Sugarbaker & Associates Have Designs On You! 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, 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 nobody's 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. When series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason first approached CBS with her proposal, all she knew for sure was that she wanted to do a show featuring these four talented actresses. The network agreed. And based on the power of that ensemble cast and the humanity and humor of their stories, 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.