Designing Women 1986
“Designed to keep you laughing!”
What is Designing Women?
Designing Women is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, until May 24, 1993. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of four women and their handyman running a design firm called Sugarbaker and Associates located in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Type
- TV series
- Year
- 1986
- Status
- Ended
- Episodes
- 163
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- First aired
- Sep 29, 1986
- Last aired
- May 24, 1993
- Original language
- EN
- Origin
- US
- Networks
- CBS
- Genres
- Comedy
- Updated
Where to watch
Stream
Claro tv+
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How long to binge?
Estimate the schedule using 163 episodes and an average 30-minute runtime.
Trailer
Overview
Designing Women is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, until May 24, 1993. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of four women and their handyman running a design firm called Sugarbaker and Associates located in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the course of seven seasons and 163 episodes, the program was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television. The central characters include Julia Sugarbaker, the outspoken and strong-willed owner of the firm, and her sister Suzanne, a self-centered former beauty queen with multiple wealthy ex-husbands. They work alongside Mary Jo Shively, a divorced single parent who is strong-willed but lacks self-confidence, and Charlene Frazier-Stillfield, a naive and trusting farm girl originally from Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The series depicts the various misadventures of these associates as they navigate their business and individual lives. The cast included actors Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Meshach Taylor.
Should you watch it?
“Four distinct women navigate life and business at an interior design firm in the South.”
- strong female leads
- sharp dialogue
- dated production values
Watch it if you enjoy workplace comedies featuring strong, opinionated personalities.
The series features mature themes and dialogue typical of 1980s network sitcoms.
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Your verdict
Is Designing Women worth watching?
Cast
Episode guide
Season 1 · 22 episodes
Open the complete Season 1 guide →- E1 Designing Women Sep 29, 1986
- E2 The Beauty Contest Oct 6, 1986
- E3 A Big Affair Oct 20, 1986
- E4 Julia's Son Oct 27, 1986
- E5 Mary Jo's First Date Nov 3, 1986
- E6 Design House Nov 17, 1986
- E7 Perky's Visit Nov 24, 1986
- E8 I Do, I Don't Dec 4, 1986
- E9 The IT Men Dec 4, 1986
- E10 The Slumber Party Dec 18, 1986
- E11 New Year's Daze Jan 1, 1987
- E12 Old Spouses Never Die (1) Feb 1, 1987
- E13 Old Spouses Never Die (2) Feb 1, 1987
- E14 Monette Feb 8, 1987
- E15 And Justice For Paul Feb 15, 1987
- E16 Reese's Friend Feb 22, 1987
- E17 Nashville Bound Mar 16, 1987
- E18 Oh, Suzannah Mar 23, 1987
- E19 Mary Jo's Dad Dates Charlene Apr 6, 1987
- E20 Seams From a Marriage Apr 13, 1987
- E21 Grand Slam, Thank You Ma'am May 4, 1987
- E22 Bachelor Suite May 11, 1987
Season 2 · 22 episodes
- E1 101 Ways to Decorate a Gas Station Sep 14, 1987
- E2 Ted Remarries Sep 21, 1987
- E3 Anthony, Jr. Sep 28, 1987
- E4 Killing All the Right People Oct 5, 1987
- E5 Half an Air Bubble Off Oct 19, 1987
- E6 Dash Goff, the Writer Oct 26, 1987
- E7 Heart Attacks Nov 9, 1987
- E8 Cruising Nov 16, 1987
- E9 I'll Be Seeing You Nov 23, 1987
- E10 Stranded Dec 7, 1987
- E11 Howard the Date Dec 14, 1987
- E12 I'll Be Home For Christmas Dec 21, 1987
- E13 Great Expectations Jan 4, 1988
- E14 Second Time Around Jan 11, 1988
- E15 Oh, Brother Jan 18, 1988
- E16 There's Some Black People Coming to Dinner Jan 25, 1988
