, all the ladies – even the ones who didn’t want to admit it (JULIA) – were wrapped by the celebrity scandal of the moment: Squidgygate.
This was the perfect inspiration for us to also talk about celebrity scandals. So join us as we break down their favorite – and then we both bring a few of our own to the table: several Southern ones and then one that we can’t stop obsessing over for like, oh, four months now.
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Up first in our last Designing Women season EVER: Ms. Bonnie Jean Poteet, or BJ “if you’re nasty” (per Nikki, which, let’s be honest, makes it way better). We’re gonna talk about her season trajectory: her highs and her lows, and generally, what these two seasoned gals thought of this brief and final show addition.
We’ll break somewhere in the middle to talk about the woman behind the woman: Judith Ivey. Then come back on Thursday for a downright scandalous “Extra Sugar” inspired by the midseason obsession with Squidgygate – the world loves a “gate”, ya know?
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
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We just had to give the series finale the old Sweet Tea & TV treatment. You know, break the WHOLE thing down – reactions, likes, dislikes, and allll the references.
Join us as we give this fever dream, two-parter the send off it deserves – and frankly, we’ve all earned together these last four years.
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
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It’s impossible to believe it, but we have reached the 7th and final season of Designing Women. In our premiere episode, we’ll discuss our initial reactions and hand out some superlatives for the season's highs and lows.
We’ll carry on with our season 6 structure - that is each week, we’ll spend some time with a different character. What were their best and worst moments and where did things end up for them?
Come back later in the week for an Extra Sugar where we’ll talk about the two-part series finale. It’ll be a throwback to our episode-by-episode breakdowns from season 1-5.
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
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It’s time for our traditional, post-”Designing Women” season special episode! We’re definitely planning to discuss season 7 after the holidays, but to tide you over, we’re heading to Beverly Hills—Troop Beverly Hills, to be exact.
If you haven’t seen this 1989 gem starring Shelly Long in her peak, feathered-hair glory, you’re in for a treat. This isn’t just a movie—it’s an adventure in over-the-top Scout uniforms, cookie sales drama, and a showdown with wilderness survival that’s as hilarious as it is heartwarming. For us, it was a no-brainer: Carlene’s Scout leader stint, our “Extra Sugar” on Girl Scouts, and our deep dive into Shelly Long’s Cheers fame all screamed Troop Beverly Hills.
So, if you’re feeling nostalgic—or just need a good laugh between turkey leftovers and New Year’s resolutions—join us. Grab some popcorn, snuggle up, and maybe consider bedazzling your own Scout sash. You know, for the vibes.
We’ll be back Designing Women-style after the New Year. Until then, happy holidays—and happy watching!
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We are so excited to present our first-ever, Sweet Tea & TV special guest, Brandon, from Front Row Classics. He’s a knower-of-all-things old Hollywood. A connoisseur of classic films. And, luckily for us, a Designing Women appreciator.
In this episode, we chat with Brandon about his favorite DW memories, his thoughts on the sometimes-maligned later seasons of the show, the plethora of classic film references that have popped up through the years on Designing Women, and we even lured him into a silly, ChatGPT-powered game, re-imagining the cast through the lens of vintage camera.
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We simply cannot leave the upheaval that was season six of Designing Women without talking about the elephant in the room: the cast changes. America was glued to their TVs to see how Julia Duffy and Jan Hooks would fare in place of the beloved Delta Burke and Jean Smart. Thirty million strong for that matter. We’ll discuss if they got a fair shake.
Designing Women had some cast changes, but they didn’t invent them. So we’re going to talk about some iconic ones in other corners of TV. Who did it best? Who did it worst? And, most importantly, was there drah-mah?!?!
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We can’t possibly round out our coverage of season 6 without discussing the much-discussed, oft-aligned newbie, Allison. It’s a big change, but how did we take it? Let’s discuss. Salina’s also going to bring us a Sidebar on Julia Duffy. And then come back Thursday for an Extra Sugar we’re calling Cast Away. We’re going to chat not only about the major Designing Women cast changes this season, but some other major - and less-major - cast shifts throughout TV history.
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