Rue McClanahan once said, “People always ask me if I’m really like Blanche. And I say, ‘Well, Blanche was just Rue with the volume turned up.’” In this week’s “Extra Sugar”, we’re raising a slice of cheesecake to Rue, learning about her five-decade career, some of the diverse roles she had after Golden Girls, AND how she got that name: Rue. And, as always, thank you for being a friend!

Blanche Devereaux is so many things. She’s the lady of my dreams, your dreams, all of our dreams. But, like, she’s also the branch from Designing Women to Golden Girls. Sometimes we just close our eyes and it’s almost like we’re right back there with our favorite Atlanta siren: Suzanne Sugarbaker. All batting eyelashes and questionable comments. Join us on our new adventure as we hop from character to character this season, exploring their highs, lows, and frankly, what made us fall in love with them.  For the purists out there, we’re including the exact episodes we watched to prepare – so watch along and then tune in to talk all things Blanche.  Come back Thursday for an Extra Sugar all about the lady behind the lady: Rue McClanahan.  And, as always, thank you for being a friend!

Covering Golden Girls got us thinking about what a feat it was to get four women – let alone those over the age of 50 – in leading roles on TV in the 1980s. We decided it was time for a temperature check: how is Hollywood doing all these years on? What has and hasn’t changed since these iconic women left the screen 30+ years ago? What did Golden Girls get right at the time and where did they miss the mark? You’ll be utterly shocked to learn, well, it’s complicated. 

We’re back! Minus a very exciting special episode over the summer, we took a much needed, extended break from the pod. We also got in the lab, with a pen and a pad – and then Nikki came up with something REALLY good. Make sure to listen to find out what we’re up to long term, but short term, as we unsubtly teased earlier in the year: this is our golden era. It’s Golden Girls time. So join us as Salina meets the gals (Nikki is already a cheesecake bestie), and then come back Thursday for an episode all about the representation of aging women in Hollywood.  Wanna follow along with the exact episodes we’re watching? Great! Check out the series pilot and season 1 finale on Hulu. 

Before we boarded our flight to Miami, we decided to take a quiz to see which Golden Girl we are. We both came in with some ideas of who we might be - tune in to the end to see if we were right. Then, take it yourself and let us know who you got AND if that’s who you thought you would get! THEN, come back Monday for our very new season of "Sweet Tea & TV." And, as always, thank you for being a friend!

AGH! Red alert - STTV is back (sort of...) At a minimum, we are reemerging from our T. Swift pre-Reputation era cave long enough to reconvene the STTV Book Club! We were so honored to be invited to a book release event by Mary Dixie Carter, author of Marguerite by the Lake (and daughter of Dixie Carter!)  Her new novel - “An atmospheric, tense novel about the death of a glamorous garden designer, a widower trying to keep his secrets buried, and the beautiful young gardener.” - was the PERFECT excuse for Book Club! This book took us on a twisty, turny ride and we have the thoughts. So grab a copy and join us for the ride!  And bonus! Stick around at the end to hear an exclusive conversation Salina had with Mary Dixie. Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

Bernice Clifton has given us so much over the years. Her final parting gift? A reference to the iconic 1991 film: Thelma & Louise. It’s a shoot ‘em up, outlaw adventure featuring two outrageously talented women amidst a banger cast. It’s a bittersweet feminist text that shook up Hollywood stereotypes – and forever upholds the unshakable bond of female friendship.  Brandon Davis from Front Row Classics returned to help us unpack this one: what it changed, what it didn’t, allll the trivia, and why this one holds a special place in our hearts - whether this was our first or 100th time seeing it.

We simply could not wrap up Designing Women without acknowledging its extended universe and CBS network spinoff, Women of the House. This is the short-lived series that reunited LBT and Delta Burke, and the show that brought back Suzanne Sugarbaker. Turns out: this one had some off-screen drama, too, but the best of it was in service to women. We like that.  We’ll talk about our general reactions, likes, dislikes, and a bevy of Designing Women cameos PLUS some stunt casting with purpose.

The year, Patreon friends: 2003. The goal: bring back the original cast of "Designing Women". Sprinkle in: LBT, Pam Norris, and allll the husbands for good measure.   We couldn't possibly close out the series without chatting about the Lifetime Reunion: general reactions, favorite moments, and biggest surprises.   Come on, y'all, let's get into it! 

The time hath come, friends - we’re on our “Designing Women” farewell tour. After four years, seven seasons, hundreds of episode watches, and countless hours with these lovely creatures, our time together has come to an end. We’ll kick off the “goodbyes” sharing our all-time favorite episodes, ranking the seasons, and finally revealing our favorite characters (for today.) And, if we’re extra-nice, Salina may do some math for us!  Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

This “Extra Sugar” officially calls to order the Sweet Tea & TV Book Club! Grab your copy of “Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker” by the one and only Dixie Carter and settle in for a gab-fest. This episode turned out longer than normal, but it turns out these two talkers - one a Georgia Talker and one a South Carolina Talker - also had a lot of opinions. 

