Reboot of ‘Designing Women’ in the works
Originally posted Wednesday, August 15, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
A popular sitcom fictionally set in Atlanta "Designing Women" is being revived by its original creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Sony Pictures, according to TV Line.
The CBS show aired from 1986 to 1993 for seven seasons and featured social commentary and a feminist sensibility. It was never quite as beloved as NBC’s “Golden Girls” and when placed head to head with that show, it lost.
Its lead actors over the years included Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Jean Smart, Delta Burke, Meshach Taylor, Alice Ghostley, Julia Duffy, Jan Hooks and Judith Ivey. Only Potts and Carter stayed the entire run.
Sony Pictures recently had a successful revival of “One Day at a Time” on Netflix. And there are talks of a reboot of “Facts of Life.”
Though the show was set in Atlanta, it was shot in Los Angeles. It’s way too early to say now that Georgia has its tax credits whether it makes sense for the new show to be shot here as well. Most three-camera sitcoms with live audiences are still shot in L.A. And obviously, the show has yet to find a home in terms of where it’s going to air.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
