Explore every episode of the podcast Sweet Tea & TV

AGH! Red alert - STTV is back (sort of...) At a minimum, we are reemerging from our T. Swift pre-Reputation era cave long enough to reconvene the STTV Book Club!

We were so honored to be invited to a book release event by Mary Dixie Carter, author of Marguerite by the Lake (and daughter of Dixie Carter!) 

Her new novel - “An atmospheric, tense novel about the death of a glamorous garden designer, a widower trying to keep his secrets buried, and the beautiful young gardener.” - was the PERFECT excuse for Book Club!

This book took us on a twisty, turny ride and we have the thoughts. So grab a copy and join us for the ride! 

And bonus! Stick around at the end to hear an exclusive conversation Salina had with Mary Dixie.

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

Bernice Clifton has given us so much over the years. Her final parting gift? A reference to the iconic 1991 film: Thelma & Louise. It’s a shoot ‘em up, outlaw adventure featuring two outrageously talented women amidst a banger cast. It’s a bittersweet feminist text that shook up Hollywood stereotypes – and forever upholds the unshakable bond of female friendship. 

Brandon Davis from Front Row Classics returned to help us unpack this one: what it changed, what it didn’t, allll the trivia, and why this one holds a special place in our hearts - whether this was our first or 100th time seeing it.

We simply could not wrap up Designing Women without acknowledging its extended universe and CBS network spinoff, Women of the House. This is the short-lived series that reunited LBT and Delta Burke, and the show that brought back Suzanne Sugarbaker. Turns out: this one had some off-screen drama, too, but the best of it was in service to women. We like that. 

We’ll talk about our general reactions, likes, dislikes, and a bevy of Designing Women cameos PLUS some stunt casting with purpose.

The year, Patreon friends: 2003. The goal: bring back the original cast of "Designing Women". Sprinkle in: LBT, Pam Norris, and allll the husbands for good measure.

We couldn't possibly close out the series without chatting about the Lifetime Reunion: general reactions, favorite moments, and biggest surprises.

Come on, y'all, let's get into it! 

The time hath come, friends - we’re on our “Designing Women” farewell tour. After four years, seven seasons, hundreds of episode watches, and countless hours with these lovely creatures, our time together has come to an end. We’ll kick off the “goodbyes” sharing our all-time favorite episodes, ranking the seasons, and finally revealing our favorite characters (for today.) And, if we’re extra-nice, Salina may do some math for us! 

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

This “Extra Sugar” officially calls to order the Sweet Tea & TV Book Club! Grab your copy of “Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker” by the one and only Dixie Carter and settle in for a gab-fest. This episode turned out longer than normal, but it turns out these two talkers - one a Georgia Talker and one a South Carolina Talker - also had a lot of opinions. 

Ah, the age-old fun-house version that’s not so “fun” - that’s what we were facing this season with Ms. Julia Sugarbaker. Her condescension was at an all-time high throughout the season and the runner of the tension between her and Mary Jo wasn’t our favorite part of the season. HOWEVER, there were some high points, so let’s chat about it.

And come back later this week for the second installment of the “Sweet Tea & TV Book Club” - we’re talking all things Dixie Carter’s 1996 book, “Trying to Get To Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker.”

This week’s Extra Sugar is inspired by Mary Jo’s brush with the supernatural after Elvis’s face appears on her shovel in season 7, episode 17.

We’re also introduced to Jade Herman, a self-proclaimed expert in the “para-spectacular”, who “markets and promotes everything from Jesus’ face on a toaster to UFOs landing in a wheat field outside of London.”

Naturally, Salina then curated a list of five para-spectacular…occurrences…for your listening pleasure. So if you’re into toasts, ghosts, and UFOs, well, this one's for you. 

Justice for Mary Jo! That’s what we were yelling at the end of season 7. Mary Jo - and, in fact, Annie Potts - deserved so much more than the “Designing Women” writers gave her this season. Of course, there were some funny parts and a couple social commentaries but, for the most part, we veered into funhouse territory - just minus the fun. 

