This was definitely a wonderful little character in the show. Charlene had a sister named…Carlene. Carlene was played by the very talented Jan Hooks who joined the towards its last couple of seasons.
Carlene stepped into ultimately replace her sister who had moved to England. While she may have not been as sharp as Charlene, Carlene was without a doubt a sweetheart. She also had a real passion for the music biz.
Julia Duffy As Allison
Allison was the show's main antagonist. This couldn't have been achieved without the flawless acting of Julia Duffy, who just so perfectly captured the character's cunning ways.
Her indifference to the company definitely made everyone pretty angry. Not that she was bothered. If all else failed, Allison planned to take her share from the business, leave Atlanta and open up a new branch of Victoria's Secret!
Julia Duffy Today
When Designing Women wrapped, Julia Duffy had a great reputation. She very quickly found work on the show The Mommies where starred in this show for the better part of the 1990s, cementing her as a well-established actress.
There are no future signs of stopping. The TV fave has gone on to appear in a number of shows such as Shameless, and American Housewife.
Jan Hooks Today
Hooks racked up quite a lot of comedic roles in her time. She was even a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the 80s. She starred in many other comedies such as PeeWee's Big Adventure, and 3rd Rock From the Sun in the late 90s.
She also took on a fair show of animated shows where she voiced various characters, one of which was on The Simpsons. Tragically, the actress passed away in 2014 after struggling with cancer.
Scott Bakula As Dr. Ted Shively
Sitcoms of the 80s and 90s would be nothing without Scott Bakula. The man was a staple on TV back then as a star of shows like Quantum Leap and Murphy Brown. In Designing Women, however, Bakula plated the Ted Shively, Mary Jo's ex-husband.
Bakula embodied this sneaky womanizer who had trouble keeping a marriage together. It was always odd to fathom how Mary Jo and Ted had a relationship, to begin with.