Ah, the age-old fun-house version that’s not so “fun” - that’s what we were facing this season with Ms. Julia Sugarbaker. Her condescension was at an all-time high throughout the season and the runner of the tension between her and Mary Jo wasn’t our favorite part of the season. HOWEVER, there were some high points, so let’s chat about it. And come back later this week for the second installment of the “Sweet Tea & TV Book Club” - we’re talking all things Dixie Carter’s 1996 book, “Trying to Get To Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker.”

This week’s Extra Sugar is inspired by Mary Jo’s brush with the supernatural after Elvis’s face appears on her shovel in season 7, episode 17. We’re also introduced to Jade Herman, a self-proclaimed expert in the “para-spectacular”, who “markets and promotes everything from Jesus’ face on a toaster to UFOs landing in a wheat field outside of London.” Naturally, Salina then curated a list of five para-spectacular…occurrences…for your listening pleasure. So if you’re into toasts, ghosts, and UFOs, well, this one's for you. 

Justice for Mary Jo! That’s what we were yelling at the end of season 7. Mary Jo - and, in fact, Annie Potts - deserved so much more than the “Designing Women” writers gave her this season. Of course, there were some funny parts and a couple social commentaries but, for the most part, we veered into funhouse territory - just minus the fun.  Come on y’all, let’s rip off the Band-aid and get into it! 

This week’s Carlene episode opened the door to something we just have to talk about: Southern Suffragists (courtesy of Carlene’s boyfriend, Eric, giving Julia a book on the topic in episode 20).  We’ll talk about the women’s suffragist movement generally, unpack the South’s role and what happened here, and wrap up by looking at some women (and men!) suffragists who helped make it happen.  Come on y’all, let’s get into it! 

The short version of this episode is: Salina and Nikki are disappointed that the writers/producers/universe short-changed easily one of the high points of the post-shakeup “Designing Women” cast. Poor Carlene is reduced to just a couple storylines and a few pop-in jokes here and there. But, that won’t stop us from giving her her due! Let’s get into our thoughts (and feels) about Carlene’s portrayal in season 7 - from the funniest parts all the way down to the cringiest (including being nekkid on Anthony’s sheets!) Come on y’all, let’s get into it!

All the way back in season 4, in “Bernice’s Sanity Hearing” (which we called “Some LIke Dolls, Some Like Revenge”), Julia said: "I'm saying this is the South, and we're proud of our crazy people. We don't hide them up in the attic. We bring 'em right down to the living room and show 'em off. See, Phyllis, no one in the South ever asks if you have crazy people in your family. They just ask what side they're on.”  Which leads us to the thesis of this “Extra Sugar”. We’ll poke around in that concept a little bit - what does Bernice’s character show us about mental health and “crazy" in the South? Is there anything in our collective experience that plays out through Bernice’s story?  And, since we’re a culture in crisis, we’ll end by sharing our own tips for preserving your sanity.

All aboard! Headed to our next stop on the ST&TV Season 7 Train - BERNICE. The writers for “Designing Women” season 7 were ALL IN on Bernice as the comic relief this season and so were we. (Don’t be surprised if we break all the rules and share dozens of “funniest moments” for Bernice this season!) We’ll hit all the highs and lows for this red-hot mama.  And don’t forget to come back Thursday for a mental-health focused “Extra Sugar.”

Our Anthony episode– and his rebound trip to Las Vegas – was a perfectly adequate excuse for Salina to talk about the Dixie Mafia. Confused? OK, stay with us. When people think about Vegas, they think about the mafia. But what if we told you there was a Southern mafia? The Dixie Mafia. AKA the Southern mob, AKA the Cornbread Cosa Nostra.  Join us as we shed some light on their origins AND some of the most interesting figures and cases in their sordid history. 

Next up in our character run-down for season 7, the one, the only: ANTHONY BOUVIER!  As we wrap up our time with Anthony, let’s take a second to appreciate the endless shenanigans the Designing Women have put him through, his quickie, season 7 marriage, his never-ending law school career, and the twist ending that has us all wondering if Bernice’s feelings for him were truly unrequited. We’ll make a pit-stop at Salina’s Sidebar, to talk about the one and only, Sheryl Lee Ralph.  And we have a special bit for our Patreon listeners, inspired by the crew’s two-part Vegas visit this season. Finally, don’t forget to come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” that was weeks of internet research, podcast listening, and light book-skimming in the making - Salina’s taking the Southern route to Vegas, talking all about the Dixie Mafia.