Come on y’all, let’s rip off the Band-aid and get into it! 

This week’s Carlene episode opened the door to something we just have to talk about: Southern Suffragists (courtesy of Carlene’s boyfriend, Eric, giving Julia a book on the topic in episode 20). 

We’ll talk about the women’s suffragist movement generally, unpack the South’s role and what happened here, and wrap up by looking at some women (and men!) suffragists who helped make it happen. 

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

The short version of this episode is: Salina and Nikki are disappointed that the writers/producers/universe short-changed easily one of the high points of the post-shakeup “Designing Women” cast. Poor Carlene is reduced to just a couple storylines and a few pop-in jokes here and there. But, that won’t stop us from giving her her due!

Let’s get into our thoughts (and feels) about Carlene’s portrayal in season 7 - from the funniest parts all the way down to the cringiest (including being nekkid on Anthony’s sheets!)

Come on y’all, let’s get into it!

All the way back in season 4, in “Bernice’s Sanity Hearing” (which we called “Some LIke Dolls, Some Like Revenge”), Julia said: "I'm saying this is the South, and we're proud of our crazy people. We don't hide them up in the attic. We bring 'em right down to the living room and show 'em off. See, Phyllis, no one in the South ever asks if you have crazy people in your family. They just ask what side they're on.” 

Which leads us to the thesis of this “Extra Sugar”. We’ll poke around in that concept a little bit - what does Bernice’s character show us about mental health and “crazy" in the South? Is there anything in our collective experience that plays out through Bernice’s story? 

And, since we’re a culture in crisis, we’ll end by sharing our own tips for preserving your sanity.

All aboard! Headed to our next stop on the ST&TV Season 7 Train - BERNICE.

The writers for “Designing Women” season 7 were ALL IN on Bernice as the comic relief this season and so were we. (Don’t be surprised if we break all the rules and share dozens of “funniest moments” for Bernice this season!) We’ll hit all the highs and lows for this red-hot mama. 

And don’t forget to come back Thursday for a mental-health focused “Extra Sugar.”

Our Anthony episode– and his rebound trip to Las Vegas – was a perfectly adequate excuse for Salina to talk about the Dixie Mafia. Confused? OK, stay with us. When people think about Vegas, they think about the mafia. But what if we told you there was a Southern mafia? The Dixie Mafia. AKA the Southern mob, AKA the Cornbread Cosa Nostra. 

Join us as we shed some light on their origins AND some of the most interesting figures and cases in their sordid history. 

Next up in our character run-down for season 7, the one, the only: ANTHONY BOUVIER! 

As we wrap up our time with Anthony, let’s take a second to appreciate the endless shenanigans the Designing Women have put him through, his quickie, season 7 marriage, his never-ending law school career, and the twist ending that has us all wondering if Bernice’s feelings for him were truly unrequited.

We’ll make a pit-stop at Salina’s Sidebar, to talk about the one and only, Sheryl Lee Ralph. 

And we have a special bit for our Patreon listeners, inspired by the crew’s two-part Vegas visit this season.

Finally, don’t forget to come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” that was weeks of internet research, podcast listening, and light book-skimming in the making - Salina’s taking the Southern route to Vegas, talking all about the Dixie Mafia.

In season 7, episode 13, all the ladies – even the ones who didn’t want to admit it (JULIA) – were wrapped by the celebrity scandal of the moment: Squidgygate. 

This was the perfect inspiration for us to also talk about celebrity scandals. So join us as we break down their favorite – and then we both bring a few of our own to the table: several Southern ones and then one that we can’t stop obsessing over for like, oh, four months now. 

Up first in our last Designing Women season EVER: Ms. Bonnie Jean Poteet, or BJ “if you’re nasty” (per Nikki, which, let’s be honest, makes it way better). We’re gonna talk about her season trajectory: her highs and her lows, and generally, what these two seasoned gals thought of this brief and final show addition.

