Sweet Tea & TV

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” becau...

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 an...

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...

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...

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...

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 hi...

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 a...

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 b...

Charlene is having a rough time. She’s going to take some college courses, so naturally, Julia and Mary Jo insinuate she’s, oh how would Suzanne put it? Ah! Has more boobs than brains. Then her professor hits on her in THE MOST awkward way possible.  Meanwhile, we’re jazzed they’re threading episodes but have some questions about this timeline. We’ll also sidebar about three (Southern) psychologis...

This week’s Extra Sugar is inspired by Mary Jo and Julia’s stint in the jogging world – and Julia taking it a little TOO serious. Like 2010s crossfit serious.  That’s right, y’all, we’re talking about fitness trends. We’ll probably admit to more than a few. Some are flat out hilarious, and there are time stamps galore. This one is just for funsies. 

Stuck in a rut? Run from it. That’s Mary Jo’s plan – she drags Julia along. We guess that means we’re coming, too, but don’t expect us to jog while we do it.   A running-themed episode inspired a sidebar where we’ll dig into Atlanta races and legendary runners. It has a history all its own, y’all! Like Julia, we also can’t get enough exercise, so come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” about worko...

Ah, sweet Charlene. In this week’s “Designing Women” episode, she was once again sucked into the mystic allure of fame. But, this wasn't like all those times before - from the designs on being a country and western singer, or when she thought about being a lady preacher, OR when she wanted to be a jury foreperson. No, this week’s dream of fame is a bit more removed. A bit more vicarious. A bit mor...

Our ladies get houseguests – and a glimpse into their future – when Mary Jo’s childhood teacher and her cantankerous friend run away from their slightly scary nursing home. Now: is this one pure shenanigans, or is the show giving us something truly deeper to consider?  Come back Thursday for an all-new “Extra Sugar” inspired by Olivia’s brief modeling career. (Big Hint: we’re talking about child m...

This week was all thrills and chills on “Designing Women” - something we never knew we’d have a chance to say. As the ladies spent the night in Charlene’s spooky house, they told two urban legend stories around the living room campfire. They weren’t totally new to us - the girl in the prom dress who was never really there at all! And the hook hand hooligan grabbing on to cars while couples are mak...

A Halloween episode?! YES. Our time has come. The whole gang is having an impromptu sleepover in Charlene’s new haunted house with pranks, ghost stories, roasted marshmallows, and of course, a grumpy Julia. (She hates sleepovers, y’all, she is very mature.) Anyways, you know we have to celebrate “Spooky Season,” so we’ll break in the middle to talk about the origins of Halloween, including some So...

Welcome to the segment that left both of us a little hungry after recording. In honor of the hot and bothered crowd of ladies all hopped up on two-for-1 daiquiris from the Ruffles and Bows tea room, hootin’ and hollerin’ for our boy Anthony during the bachelor auction, let’s talk all things “Atlanta tea rooms.”  Ruffles and Bows may not have been a real tea room in Atlanta, but Mary Macs - a true...

Happppppy Halloween! While the kids are out gathering their candy tonight, we offer you this ear candy: a special ghoulish, extra spooky, Extra Sugar! In episode 1 this season, we talked about the oldest houses in Atlanta. But we didn’t talk about the specters who saunter the halls of these historic homes. The apparitions who abide the walls of these well-lived manors and mansions. The poltergeist...

We’ll sum this one up in three words (and a couple of symbols): Suzanne + Anthony = Love.  When we’re not swooning over these two, we’ll pause for a “Salina’s Sidebar” about auctions because people have bid on some weird stuff and we just have to talk about it. Come back Thursday for a very special “Extra Sugar” on Mary Mac’s Tea Room – an Atlanta institution known for its Southern comfort food. T...

Poor, poor Julia. Our consummate Southern lady has the opportunity of a lifetime - a fine dining opportunity with THE CARTERS. Basically Southern royalty. Instead, she finds herself sitting in a dingy conference room, watching a bunch’a’losers eating baskets of fried cheese before they all retire to the Fair Price Motel which was NOT the nicest place she had been. All trying to give an Atlanta cit...

Oooh! We don’t remember the last time we saw Julia this riled up! Jury duty and rule follower Charlene are standing between her and dinner with President Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter.  We’ll sidebar on radio contests in honor of the hurtin’ Charlene, Suzanne, and Anthony put on the record store after winning a radio contest. Then come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” dedicated to the South’s most in...

In this week’s episode of “Designing Women”, Charlene straight-up quit Sugarbakers. She decided the “put-on-an-outfit-with-shoulder-pads, tease-your-hair, leave-your-baby-with-a-nanny, and head-into-the-office-for-the-day” lifestyle just wasn’t for her. She needed more time with Olivia. More time for play dates. More time for snuggles. More time for…her programs. The whole shebang. We’re calling t...

It’s been a rough week, y’all. Charlene quit. She and MJ had a big fight. But, hey, they both feel like bad moms and inadequate, so all is well in the world. Meanwhile, the whole gang is abused by a pint-sized client who comes to blows with Suzanne.  Come back later in the week for an “Extra Sugar” dedicated to the plight of stay-at-home parents.

Anthony meeting his dad in episode two had us thinking about “reunion” stories of all stripes: family, friends, lovers, and classmates. And with that in mind, we’ve assembled a roundup of some of the most interesting ones we could find: from the funny to the sweet and the utterly bizarre. 

The ladies have a big surprise in store for Anthony’s “dirty 30”, but y’all, he’s been hinting at VCR all week! Sounds like we need to sidebar about the WORST birthday surprises. Meanwhile, Bernice is horny and Suzanne hasn’t quite learned her lesson about brandishing weapons. Come back later in the week for an assemblage of reunion stories: the sweet, the funny, and the downright unbelievable. 

After a nearly two-and-a-half year journey with us, we have done it: we have reached the 90s. The decade that makes us nostalgic for things we’ll never get back: SNICK, Delia’s, and Blockbuster…the elasticity in our skin.  In this week’s “Extra Sugar”, we pay homage to this era that shaped the two women you hear blather on every week (you’re welcome and sorry about that). We’ll also pay special at...