Women of the House

1 9 9 5 (USA)
8 (12) x 30 minute episodes

Delta Burke couldn’t make it as a blonde country singer in Delta so she went back to brunette to revive her Designing Women character, Suzanne Sugarbaker, in Women of the House.

After her 76-year-old congressman husband dies, Suzanne takes over his House of Representatives seat in Washington with the help of her cynical former-drunk Press Secretary, Sissy (Terri Garr) who has never heard a rumour she didn’t spread, humourless bun-wearing Administrative Assistant Natty (Patricia Heaton), and naive secretary Jennifer Malone (Valerie Mahaffey then Julie Hagerty), a recent divorcée whose hobby is making doilies out of typing paper.

Suzanne also drags along her developmentally-disabled brother Jim (Jonathan Banks) and adopted daughter Desi (Brittany Parkyn).

Debuting in January 1995, CBS did little to promote the series (which initially aired opposite the powerhouse Roseanne over on ABC). After bouncing it around the schedule, the network pulled the series after only eight of the episodes had aired and unceremoniously cancelled it. It was gone by April.

Suzanne Sugarbaker
Delta Burke
Sissy Emerson
Teri Garr
Natalie Hollingsworth
Patricia Heaton
Jim Sugarbaker
Jonathan Banks
Desiree Sugarbaker
Brittany Parkyn
Jennifer Malone
Valerie Mahaffey (1)
Julie Hagerty (2)
Veda Walkman
Lisa Rieffel
Dave
William Newman
Adam
Adam Carl .