We’ll break somewhere in the middle to talk about the woman behind the woman: Judith Ivey. Then come back on Thursday for a downright scandalous “Extra Sugar” inspired by the midseason obsession with Squidgygate – the world loves a “gate”, ya know?

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

We just had to give the series finale the old Sweet Tea & TV treatment. You know, break the WHOLE thing down – reactions, likes, dislikes, and allll the references. 

Join us as we give this fever dream, two-parter the send off it deserves – and frankly, we’ve all earned together these last four years. 

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

It’s impossible to believe it, but we have reached the 7th and final season of Designing Women. In our premiere episode, we’ll discuss our initial reactions and hand out some superlatives for the season's highs and lows. 

We’ll carry on with our season 6 structure - that is each week, we’ll spend some time with a different character. What were their best and worst moments and where did things end up for them?

Come back later in the week for an Extra Sugar where we’ll talk about the two-part series finale. It’ll be a throwback to our episode-by-episode breakdowns from season 1-5. 

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

It’s time for our traditional, post-”Designing Women” season special episode! We’re definitely planning to discuss season 7 after the holidays, but to tide you over, we’re heading to Beverly Hills—Troop Beverly Hills, to be exact. 

If you haven’t seen this 1989 gem starring Shelly Long in her peak, feathered-hair glory, you’re in for a treat. This isn’t just a movie—it’s an adventure in over-the-top Scout uniforms, cookie sales drama, and a showdown with wilderness survival that’s as hilarious as it is heartwarming. For us, it was a no-brainer: Carlene’s Scout leader stint, our “Extra Sugar” on Girl Scouts, and our deep dive into Shelly Long’s Cheers fame all screamed Troop Beverly Hills.

So, if you’re feeling nostalgic—or just need a good laugh between turkey leftovers and New Year’s resolutions—join us. Grab some popcorn, snuggle up, and maybe consider bedazzling your own Scout sash. You know, for the vibes.

We’ll be back Designing Women-style after the New Year. Until then, happy holidays—and happy watching!

We are so excited to present our first-ever, Sweet Tea & TV special guest, Brandon, from Front Row Classics. He’s a knower-of-all-things old Hollywood. A connoisseur of classic films. And, luckily for us, a Designing Women appreciator. 

In this episode, we chat with Brandon about his favorite DW memories, his thoughts on the sometimes-maligned later seasons of the show, the plethora of classic film references that have popped up through the years on Designing Women, and we even lured him into a silly, ChatGPT-powered game, re-imagining the cast through the lens of vintage camera. 

We simply cannot leave the upheaval that was season six of Designing Women without talking about the elephant in the room: the cast changes. America was glued to their TVs to see how Julia Duffy and Jan Hooks would fare in place of the beloved Delta Burke and Jean Smart. Thirty million strong for that matter. We’ll discuss if they got a fair shake. 

Designing Women had some cast changes, but they didn’t invent them. So we’re going to talk about some iconic ones in other corners of TV. Who did it best? Who did it worst? And, most importantly, was there drah-mah?!?!

We can’t possibly round out our coverage of season 6 without discussing the much-discussed, oft-aligned newbie, Allison. It’s a big change, but how did we take it? Let’s discuss. Salina’s also going to bring us a Sidebar on Julia Duffy. And then come back Thursday for an Extra Sugar we’re calling Cast Away. We’re going to chat not only about the major Designing Women cast changes this season, but some other major - and less-major - cast shifts throughout TV history.

Oh boy! This season brought us Designing Women’s second-favorite big ole donkey Girl Scout, Carlene. (For those who don’t remember, Julia called Charlene a big-ole donkey Girl Scout back in season 5’s “Miss Trial” - we’re not just being mean to Carlene.) More than one episode this season referenced the Scouts. We also have a big ole donkey Girl Scout among us in the form of one, Ms. Nikki, AND we have some Southern AND “Designing Women” ties to the Girl Scout universe. So, it was just time for an “Extra Sugar” about the Scouts.

