Designing Women

Season 1

TV-PG
73%
Outspoken feminist Julia Sugarbaker runs a design firm out of her Atlanta home, along with her shallow ex-beauty queen sister, Suzanne, divorced mother Mary Jo, and, naive country girl Charlene. Black ex-con Anthony helps deliver furniture for the business and voices his unique opinion on whatever the women are discussing. Episodes typically revolved around the work, personal, and love lives of these four women.

Where to Watch Season 1

22 Episodes

  • Designing Women
    E1
    Designing WomenAt the interior design firm of Sugarbaker & Associates in Atlanta, Georgia, thrice-divorced ex-beauty queen Suzanne Sugarbaker, younger sister of founder Julia, goes out with the ex-husband of her co-worker Mary Jo Shivley.
  • The Beauty Contest
    E2
    The Beauty ContestCharlene sponsors Mary Jo's daughter in the Miss Pre-Teen Atlanta contest, and despite her depression over her own upcoming 30th birthday, Suzanne coaches Claudia on how to walk and smile.
  • A Big Affair
    E3
    A Big AffairSuzanne's intimate dinner party, planned to impress an important client, goes awry before it begins when she arranges a date between a more-than-hefty man and a reluctant Charlene.
  • Julia's Son
    E4
    Julia's SonJulia's nineteen-year-old son, Payne, is bringing his girlfriend home from college for a visit, and Julia wants everything to be perfect for her ""baby."" Payne then presents his girl, Primmie, who is tall, attractive...and forty years old!
  • Mary Jo's First Date
    E5
    Mary Jo's First DateConcerned that Mary Jo hasn't dated since she and Ted broke up, Suzanne arranges a bind date for her with an old acquaintance, J.D. Shackelford, head scout for the Atlanta Braves baseball team, while Julia struggles through an I.R.S. audit conducted by the same Ray Don Simpson who tried to pick up the women at a restaurant and suffered a tonguelashing from Julia.
  • Design House
    E6
    Design HouseSince Suzanne has money invested in Sugarbaker's and is tired of her image as a front bimbo for the firm, Julia assigns her to do the decorating of their next project. Unfortunately, the house burns to the ground while Suzanne is working on it.
  • Perky's Visit
    E7
    Perky's VisitPerky Sugarbaker, Julia and Suzanne's mother, and her friend Bernice hope to escape the dull routine of their lives in the retirement home by joining the girls and their ex-con handyman Anthony for the festive occasion, considering it an exhilarating change.
  • I Do, I Don't
    E8
    I Do, I Don'tThe dinner is perfect, the champagne flows, Julia is presented with a single rose, and on a lark she and her current beau Reese get married. The next morning both parties regret their hastiness, and Reese appears with annulment papers. An argument ensues, and Julia finally agrees to sign the papers, thereby annuling their marriage and their entire relationship.
  • The IT Men
    E9
    The IT MenWhen her boyfriend Mason takes a job in Japan, Charlene finds she has chemistry with another man, a man who happens to be married to one of the Sugarbaker clients.
  • The Slumber Party
    E10
    The Slumber PartyArriving at work one morning, Suzanne tells Julia, Mary Jo, and Charlene that when she tried to fire her maid, she put a voodoo death curse on her and proclaimed that Suzanne would be gone by midnight. Mary Jo invites Charlene, Julia and Suzanne to help her with Claudia's slumber party.
  • New Year's Daze
    E11
    New Year's DazeIt is New Year's Eve, and everyone is dressed in their finery, anticipating a fun-filled night on the town. The identity of Charlene's date is kept secret until a news flash reports that the infamous ""Shadow"" is the subject of a massive manhunt.
  • Old Spouses Never Die (1)
    E12
    Old Spouses Never Die (1)Mary Jo and J.D.'s romantic evening is interrupted when her ex-husband Ted brings home the children on a flimsy excuse. Meanwhile, Anthony is required to attend a $5,000 poker game after a run-in with a corrupt businessman, and Charlene looks for a new doctor when her old one says to "wait and see" after finding a lump in her breast.
  • Old Spouses Never Die (2)
    E13
    Old Spouses Never Die (2)Mary Jo is brooding about her ex-husband's interference in her life, while Charlene distrusts her doctor's cavalier attitude toward the lump he found in her breast.
  • Monette
    E14
    MonetteWhen an old school chum of Charlene's, Monette, buys the old Chadwick mansion and asks Sugarbaker's to redecorate, the women are excited at the prospect of a most lucrative assignment--until they find out what the assignment REALLY is...
  • And Justice For Paul
    E15
    And Justice For PaulSuzanne picks up a client who wants period furniture on a shoestring budget, and the Sugarbaker women find that antique furniture at bargain prices is no bargain.
  • Reese's Friend
    E16
    Reese's FriendA disagreement over the theme for the annual country club fund-raiser has Julia and Suzanne at odds, but the quibbling is forgotten when Reese appears with a gorgeous young women on his arm, explaining that she is a new attorney in his law firm.
  • Nashville Bound
    E17
    Nashville BoundThe news that Charlene's family--all ten brothers and sisters--will be in town at the same time is overshadowed by the news that she is going to become a recording star!
  • Oh, Suzannah
    E18
    Oh, SuzannahWhile in Reese's office to sign legal papers, Suzanne off-handedly volunteers to keep a Vietnamese boat child, Li Sing, who is being adopted but needs an interim home for the next four weeks while final papers are being completed. Suzanne becomes attached to Li Sing quickly and doesn't want to give her over to her new family.
  • Mary Jo's Dad Dates Charlene
    E19
    Mary Jo's Dad Dates CharleneWhen Mary Jo's divorced father arrives in Atlanta for a four-day visit and dances cheek to cheek with Charlene, Mary Jo becomes very protective.
  • Seams From a Marriage
    E20
    Seams From a MarriageWhen Anthony saunters into the shop wearing an enormous cowboy hat, followed by a breathless Mary Jo who has obviously been out all night as she is wearing the same clothes ahe had on when she left the day before, the others clamor for an explanation. It seems their appointment with Sugarbaker's newest client turned into an all-night bash, complete with Cajun buffet and country-western band.
  • Grand Slam, Thank You Ma'am
    E21
    Grand Slam, Thank You Ma'amSuzanne's baseball player ex-husband, Jack Dent, writes in his autobiography that he had more groupie action than all the rock ""n"" roll bands in North America, and Suzanne vows revenge.
  • Bachelor Suite
    E22
    Bachelor SuiteWhen Mary Jo undertakes the decoration of Hence Winchester's new home, she finds herself the object of sexual harassment by her wealthy client.

Cast of Season 1

  • Delta BurkeSuzanne Sugarbaker
  • Dixie CarterJulia Sugarbaker
  • Annie PottsMary Jo Shively
  • Jean SmartCharlene Frazier Stillfield
  • Meshach TaylorAnthony Bouvier
  • Tommy ThompsonProducer
  • Pamela NorrisProducer
  • Douglas JacksonProducer
  • David TrainerProducer

Season 1 Ratings & Reviews

 

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