The Golden Girls and/or Desiging Women (1 Viewer)

[Emcee]

THE GOLDEN GIRLS and DESIGNING WOMEN are two shows from the same era and rivaling networks that are often compared and contrasted among their respected fan bases. Beyond the basic story of the four stars being women, are there any similarities?

I personally see THE GOLDEN GIRLS as superior, although DESIGNING WOMEN was a popular and strong show with a fan base in its own right. I have the complete series of both shows on DVD, and I've probably seen (close to) every episode of them both.

Which do you prefer and why?

 

[Malcolm R]

I've enjoyed both, though I give the edge to The Golden Girls for writing and performances. I've seen every episode of TGG multiple times over the years, but they still make me laugh every time I catch a rerun. I haven't seen Designing Women much since it's original run.

I think you can draw similarities among some of the character types: Suzanne = Blanche (vain, sexy, egotistical); Charlene = Rose (naive, innocent, kind of dimwitted); Julia = Dorothy (smart, opinionated, strong-willed).

 

[Emcee]

I've enjoyed both, though I give the edge to The Golden Girls for writing and performances. I've seen every episode of TGG multiple times over the years, but they still make me laugh every time I catch a rerun. I haven't seen Designing Women much since it's original run.

I think you can draw similarities among some of the character types: Suzanne = Blanche (vain, sexy, egotistical); Charlene = Rose (naive, innocent, kind of dimwitted); Julia = Dorothy (smart, opinionated, strong-willed).

THE GOLDEN GIRLS definitely had the edge for being consistently better overall. DESIGNING WOMEN is in reruns on FeTV daily through the week. How you paired the ladies from each show fits perfectly, with the exception of Mary Jo. I've heard people say she was a mixture of all three, while DW's Bernice was their alternative to Sophia, but in a recurring status.

 

[Stan]

Enjoyed both shows, but really bringing up some old stuff from years ago. They were both very well done. Maybe not classics like the MTM show. I'd have to go with "Designing Women" as the better one, some excellent comedy.

 

[Jason_V]

If you forced me to choose, I'm going Golden Girls. Does that mean I don't like Designing Women? Nope. I just have really fond memories of watching TGG most Saturday nights as a family growing up. And that show makes me almost pee my pants anytime I watch it.

 

[Nick*Z]

The Golden Girls wins. Also watched Designing Women and loved it too. But the various cast changes that occurred, particularly the loss of Delta Burke, eventually diluted the virtues and staying power of that show. The Golden Girls, by comparison, kept up with the same cast and very strong writing right till the end. Sure wish both of these would arrive on Blu-ray someday. Yes, I know; they will never look stellar. But some image stabilization and color correction could and should be applied to give us a reasonable account of both vintage 80s shows. The present DVD's are riddled in edge enhancement. The Golden Girls has audio drop outs on various episodes. Designing Women could have its chroma bleeding toned down, if not entirely corrected. Such wonderful programming deserves the utmost consideration.

 

[Emcee]

Enjoyed both shows, but really bringing up some old stuff from years ago. They were both very well done. Maybe not classics like the MTM show. I'd have to go with "Designing Women" as the better one, some excellent comedy.

I would considered both The Golden Girls and Designing Women as classics, but the former more so than the latter. The Golden Girls was a standout in the genre, while Designing Women, a particularly good show in its own right, suffered from many behind-the-scenes issues that rendered it unable to be consistently good. Of course, those are just my thoughts. I enjoy both shows thoroughly.

If you forced me to choose, I'm going Golden Girls. Does that mean I don't like Designing Women? Nope. I just have really fond memories of watching TGG most Saturday nights as a family growing up. And that show makes me almost pee my pants anytime I watch it.

I agree --- My love for The Golden Girls doesn't stop my affection for Designing Women. I'm too young to have seen either in their original runs, but I fell in love with The Golden Girls in reruns many years back. I started watching Designing Women out of curiosity, and nothing more.

The Golden Girls wins. Also watched Designing Women and loved it too. But the various cast changes that occurred, particularly the loss of Delta Burke, eventually diluted the virtues and staying power of that show. The Golden Girls, by comparison, kept up with the same cast and very strong writing right till the end. Sure wish both of these would arrive on Blu-ray someday. Yes, I know; they will never look stellar. But some image stabilization and color correction could and should be applied to give us a reasonable account of both vintage 80s shows. The present DVD's are riddled in edge enhancement. The Golden Girls has audio drop outs on various episodes. Designing Women could have its chroma bleeding toned down, if not entirely corrected. Such wonderful programming deserves the utmost consideration.

Yes, the Designing Women cast changes post-Season 5 hurt the balance considerably. Delta Burke, often called the show's most identifiable actress, was a great loss; Jean Smart, a talented actress in her own right, was equally missed. Although Season 6 still had some really good episodes (containing some of my favorites, actually), the show itself was different. I know the producers tried to "fix" it a time or two throughout the 1991-92 season, but they never really did. By the time the final season rolled around, the brought forth yet another cast change, and they weren't able to fulfill their promises of getting Jean Smart to come back for some guest spots.

I believe it was Jean Smart that said early into the show that it wouldn't last without the four original ladies intact. Perhaps after Delta Burke's shafting, she decided to bail out as well, maybe in fear the changes would trigger a downturn --- which it did. I have nothing to back this up, but it's a theory to which I adhere.