“Designing Women” premiered in 1985, and the creators were certain it was going to be a hit. The network, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. The show included stars Delta Burke and Dixie Carter, and the entire cast excelled in their roles. It took a little bit of time for all of the actresses and actors to really find themselves and find the audience they were looking for.
Nobody could deny the second season was a bonafide hit, and Delta Burke was one of the names on everyone’s lips. She was riding high with her friends from the show, but the perfection wouldn’t last.
Later Roles for McRaney
Gerald has slowed down a little bit but compared to most legacy actors; he's busier than ever. Just since the new teens, 2010 onward, he's had a six-episode appearance in “Mike & Molly,” had eight episodes as Barlow Connally in “Longmire,” and acted as Raymond Tusk in “House of Cards” — which earned him a Screen Actor's Guild Award nomination.
He's been in “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Castle,” “This Is Us,” (earning him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series), “Santa Clarita Diet,” and really so many more. There are even more roles coming down the pipeline.
The Other Women
Before McRaney met Delta, he was married twice. The first time was before he even started acting, getting married to Beverly Root when he was only twenty years old. The relationship didn't last long, and the couple separated in 1971.
After getting steady work as an actor for ten years, McRaney tied the knot again, this time with Pat Moran in 1981. Their relationship was longer, but it too was destined to fail, and the couple separated in 1989. Thankfully, Gerald wasn't going to stay single for long. In fact, he and Delta got married that very same year.
Like a Glove
For five years, the cast of “Designing Women” worked like a well-oiled machine, fitting together perfectly. But out of nowhere, problems began to arise, and Delta Burke always seemed to be in the center of the problems.
She began to publicly disparage the show, and while to many it seems like her comments came out of nowhere, the public soon learned why she was saying these things. They also learned Delta would NOT be returning for future seasons of “Designing Women,” but the reasons for that decision were kept behind closed doors. In just five short years, the wheels had fallen off a promising star's career, and it was skidding in every direction.
Tough Working Conditions
Delta made a number of claims while she was feuding with the producers of “Designing Women,” including that actors were often forced to work fifteen-hour days. Such working conditions aren't too uncommon in show business, but for a sitcom, it seems a bit odd.
Her statements started to get wild, however — when she said things like even if they weren't being kept on set longer than they needed to be, one of the series's creators would put the cast on a room and lock it just to yell at them. The public was left wondering who to believe — were the stories true? They had no reason not to believe Delta at this point.