Sophia: Outspoken "Matriarch" = Julia

Blanche: Self-absorbed vixen = Suzanne

Dorothy: Divorced, complicated love life = Mary Jo

Rose: Sweet, slow-witted = Charlene


There are also individual episodes of the two shows that seem like rip-offs of corresponding episodes on the other show. Most glaringly is when the daffy character gets their own public access talk-show, invites the women on as guests, and then falsely implies something that humiliates them on-air. On Designing Women, the daffy character was Bernice Clifton, and she humiliated the other women by implying they were prostitutes. On The Golden Girls, the daffy character was Rose, who implied that Dorothy and Blanche were a lesbian couple.

There were more differences than similarities.

And I'm surprised you likened Julia to Sophia and Dorothy to Mary Jo. Usually people say the opposite (Julia and Dorothy are both strong women with liberal views who take control, and Mary Jo and Sophia are the "wisecrackers").

There were definite similarities. I wouldn't call them a knock-off, as there were some differences, as well.