When four strong, sassy and sexy Southern women running a fledgling interior decorating firm hit the television airwaves as Designing Women in 1986, they brought a new kind of Southern spirit to American television. Smart,... more » ambitious and outspoken they embodied the new Southern woman. The much-married, alimony-rich beauty queen Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) uses her feminine wiles to attract business for the firm - and future ex-husbands for herself. Her sophisticated sister, Julia (Dixie Carter), is nobodys fool and runs the operation and her own life with a guarded graciousness. Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts) is the sweet-natured, recently-divorced mother trying to make her own way in the world as a decorator for the first time. Small-town gal Charlene Frazier (Jean Smart) is the naïve, overly-trusting bad-guy magnet who runs the office. They are all devoted to the business. They are each devoted to the other. Designing Women was a gift to American television that ran for seven seasons and continues winning fans to this day in reruns all around the world. All 21 episodes from Season 1 finally arrive on DVD.
Bonus Feature:
* Designing Women: A Reunion sponsored by The Paley Center for Media in 2006.« less
"What a treat it will be to at last be able to enjoy a full season set of this clever,witty and wonderful television comedy series!. In particular episode two, "The Beauty Contest" in which Julia delivers her famous "Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia" tirade to Miss Georgia World 1986 in response to offensive comments made regarding her sister Suzanne. Let us hope that we will be able to look forward to further full season releases in the near future!..."
The best show ever!
Lucy Bergling | 03/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just LOVE Designing Women and I am sooo happy that we are finally getting to see releases of this show finally coming to fruition. The fans have waited much too long!!!! I thought I was one of the only ones who loved this show until I began to read other remarks. It is simply one of the best shows ever. I loved watching this show everyweek when it was new, and then eventually the reruns on Lifetime. One of my favorite episodes was Tornado watch. I think I could relate to any of the women on this show at one time or another and I think for women, that was very appealing. Not to mention the funny situations they got themselves into. And Suzanne and Anthony.....what a combination!!! As the seasons went on they got better and better together. Thanks so much for making this happen and please lets get the other seasons released, or how about releasing the complete series? Please consider!!"
We've waited so long!
Greg Anderson | Raleigh, NC USA | 02/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finally we are getting the seasons of this classic late 80's-early 90's sitcom. I hope they will continue with the rest of the seasons! Thanks to Shout!"
Designing Women: The Complete First Season
Lawrence W. Stephens | 06/10/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"My Wife would give this show 5 stars. It was one of her all time favorites. As I often watch her shows with her I have to give it 3 stars due to the poor quality of the scan. I'm thinking it was done years ago for VHS release. They just grabbed these scans and ran them through software for DVD and shoved them out the door. If you pause the show you can see signs of compression. If you're watching on a 19" tube, probably not a problem, on a 37" LCD it appears like its out of focus. For a new release this is unacceptable. I/m going to pretend to watch and read my paper."
"Designing Women" Finally Makes DVD Debut
Antoine D. Reid | Durham, NC United States | 06/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finally, and perhaps fashionably late, the show 'Designing Women' makes a proper, full season, DVD debut. Watching the first full season of this show is both enjoyable if not a bit surprising. Usually, it takes a normal show an entire season to really define itself and find its legs. That is not the case with this show. I was surprised by how many remarkable big moments occurred within the first season. You have the famous Julia Sugarbaker 'The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia' speech, a big episode about women's health and breast cancer, sexual harassment and even issues of race (and of course gender) all packed into one season.
Quality wise, the only video-to-dvd transfer that seemed off was the pilot episode. When I saw it, I was worried how the remainder of the episodes were going to appear. Yet, by the second episode, the transfer and quality are of little concern. Plot/content wise, the episodes do not disappoint. Most left me in tears from laughing or from the sheer honesty/sincere words these characters spoke. What works best with 'Designing Women' is that while it's a comedy and is aimed at making you smile and laugh, it managed to take on big, at times daunting, issues that no one at the time took on. Watching the whole first season will in fact make you wonder what's happened to television because this, like other shows from this era, is a real show that portrayed life-like characters that you can't wait to watch and wish you could have the opportunity to interact with.
I also am more than pleased that Shout Factory chose to include the panel/reunion at the Paley Center for Media from 2006. While some may skip over this feature thinking it's boring and dull, I encourage everyone to actually watch it. Hearing how the show came about from the creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason made me appreciate the show even more. Hearing the actors and their individual anecdotes and stories on the characters, favorite lines, quotes in this live setting really was enjoyable because, like the show, it contained moments of pure amusement and laughter as well as very telling, intimate moments that made me appreciate this show and those involved even more.
In all, a great release and a must own for anyone looking for quality television that'll have you both laughing and thinking at the same time."