We’ve come to the moment where we can finally talk about possibly the one last thing all Americans can agree on: the loveliness that was Betty White.  Betty White grew up with television and she paid her dues. From hours in full make-up on live television, to decades of stiff game show competition, “The Golden Girls” was far from her only contribution to culture and entertainment. The part we don’t often hear about is the influential network of female entertainers she ran wit

Rose Nylund may not be one to “toot her own Vertugenflürgen, so we’ll do it for her.  Let’s face it: she’s the Golden Girl you want to hug most. She’s the forever optimist, genuinely sincere and sincerely genuine, inclusive, and downright wholesome. Rose is like a walking, breathing plate of warm cookies and hot cocoa.  But don’t get it twisted: she’s also strong, wildly competitive, and not to be underestimated. Sometimes her best qualities – along with heavy helping of naiv

In this week’s “Extra Sugar”, we’re going beyond the biosketch and learning much more about the real woman behind Dorothy Zbornak: Bea Arthur.  We’re talking about her fearless advocacy, her trailblazing role in Maude  — where she tackled issues like women’s rights, aging, and reproductive freedom — and how that legacy paved the way for Dorothy and generations of strong female characters to come. So, grab a slice of cheesecake and join us as we celebrate the woman who proved

Dorothy Zbornak could level a room with one withering stare — and finish the job with a single sarcastic comment. This week on “Sweet Tea & TV”, we’re diving into the world of The Golden Girls’ resident truth-teller — the tall, tough, totally iconic Dorothy, played by Bea Arthur. We’ll unpack what makes her the glue (and sometimes the eye-roll) of the group, why her brand of honesty hits just as hard today, and how Bea made this sharp-tongued realist into one of TV’s most bel

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. Here are some of the things Nikki read in preparation for this week’s episode, if you want to dive in:  The New York Times’ tribute to Ru

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

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.  Reads: Ho

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 T

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...

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...

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...

We simply could not wrap up Designing Women  without acknowledging its extended universe and CBS network spinoff, Women of the House ....

The year, Patreon friends: 2003. The goal: bring back the original cast of "Designing Women". Sprinkle in: LBT, Pam Norris, and allll the...

The time hath come, friends - we’re on our “Designing Women” farewell tour. After four years, seven seasons, hundreds of episode watches,...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

This week’s Carlene episode opened the door to something we just have to talk about: Southern Suffragists (courtesy of Carlene’s...

The short version of this episode is: Salina and Nikki are disappointed that the writers/producers/universe short-changed easily one of...