Sweet Tea & TV

Designing Women S5 E9 Extra Sugar - Sweet Tea & TV After Dark: The Hite Report

Waaaaaaay back in season 3, we agreed it was time to do a Sweet Tea & TV After Dark after Designing Women referenced a very sexy report. (Hey, reports can be sexy. Probably.)

That’s right, y’all, we’re talking about The Hite Report, a landmark 1976 study all about female sexuality. Some of the findings are NSFW, or the kiddos, so you’ve been warned. (Also, maybe not for Salina’s grandparents because it’s just too much for her brain to comprehend.)

We’ll talk about why this report was so important, the woman behind it, the backlash she faced, and how much things have changed in the last (nearly) 50 years. 

Designing Women S5 E10 - Even Rosie the Riveter Had Urges

No, no, no, noooooooo! Not another WWII fever dream. We understand Bill’s been sent on a top secret mission and Charlene’s scared, but do we all have to suffer? Yes, yes we do. 

Meanwhile, Anthony gets the gang wrapped up in some Florida lottery scheming, so we’ll sidebar on some good (and bad) winner stories. 

And then come back on Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” where we’re gonna shake things up and talk about one of our favorite current shows (which is incidentally all about the past) – The Crown. It’s the last season, y’all, so catch up and talk through it with us.

Special Episode: ST&TV Tries on The Crown (Part I)

Part one of Netflix’ series finale of “The Crown” covers some historic modern royal history. Let’s chat about every moment.

As longtime Sweeties know, we’re self-professed royal watchers. We’ve shared several royal family-related milestones. For instance, last year, we gave you our take on the Harry & Meghan documentary. And then, earlier this year, we woke up before the birds to watch the historic coronation.  

So, we’d be remiss if we didn’t cover the final season of Netflix’s groundbreak series. This is just part I. We’ll have part II for you in a few weeks.

Come on y’all - grab the tissues, grab a cup of tea, and let’s get into it! 

Designing Women S5 E11 - Mary Jo Goes On A Date

Mary Jo and her daughter Claudia are attracted to the same man. Do we feel sick? Yes. But do you have our attention? Dang it. Yes. 

Meanwhile, Julia’s bathroom woes at the big game leads to a sidebar on some wild bathroom history.. (Yes, yes, we’ll touch on the Georgia Tech reference because we’re in the South, and football is king…or a religion…or some other such thing or another.) 

Come back on Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” prompted by Delta Burke’s noticeable absences from a recent episode. That’s right, y’all, it’s time to talk about the behind-the-scenes drama we’ve hinted at for 2+ years!

Designing Women S5 E11 Extra Sugar - Behind-the-Scenes Drama for Your Mama

Since almost the very beginning of Sweet Tea & TV, we promised that we would eventually do a deeper dive into the offscreen drama between Delta Burke and the Thomasons. That time has come. 

The very notable absence of Delta Burke in a recent episode –  “Keep the Homefires Burning” – is the perfect opportunity for us to dig into what would ultimately lead to her departure from the series. We’ll also take this opportunity to talk about some other famous offscreen feuds between stars and their bosses.

Designing Women S5 E12 - Bernice Struts Her Stuff on Public Access

Bernice is back baby! And she has a new, red hot public access TV show for the blue hairs. Dare we say it’s…titillating? (Sure, but just don’t shorten it.) Simultaneously, Mary Jo gets wined and dined by a serial dater, who then breaks her heart. Is revenge in the air…or on the air? Yes.

Her plot inspired this week’s sidebar all about romance and revenge. Then come back Thursday for a very special Extra Sugar dedicated to the very final episodes of The Crown. 

Special Episode - ST&TV Tries on the Crown (Part II)

A few weeks back, we brought you part one of the series finale of Netflix’s  “The Crown”. Over the Christmas holiday, we both eagerly binged part two so we could wrap the journey up with you all early in the new year. And boy were these last few episodes a journey. From the early days of the dynamic duo of Will & Kate, to a royal existential crisis following the deaths of the Queen’s mother and sister, this series brought us a juicy chapter in royal history. 

Let’s talk reactions, reality, and ratings as we regroup on our thoughts on this season. 

(OH! And, over on our Patreon page, our friends are getting an exclusive "Extra Sugar" all about public access TV and some of its...eccentricities. Visit sweetteatv.com if you're interested in joining in on the fun over there!) 

Designing Women S5 E13 - All-You-Can-Eat Pearls

This one was chock-full of lessons: 1) Don’t buy real pearls – literally no one can tell the difference. 2) If you do wear real pearls, don’t wear them to the buffet. 3) Charlene and Mary Jo show us what NOT to do in a buffet sitch. 

Speaking of buffets, Nikki’s got an all-new “Nibbles” segment up her sleeves. And we’re tacking on a new segment for the rest of season 5 called “Suzanne Watch” because we noticed some VERY interesting body language in this one. 

Come back on Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” where we’ll talk all about the crime, or uh, art, of counterfeiting. Which it is kinda depends on who’s behind it.

Designing Women S5 E13 Extra Sugar - A Whole Lotta Fakin’ Going On

When Mary Jo pulled a fast one on Suzanne - switching out their pearl necklaces (one fake, the other real) - we knew what we had to do. First, we rubbed our teeth on our pearls, naturally, and then we set off on a greater task – a Google rabbit hole about counterfeits, fakes, and forgeries.

How common is ist? What are people counterfeiting most? Why does it matter? Then we’ll talk about some specific cases that fooled a whole lot of folks. We’ll wrap up with a game of "spot the fake." 

Designing Women S5 E14 - Anthony, Billy Boy Swine, and the Mouse

Anthony takes on a bully in his building’s laundry room, while a tiny, cute mouse terrorizes Sugarbakers. We’re definitely at the midseason point. Oh, and our new segment “Suzanne Watch” continues. Let us know what you’re observing!

Come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” inspired by this week’s Milli Vanilli references. We’re talking: music scandals!