- E17 The Return of Ray Don Feb 1, 1988
- E18 High Rollers Feb 8, 1988
- E19 The Incredibly Elite Bona Fide Blue-Blood Beaumont Driving Club Feb 15, 1988
- E20 How Great Thou Art Feb 22, 1988
- E21 Ted-Bare Mar 21, 1988
- E22 Reservations for Eight Mar 28, 1988
Season 3 · 22 episodes
- E1 Reservations for 12, Plus Ursula Nov 14, 1988
- E2 The Candidate Nov 21, 1988
- E3 E.P. Phone Home Nov 28, 1988
- E4 Getting Married and Eating Dirt Dec 5, 1988
- E5 Big Haas and Little Falsie Dec 12, 1988
- E6 Hard Hats and Lovers Dec 19, 1988
- E7 But They're Really Great Curtains Jan 2, 1989
- E8 The Wilderness Experience Jan 9, 1989
- E9 Tyrone Jan 16, 1989
- E10 Mr. Bailey Jan 23, 1989
- E11 The Naked Truth Feb 13, 1989
- E12 The Junies Feb 20, 1989
- E13 One Sees, the Other Doesn't Feb 27, 1989
- E14 Odell Mar 6, 1989
- E15 Full Moon Mar 13, 1989
- E16 Ms. Meal Ticket Mar 20, 1989
- E17 The Engagement Mar 27, 1989
- E18 Come On and Marry Me, Bill Apr 10, 1989
- E19 The Women of Atlanta May 1, 1989
- E20 Stand and Fight May 8, 1989
- E21 The Last Humorously-Dressed Bellboy in America May 15, 1989
- E22 Julia Drives Over the First Amendment May 22, 1989
Season 4 · 28 episodes
- E1 The Proxy Pig and Great Pretenders Sep 18, 1989
- E2 One Night With You Sep 25, 1989
- E3 There She Is Oct 2, 1989
- E4 Nightmare From Hee Haw Oct 16, 1989
- E5 The Girlfriend Oct 23, 1989
- E6 The Rowdy Girls Oct 30, 1989
- E7 Bernice's Sanity Hearing Nov 13, 1989
- E8 Julia Gets Her Head Stuck in a Fence Nov 20, 1989
- E9 Julia and Suzanne's Big Adventure Nov 27, 1989
- E10 Manhunt Dec 4, 1989
- E11 They Shoot Fat Women, Don't They? Dec 11, 1989
- E12 You Got to Have Friends Dec 18, 1989
- E13 The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century (1) Jan 1, 1990
- E14 The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century (2) Jan 1, 1990
- E15 The Mistress Jan 8, 1990
- E16 The Fur Flies Jan 15, 1990
- E17 Oh, What a Feeling Jan 29, 1990
- E18 Anthony and Vanessa Feb 5, 1990
- E19 Payne Grows Up Feb 19, 1990
- E20 Tornado Watch Feb 26, 1990
- E21 Tough Enough Mar 12, 1990
- E22 It's A Wonderful Life Mar 19, 1990
- E23 Suzanne Goes Looking For a Friend Apr 9, 1990
- E24 Foreign Affairs Apr 30, 1990
- E25 Have Faith May 7, 1990
- E26 Their Finest Hour May 9, 1990
- E27 Anthony's Graduation May 14, 1990
- E28 La Place sans Souci May 21, 1990
Season 5 · 24 episodes
- E1 A Blast From the Past Sep 17, 1990
- E2 Papa Was a Rolling Stone Sep 24, 1990
- E3 Working Mother Oct 1, 1990
- E4 Miss Trial Oct 15, 1990
- E5 The Bachelor Auction Oct 22, 1990
- E6 Charlene Buys a House Oct 29, 1990
- E7 Old Rebels and Young Models Nov 5, 1990
- E8 Nowhere To Run To Nov 12, 1990
- E9 A Class Act Nov 19, 1990
- E10 Keep the Home Fires Burning Nov 26, 1990
- E11 My Daughter, Myself Dec 10, 1990
- E12 And Now, Here's Bernice Dec 17, 1990
- E13 Pearls of Wisdom Jan 7, 1991
- E14 High Noon in a Laundry Room Jan 14, 1991
- E15 How Long Has This Been Going On? Jan 28, 1991
- E16 The Emperor's New Nose Feb 4, 1991
- E17 Maybe, Baby Feb 11, 1991
- E18 This is Art? Feb 25, 1991
- E19 Blame it on New Orleans Mar 4, 1991
- E20 I'll See You in Court Mar 18, 1991
- E21 The Big Circle Apr 8, 1991
- E22 Friends and Husbands Apr 29, 1991
- E23 Fore! May 6, 1991
- E24 The Pride of Sugarbakers May 13, 1991
Frequently asked questions
Who owns the design firm?
Julia Sugarbaker is the owner of Sugarbaker and Associates.
Where is Charlene from?
Charlene Frazier-Stillfield is from Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
What is Suzanne's background?
Suzanne Sugarbaker is a self-centered former beauty queen.
What is Mary Jo's family status?
Mary Jo Shively is a divorced single parent.
How many women work at the firm?
The firm employs four associates: Julia, Mary Jo, Charlene, and Suzanne.