Talk:Designing Women

Need information on key episodes

... and yes, I know, I can add the information myself. I'm just starting a kind of "to do" list here so that we can all work on it. The most obvious starting place would be the five episodes in the "Best Of" compilation; I know these include "Reservations for Eight" and "Killing All the Right People" (in which they design a funeral at the request of a young designer dying of AIDS). Another set would include the ones in which major characters are introduced or turning points occur, such as Charlene's and Bill's first meeting, their wedding, and the birth of the baby; Reese's death; etc. Lawikitejana 08:06, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

I've just touched up the article on Kendall Dobbs and moved it from the character's name to the name of the episode, Killing All the Right People. I added a link to the renamed page here under Key Episodes - Season 2. I hope someone will edit/move the link to wherever they see fit...I've never been to this article before so I don't know where you had envisioned the key episodes list being. -- Flummery 00:54, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't think you can have a key episode list and not mention "The Beauty Contest", also known as the episode that had Julia's "The night the lights went out in Georgia" speech. I'm going to add that one. If you go to YouTube, there's a number of clips with that fabulous speech in it! NickBurns 01:43, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Premise section

Amazing that the premise section doesn't actually contain the show's premise. ClaudeReigns (talk) 19:46, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

The article contains assertions about Dixie Carter's personal beliefs for which the only referenced source is a local Tennessee newspaper's obituary. No material is drawn from her own memoir/autobiography, Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker--99.162.2.194 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 14:31, 11 February 2012 (UTC).

Julia Duffy

Newhart was on for eight seasons, but Duffy was a starring cast member only for seven of those. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.178.35.151 (talk) 12:28, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Pictures

Like for the majority of other TV shows here on Wikipedia, there are freeze shots (or still frames) of their opening title card. Why does Designing Women not have this? I just put the picture of the original cast back at the top so it would not look dull, but its title card needs to be there. I do not know if there are any good ones from Seasons 3–5, but I know there are some good captions of the Seasons 1–2 and Season 7 logo. Also, I think there should be pictures featuring each set of the cast: the original cast (Seasons 1–5), the first replacements (Season 6), and the final cast (Season 7). Thanks. Please take my suggestions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.221.35.36 (talk) 02:59, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

Suggestions and concerns

The "Premise" section of this Designing Women article has been lengthened to give more insight to what this series was about. And that is a good thing. The only problem there is, to me; it is odd to mentioned the careers these women had before after mentioning the premise of Designing Women. Delta Burke and Dixie Carter co-starred together in the short-lived Filthy Rich in 1982, which parodied the soap opera genre popularized by Dallas and Dynasty. Jean Smart and Annie Potts guest-starred together on a 1985 episode of the short-running Lime Street.

Its known that CBS did not want to pair Burke and Carter together in another sitcom, because their first pairing together had flopped. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the creator of the series, said in an interview, "I to have four women and just let them talk. The four women I wanted were: Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Jean Smart." The careers of these women before the series started should perhaps be included at the beginning of the article under a section headed "Origins" of the series.

Delta Burke began a highly publicized battle with the producers in 1990 about working conditions on the set. At the same time, the press began to spectacle the the producers of the series hassled her due to weight gain. The behind-the-scene spectacle played out for several months, and to accommodate the stressful situation, Burke's role was lessened in many episodes and in others she was completely written out. This is mentioned no where in this article. This is pivotal information surrounding this series. It should be noted that CBS decided to drop Burke in 1991, choosing not to renew her up-for-renewal contract. Several actresses were suggested to replace her on the series, among them Loni Anderson and Bette Midler. Julia Duffy was offered the role when she became available after the cancellation of Newhart in 1990. Jean Smart left to spend with her family, and was immediately replaced by popular Saturday Night Live cast member, Jan Hooks.

Duffy was not popular with viewers, although the Season 6 premiere was watch by more than 30 million American viewers. Season 6 was the highest-rated of the series, placing #6 in the ratings with a 17.3 rating. Duffy was replaced after just one season, because critics said the sitcom had "jumped the shark", with Judith Ivey as wealthy widow B.J. Poteet. Season 7 moved from Monday to Friday night, where ratings quickly plummeted from #6 to #52 in the ratings. Due to the instant drop in ratings, CBS cancelled the series after seven season and 163 episodes.

These things are pivotal to what Designing Women is and what made it unique. Its legacy should be included as well. Thanks for taking my suggestions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.221.35.36 (talk) 13:59, 8 July 2014 (UTC)

This article claims that Delta Burke was criticized by the producers for her weight gain, but no sources are listed to back this up. A 2003 reunion featuring the original cast, subsequent interviews from Delta Burke show that no such thing took place. On the reunion show they even discuss the episode, "They Shoot Fat Women, Don't They?" and said this episode was in support of Delta Burke. So information in this article claiming the reports to be true should be removed, especially since they have no source links. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.130.134.166 (talk) 01:05, 8 December 2014 (UTC)