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.
Jan Hooks As Carlene
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.
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 Today
Unlike the unreliable Ted, Scott Bakula is a real stand-up guy. He has struck the perfect balance between his personal life and his professional life. How? When the actor got cast as Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise, he had it put in his contract that he would leave every filming day at 6 pm.
The reason for this was so that he could spend dinner every night with his family. He also made sure that this would happen when he worked on NCIS: New Orleans. It seems like this is a major priority for him. Good going.
Judith Ivey As Bonnie “BJ” Poteen
Following Delta Burke's exit from the show in the fifth season, the wonderful actress, Judith Ivey was brought essentially as her replacement Not only did she replace Burke, but she also brought something rather special.
Even with her millionaire status, her character has no problem fitting in with her co-workers. In fact, she even ends up saving the day by stopping the company from declaring bankruptcy. How nice!