The Designing Women Reunion | |
---|---|
Written by | Allen Crowe Pamela Norris Effie Belford |
Directed by | Harry Thomason |
Starring | Dixie Carter Annie Potts Delta Burke Jean Smart Meshach Taylor |
Music by | Bruce Miller |
Opening theme | "Georgia on My Mind" |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Harry Thomason Linda Bloodworth |
Producer | Douglas G. Jackson |
Editor | Leo Papin |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Production companies | Elmo Productions Sony Pictures Television |
Original release | |
Network | Lifetime |
Release | July 28, 2003 |
Related | |
Designing Women |
The Designing Women Reunion is a 2003 American television special that reunited the cast of the 1986–1993 sitcom Designing Women . It originally aired on Lifetime on July 28, 2003.
A retrospective of Designing Women reunites original cast members Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Delta Burke, Jean Smart, and Meshach Taylor for the first time in 12 years. They reminisce about their time together on the series and about their characters. The special includes a compilation of clips highlighting the show's memorable moments, including topics such as initial casting, favorite episodes, how the women met their real-life husbands on the show, and Burke openly discussing her battle with depression and panic attacks prior to her departure from the series.
Also featured are a special appearance by Alice Ghostley, new interviews with crew members and series creators/producers Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason, recurring cast members Hal Holbrook, Richard Gilliland, Gerald McRaney, and writer/executive producer Pamela Norris sharing their memories of the show in pre-recorded separate interviews. [1]
The special was taped on June 4, 2003, in front of a live audience at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California.
The Designing Women Reunion was the second highest-rated special in Lifetime network's 19-year history, averaging a 3.1 household rating (3.3 million viewers) during its premiere on July 28, 2003. The first was The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments , which scored a 3.7 rating with 4.2 million viewers the previous month.
The "Designing Women" evening on Lifetime from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., which included an intimate portrait of Delta Burke, the 90-minute reunion special, the pilot episode, and two episodes of Designing Women especially selected by the cast, [2] was seen by an estimated 9.7 million viewers. [3]
Designing Women is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS between September 29, 1986 and May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television for CBS.
Harry Zell Thomason is an American film and television producer and director, best known for the television series Designing Women. Thomason and his wife, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, are close friends of President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and played a major role in President Clinton's election campaigns.
Delta Burke is an American actress, producer and author. From 1986 to 1991, she starred as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women, for which she received two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Evening Shade is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 21, 1990, to May 23, 1994. The series stars Burt Reynolds as Woodrow "Wood" Newton, an ex-professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who returns to rural Evening Shade, Arkansas, to coach a high-school football team with a long losing streak. Reynolds personally requested to use the Steelers as his character's former team because he was a fan.
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom Designing Women (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series Family Law (1999–2002). She was nominated for the 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Gloria Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–2007).
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called Mark Twain Tonight! while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He continued to perform his signature role for over 60 years, only retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in film.
Gerald Lee McRaney is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, Promised Land and House of Cards. He most recently starred as Admiral Hollace Kilbride on NCIS: Los Angeles. He was a series regular in the first season of Jericho and the final season of Deadwood. He appeared in a recurring role as main antagonist Mason Wood in season eight of Castle. Recently, he played Barlow Connally in the A&E series Longmire and had a recurring role in the NBC series This Is Us as Dr. Nathan Katowski, a role which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Lime Street is an American action/drama series that aired on the ABC television network during the 1985 television season. The series was created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, who also served as executive producer alongside husband Harry Thomason, and series star Robert Wagner.
Women of the House is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of Designing Women that aired on CBS from January 4 to August 18, 1995, and the last four episodes airing on Lifetime on September 8, 1995. The series starred Delta Burke, reprising her role of Suzanne Sugarbaker, who had reconciled with producers of Designing Women after a bitter, highly publicized, off-screen battle.
Filthy Rich is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from August 1982 to June 1983. Starring Dixie Carter and Charles Frank, the series satirized prime-time soap operas such as Dallas and Dynasty.
"Killing All the Right People" is the 26th episode of the sitcom Designing Women. Originally airing on October 5, 1987, as the fourth episode of the second season. It features Tony Goldwyn as Kendall Dobbs, a young gay man dying of AIDS who asks the Sugarbaker ladies to design his funeral. Series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason's mother died of AIDS and her experience with her mother's disease and the prejudice associated with it inspired the episode.
Linda Joyce Bloodworth-Thomason is an American writer, director, and television producer. She is best known for creating, writing, and producing several television series, most successfully with the sitcoms Designing Women and Evening Shade. She and her husband, Harry Thomason, are also notable for their friendship with former President Bill Clinton, and the role they played in his election campaigns.
The first season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on September 29, 1986, and concluded on May 11, 1987. The season consisted of 22 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The second season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on September 14, 1987, and concluded on March 28, 1988. The season consisted of 22 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The third season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on November 14, 1988, and concluded on May 22, 1989. The season consisted of 22 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The fourth season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on September 18, 1989, and concluded on May 21, 1990. The season consisted of 28 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The fifth season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on September 17, 1990, and concluded on May 13, 1991. The season consisted of 24 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The sixth season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on September 16, 1991, and concluded on May 4, 1992. The season consisted of 23 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The seventh and final season of Designing Women premiered on CBS on September 25, 1992, and concluded on May 24, 1993. The season consisted of 22 episodes. Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series was produced by Bloodworth/Thomason Mozark Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments is a 2003 American television special that reunited the cast of the 1985–1992 sitcom The Golden Girls. It originally aired on Lifetime on June 2, 2003.