Let’s talk about what the Girl Scouts are, what their Southern connection is + their “Designing Women” connection, and we just have to tackle Julia’s big beef, comparing the Boy Scout facilities and the Girl Scout facilities. 

Season 6 introduced us to Charlene’s sister, Carlene Dobber. And look, we know Designing Women fans find the latter seasons sacreligious. But. Do not sleep on Carlene. This “pie-eyed girl from Poplar Bluff, Missouri” deserves all the flowers. We’re gonna give ‘em to her because, well, she’s a ding dang riot. 

Carlene wouldn’t be the delight she was without Jan Hooks’ performance, so sidebar about her with us. 

Then come back Thursday for an all-new Extra Sugar inspired by Carlene’s stint as troop leader of troop #6523, Atlanta Council, Girl Scouts USA. It’s gonna be good. Scout’s honor.

Watching season 6 of “Designing Women” made us realize: every season has some kind of wedding plotline (season 4 has three episodes!). 

So as is our duty, we talked about which of these episodes pulled our heart strings and which ones left us hoping for an annulment. 

Of course, this is also an excuse to talk about our favorite TV wedding episodes of all time: the good, the bad, and the t-total disastrous. 

It’s finally time for us to revel in the gloriousness that is our dear, sweet, unproblematic Anthony. He had some major plotlines this season (law school! professional development at the design firm! exploits with Bernice! an engagement!), but was his character developed enough, or did these storylines leave us with even more questions about our friend? We’ll talk about it. 

We’ll also reimagine Anthony’s life if social media has been a thing in the “Designing Women” universe. Would he be a keyboard, prison reform advocacy warrior? How would the whole “A Scene From a Mall” plotline have played out? And what about his engagement to Vanessa? Are they a #vanthony couple? Let’s talk about it.

And then come back Thursday for this episode's "Extra Sugar" - inspired by Anthony's soon-to-be (maybe. possibly. surely. right?) trip down the aisle, let's talk about our favorite TV wedding memories - "Designing Women" and otherwise!

This week’s “Extra Sugar” is going to take us beyond Bernice Clifton and head-first into the wacky world of kooky TV characters. 

Of course, at “Sweet Tea & TV”, Bernice holds a special place in our hearts, but we’ve watched enough TV over the years to know there’s an infinite number of lovable oddballs who steal the spotlight with their bizarre behavior and unforgettable antics. And it’s not just Kramer from “Seinfeld” and Phoebe from “Friends”. 

Catch this episode to hear some of our personal faves, why we think these eccentric characters have such a lasting impact, and why we can’t help but love their weirdness!

We were so excited to record this one. Bernice has slowly edged her way into our TVs - and our hearts! - as the Designing Women seasons have progressed. But, in season 6, she really arrived. As you can tell from our summary of all her appearances this season, she's all over season 6. While we didn’t have whole, Bernice-focused episodes to talk about, we had a whole lotta oddball comments, near-rumble belligerent face-offs, and a little bit of singing along the way. Let’s talk about it all.

For this week's "Technology Takedown", let's imagine the world with a "Designing Women" spinoff, but this one all about Bernice. Let us know what you think about our alternate reality!

Come back Thursday for this week's accompanying "Extra Sugar" which is, unsurprisingly, all about our favorite kooks on TV! 

Agghhh! It’s time! We’ve got Salina over here reading books. Nikki over here mashin’ tomatoes. (It’ll all make sense soon, swear.) It’s time for the first-ever Sweet Tea & TV Book Club! And what better place to start than Delta Burke’s memoir, Delta Style.

We’re excited to share our overall reactions to the book, chat about the biggest surprises to us, explore key themes, like Delta’s illustrious - albeit brief - pageant career, and uncomfortable experiences in Hollywood. 

