‘Designing Women’ Sequel in the Works at ABC

The Designing Women sequel series has found a home at ABC, 25 years after the original show ended.

ABC gave the project a script commitment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Original series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and executive producer Harry Thomason are both involved.

The new Designing Women will follow the multicamera comedy format like the original, but centers on a group of new designers at Sugarbaker & Associates in Atlanta. Written by Bloodworth-Thomason, the new series will still include razor-sharp and witty dialogue touching on politics, culture and society. And also like the original series, the designers rarely agree on anything.

News of the sequel series surfaced in August. Sony Pictures Television, which produced the original series, is behind the sequel.

“I’m very excited to be working with ABC. And Sony has always been a great partner for Designing Women. Normally, I’m not a fan of reboots but Designing Women does seem to have the right fengshui for all that is going on right now. We could definitely have some fun,” Bloodworth-Tomason told THR.

The original series starred Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Jean Smart and Delta Burke as the four titular women and Meshach Taylor as the one man working with them. Alice Ghostley, Julia Duffy, Jan Hooks and Judith Ivey also appeared on the show. Some members of the original cast are expected to make cameos in the sequel.

Designing Women ran from 1986 to 1993 on CBS and was famous for looking at serious subjects, including AIDS prejudice, homophobia, racism, domestic abuse and women’s rights. The series was nominated for the Best Comedy/Musical series Golden Globes in 1990 and 1991.

Although critically acclaimed, the series only won an Emmy for hairstyling in 1988. Bloodworth-Thomason also earned an Emmy nomination for writing the season 2 episode “Killing All The Right People,” which centered on AIDS prejudice. Taylor, Burke and Alice Ghostley were nominated for their performances. The series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

In March, the idea of a Designing Women revival earned the approval of Potts.

“I would love that,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I don’t know when I’d find the time for it, but I think that they could use a show like Designing Women — feisty smart women that didn’t take any B.S. from anybody.”

Potts, who stars on CBS’ Young Sheldon, felt that television is missing a show with as strong a voice as Designing Women.

“Every Monday night was a MeToo moment for us, and we were talking about it; we were very political. I’m sad that there’s not such a strong voice, I don’t think, in any singular show. Nobody is doing what we did then,” she said. “So yeah, if [Bloodworth-Thomason] wanted to write six episodes and do it in my hiatus, I would be there in a minute.”

Photo credit: CBS