Do you think Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, Jan Hooks, and Judith Ivey would have came back on the show for Season 8?
I think they all would have came back, except for Annie Potts. I heard that she was planning on leaving the show after Season 7. Who do you think would have been a good replacement for Annie Potts?
Show Bernice and Anthony more as well as Julia, Carlene, and BJ. Don't replace Annie's character. Maybe Jean Smart would have guest starred like have her visit for a couple episodes. Have Jennifer (Julia and Suzanne's nice) played by Dixie Carter's real life daughter Mary Dixie have a big role-like she wants in the design firm-I could so see that character wanting that. Bring in related characters who have already appeared not just new people we don't care about.
shareAnnie Potts most definitely would have not returned had there been a season 8.
After the series came to a close, she has stated, on many occasions, that while she loved the cast and crew, she had become increasingly unhappy on the set in the final seasons. She had become discontent with the direction, or lack thereof, of her character. Potts' particular bone was she really wanted the writers and producers to work her real life pregnancy into the show. She liked the idea of Mary Jo having a baby. Alas, it was not to be. She also thought the revolving door of cast changes (Julia Duffy, Judith Ivey, Jan Hooks, etc) was unnecessary and chaotic. If you look at Potts' performance in the final season, I think you can sense her unhappiness. Things often felt phoned in.
I dunno if I feel comfortable speculating on what a season 8 would have brought. While I don't hate the final two as much as some fans do, I feel the latter part of season 7 was such a train wreck there was just no saving it.
I could sit here and probably write you storylines for seasons 6, 7 and 8 had Delta and Jean stayed on the show but as for telling you what would have happened in Season 8 as it stood, don't bother. The show was dead and a season 8 would have been painful to watch.
No network in the world (including some South American cable station) would have commissioned another season without Annie Potts, it just wouldn't have happened with the ratings the way they were. Potts leaving meant another cast member being required to come in it would have made a laughing stock of the TV commissioning process as the audience were being played for fools and basically spoon fed a TV show which was not what they had bought into.