And then come back next week where we’ll chat about Bernice’s season 6 journey. We may be firing on all cylinders or, maybe our arterial flow problems will kick in and the segment will be as random as Bernice herself. Either way, it’s sure to be a good time! 

We’re back for another Designing Women season 6 recap! This time, we’re talking all things The Terminator. *ahem* We mean, Julia. We’ll focus on her major plotlines, funniest moments, and how season 6 shaped her character. As usual, we’ll also rate how the character of Julia fares this season - is she up? Down? Still locked in an Italian restaurant with Rusty somewhere? 

And come back Thursday for a super-special Extra Sugar - we’re introducing our first-ever Sweet Tea & TV Book Club! We’re going to chat about Delta Burke’s memoir, Delta Style. 

Theeeeen, we’ll be back next week to chat about our favorite ATL kook, Bernice. 

This week’s “Extra Sugar” was inspired by Designing Women, S6 E7, “The Strange Case of Clarence and Anita”. 

That would be Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (then nominee) and Anita Hill, the woman who testified he had sexually harassed her years earlier when he was her supervisor. 

We’ll talk about the aftermath of her testimony and then discuss where we are now. Our conversation circles issues of sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault, so please take care of yourself. 

In our second episode, we’re digging into all things Mary Jo. How did season 6 treat her? Is she up or down?

We’ll discuss our picks for her best and worst episodes, as well as her cringiest and funniest moments. We’re also trying out a new segment “Technology Takedown” where we upend a plot by simply adding one magic ingredient: a smart phone. 

Come back on Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” inspired by Mary Jo’s rant over the outcome of Anita Hill’s testimony back in 1991. 

Sometimes you just need something light and fluffy, you know? So that’s how we’re starting off our sixth season of “Extra Sugars” – Light. And fluffy. Like whip cream if you will. 

Join us as we catch up on what we’ve been doing over our months of hiatus – what we’re reading, watching, doing. Then we’re gonna talk about some things that have had our attention in the wider world these last months. The general chaos of the world, but like. Also some good stuff, too. 

We're ba-aaaaack! That's right, after much hemming and hawing over whether to watch the final seasons of Designing Women, ultimately, we realized it was much ado about nothing. Of course we have to wrap up the series!

We’re doing things a little different this time, however. We’ll cover the series over the course of seven weeks. For this first episode, we’re breaking down our general reactions to the season. Get into our feelings if you will. 

Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

As we gear up for season 6, it’s only right to revisit our “Extra Sugar” all about Suzanne and Charlene – one we did whilst still in our feelings about Delta Burke’s final episode. 

Mourn the loss with us – we talked about some favorite moments, what they mean to us, and what happened to Burke and Jean Smart next IRL. 

Well, y’all, this Designing Women episode was both a favorite of ours and listeners, so let’s laissez les bons temps rouler! While we felt Julia’s rant in our bones, for the record, we’d still prefer to hang with Suzanne and Charlene in ‘The Big Easy’. 

Inspired by their night on the town, Nikki’s told us about 10 not-so-obvious things to do when you visit New Orleans. And, if you’re feeling frisky, you can go back and find this one’s accompanying “Extra Sugar” that we dedicated to the important history and cultural impact of drag. 

In our fifth season, we finally got into the real life and offscreen drama between Delta Burke and the Thomasons. While only those involved can truly know what happened, this time period would ultimately lead to Burke’s departure from the series – and so we felt we owed it to ourselves and those following along to talk about it. 

We  also picked and discussed some other famous offscreen feuds between stars and their bosses.

You may think we picked this one for the buffets, and you’re half right (we did get a pretty tasty “Nibbles” segment out of it). Mainly, we’re here for Mary Jo and Charlene’s level 10 physical comedy trying to find Suzanne’s pearls in the salad bar. 

