Why is "Golden Girls" so iconic but not "Designing Women"? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 10-08-2016, 12:29 AM

I know that they were both popular series while they were on the air but why has The Golden Girls sustained all these years while Designing Women is long forgotten?

king of comedy · 10-08-2016, 07:23 AM

Sad for Designing Women. Also, all 4 Golden Girls stayed on thru out the entire run. There were cast changes thru out the run of Designing Women.

megamanj2004 · 10-08-2016, 12:46 PM

Because The Golden Girls has a stable cast and far better writing and a consistent Top 25 show for 6 of its 7 seasons. Oh and a legend in Betty White.

Designing Women never really got off the ground until Season 4. DW also had a revolving door of cast changes towards the end of its run once Delta Burke and Jean Smart left. Not quite as memorable as TGG.

gidgetgrape · 10-08-2016, 01:42 PM

Julia Sugarbaker. That character is too severe and serious for repeated viewing. I couldn't handle having a friend who went off into rants and scolded me all the time. The funniest episodes were the ones that were centered around Delta Burke and Meshach Taylor. I wish they would have had spinoff together.

Mr. Television · 10-08-2016, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gidgetgrape

Julia Sugarbaker. That character is too severe and serious for repeated viewing. I couldn't handle having a friend who went off into rants and scolded me all the time. The funniest episodes were the ones that were centered around Delta Burke and Meshach Taylor. I wish they would have had spinoff together.

Julia was the main reason I could never enjoy the show.

mets82 · 10-08-2016, 05:34 PM

Weren't they on around the sametime? I thought the writing was sharper on TGG and funnier.

king of comedy · 10-09-2016, 08:25 AM

The Golden Girls came out in the fall of 1985. Designing Women came out in the fall of 1986.

magellan333 · 10-09-2016, 01:03 PM

While not as legendary as Betty White, Bea Arthur had quite a following too. As mentioned earlier, thd moral conscience of DW was also a bit more heavy handed than GG. Starving kids, breast cancer and porn magazine stands were the center of the episodes and dealt with in the most serious fashion. GG took a much more light hearted approach when tackling serious issues (most of the time). DW seemed to also bust at the seams with feminism where GG was just a fun show about ladies making it on their own. There is certainly nothing wrong with an ultra pro-woman show like DW; it just limits the following.

jayman75 · 10-09-2016, 05:00 PM

Golden Girls also featured women "of a certain age," which was a first on television. Designing Women showed 30-40-something's, still considered "in the prime" to TV producers and audiences.

Big D In Charge · 10-10-2016, 11:20 PM

I often see Designing Women as a ripoff

Zoneboy · 10-10-2016, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big D In Charge

I often see Designing Women as a ripoff

From your perspective, exactly how is it a ripoff?

Zoneboy · 10-10-2016, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by king of comedy

The Golden Girls came out in the fall of 1985. Designing Women came out in the fall of 1986.

That probably had very little (if anything) to do with it.

'80sSitcoms · 10-18-2016, 04:41 PM

The important thing is, they're both great shows and every episode is on DVD!

GoldenBoy79 · 11-07-2016, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

From your perspective, exactly how is it a ripoff?

For what it's worth, the Sun Sentinel called it a 'classy Golden Girls rip-off' when it debuted in September 1986.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/198...worth-thomason

Heenan Fan · 11-10-2016, 03:25 PM

It's pretty hard to laugh at a TV show when the producers and writers are using the show to constantly force their political views down your throat. Golden Girls was great, Designing Women was garbage.

10-08-2016, 12:29 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,062	Why is "Golden Girls" so iconic but not "Designing Women"? I know that they were both popular series while they were on the air but why has The Golden Girls sustained all these years while Designing Women is long forgotten?

10-08-2016, 12:46 PM	#3
megamanj2004 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 21, 2004 Posts: 2,357	Because The Golden Girls has a stable cast and far better writing and a consistent Top 25 show for 6 of its 7 seasons. Oh and a legend in Betty White. Designing Women never really got off the ground until Season 4. DW also had a revolving door of cast changes towards the end of its run once Delta Burke and Jean Smart left. Not quite as memorable as TGG.
	__________________ 10 AND A HALF YEARS GOING STRONG!!!

10-08-2016, 05:34 PM	#6
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	Weren't they on around the sametime? I thought the writing was sharper on TGG and funnier.
	__________________ http://www.superbowlgreatness.blogspot.com/ Please check out my blog. I vent on all things. TV, sports etc. you name it. Its also a work in progress. Check out and see what you think.

10-09-2016, 05:00 PM	#9
jayman75 I Love the 80s! Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 27, 2000 Location: THE GREAT UNITED STATES Posts: 3,809	Golden Girls also featured women "of a certain age," which was a first on television. Designing Women showed 30-40-something's, still considered "in the prime" to TV producers and audiences.
	__________________ A fan of quality, classic television comedies and holiday specials... The Wonder Years,The Golden Girls,Burns and Allen, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Are You Being Served?, Family Guy, South Park, Designing Women, Dallas, The Facts of Life, Roseanne, Will and Grace, The Twilight Zone, Original Scooby-Doo, Murphy Brown, The Big Bang Theory... Talk to me about one of these shows, and I'm all yours...

10-08-2016, 07:23 AM	#2
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	Sad for Designing Women. Also, all 4 Golden Girls stayed on thru out the entire run. There were cast changes thru out the run of Designing Women.

10-08-2016, 01:42 PM	#4
gidgetgrape Forever Gidget Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 20, 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 3,503	Julia Sugarbaker. That character is too severe and serious for repeated viewing. I couldn't handle having a friend who went off into rants and scolded me all the time. The funniest episodes were the ones that were centered around Delta Burke and Meshach Taylor. I wish they would have had spinoff together.

10-09-2016, 08:25 AM	#7
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	The Golden Girls came out in the fall of 1985. Designing Women came out in the fall of 1986.

10-09-2016, 01:03 PM	#8
magellan333 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 26, 2003 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 822	While not as legendary as Betty White, Bea Arthur had quite a following too. As mentioned earlier, thd moral conscience of DW was also a bit more heavy handed than GG. Starving kids, breast cancer and porn magazine stands were the center of the episodes and dealt with in the most serious fashion. GG took a much more light hearted approach when tackling serious issues (most of the time). DW seemed to also bust at the seams with feminism where GG was just a fun show about ladies making it on their own. There is certainly nothing wrong with an ultra pro-woman show like DW; it just limits the following.

10-10-2016, 11:20 PM	#10
Big D In Charge Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 29, 2015 Posts: 95	I often see Designing Women as a ripoff

10-18-2016, 04:41 PM	#13
'80sSitcoms Member Forum Star Join Date: Jan 30, 2013 Posts: 12,474	The important thing is, they're both great shows and every episode is on DVD!

11-10-2016, 03:25 PM	#15
Heenan Fan Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 19, 2016 Posts: 6,001	It's pretty hard to laugh at a TV show when the producers and writers are using the show to constantly force their political views down your throat. Golden Girls was great, Designing Women was garbage.