This is also where we introduced our temporary segment, “Suzanne Watch” - to try and decode some of the weird ways they were using Delta Burke as their relationship in real life quickly unraveled. 

Bernice’s toward self-acceptance was a fun, little thrill for us, since it taught us that we can still experience self-loathing well into our senior years. Why not relive that realization through a re-sugar of our foray into plastic surgery. Well, our academic foray - no actual surgery was had. (But, it’s not too late - still taking donations!)

Any episode where Julia gets riled is worth a rewatch. Her run-ins (read: total and complete meltdowns) with “big ole donkey scout” first Charlene and later her fried-cheese-eating jury duty colleagues reminds us one and all: don’t mess with a Southern woman on a mission. 

We also sidebarred on radio contests in honor of the hurtin’ Charlene, Suzanne, and Anthony put on the record store after winning a radio contest. 

Season 4, episode 11, “They Shoot Fat Women, Don’t They” was a seminal moment in Designing Women’s history and simultaneously a denouement to the media and public’s relentless obsession with Delta Burke’s weight. 

So, when we finally reached this essential episode last year, we knew it was time for an “Extra Sugar” that explored what happened behind the scenes. It was also an opportunity to talk about fat shaming and body shaming, why these concepts matter, and what we can do to take care of ourselves and each other. 

What can we say? We love an Anthony and Suzanne team-up. In this case it was more of a good bribery, but either way, we were all in for their zany plan to keep Consuela from being deported. (After all, she and Suzanne understand each other. We’re talking middle-of-the-night peach pies and overlooked knives thrown. That’s love, y’all.)

As promised, we came together one more time to talk about First Wives Club. We talked about cast members who have gone on to become bonafide Hollywood icons since this movie, potential casting what-ifs, and even a few First Wives Controversies.

Any revisit of season 4 would be completely incomplete if we didn’t revisit Suzanne’s (and Delta Burke’s!) moment in the sun. Suzanne gets bullied at her high school reunion for gaining weight, while Anthony, Julia, and Mary Jo go on a two-day fast to raise awareness about world hunger. We miss Charlene. (tear emoji)

So where are we on world hunger in the 21st century? We’ll sidebar on it. Then come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” dedicated to Suzanne’s plot line including how this episode came about in the first place.

First Wives Club. Now this one was an audience pick and we happily obliged. We talked about our favorite parts, why it means so much to us, and movie trivia. 

Outside of the recording: we constructed an entire revenge-themed menu and shared each of those dishes on social media. 

This one gave us so much content that we had to split it into two, so come back next week for more. 

We can’t revisit season 4 and skip past this classic Bernice episode. Her niece tried to declare her incompetent and, you know, shenanigans! Every performance was on FIRE, especially Annie Potts and Delta Burke. We also had to talk about the Mary Jo coined trip, “the IRBAT" – as in "the International Rich B!t*h Alimony Tour" –  in a Salina’s Sidebar. Also interested in one of those if a spot becomes available. Just saying.

Designing Women gave us about fifty-’leven Deliverance references, and then, in season 4, they basically did their own sitcom version. This left us no choice but to finally talk about it. 

One of us watched it begrudgingly (70s pacing is tough for a modern movie viewer), and then we met to talk about movie trivia, themes, and the enduring impact on the South. It’s a thing, y’all. 

This one was like a sneaky “Designing Women” lesson to BOLO for pyramid schemes. If it happened this side of the 21st century, they would have been extracting Charlene from the grasps of some LulaRoe-esque company. 

When we weren’t trying to un-brainwash Charlene, we were watching Suzanne and Anthony grow closer over his run for homecoming representative. 

We ended this one with an “Extra Sugar” about the darker side of pyramid schemes and their tactics eerie resemblance to cults. 

Julia’s brush with the legal system (AKA jury duty), led to an “Extra Sugar” where Nikki brought us two unbelievable Southern criminal trials. Don’t worry! She lightened the mood with crimes that were, shall we say, a little scattered, smothered and covered?