Who was Annie Potts’ inspiration for Meemaw on ‘Young Sheldon’?

BURBANK, Calif. — Annie Potts sees one big similarity between Young Sheldon, which is set in 1989, and her earlier comedy hit, Designing Women, which was on TV at that time.

It’s the clothing, says Potts, who first appears as Sheldon’s beloved grandmother, known as Meemaw, in tonight’s episode of the CBS comedy (8:30 ET/PT) when she takes care of Sheldon and his siblings after their father goes to the emergency room.

Her wardrobe assessment from 2017 is not pretty.

“I can’t believe how ugly the clothes were. When we were doing Designing Women, we thought we looked so good. Oh, God,” she says, speaking to USA TODAY while in hair, makeup and ‘80s costume during a break from taping The Big Bang Theory prequel. “I’ve got (the clothes) on now and every piece, I have to hold my nose to put it on. But this is how we looked then.”

Meemaw (Annie Potts), center, sits with grandchildren Missy (Raegan Revord), left, and Sheldon (Iain Armitage) on CBS’ ‘Young Sheldon.’
Potts, who played Mary Jo Shively during Women’s 1986-1993 run, found one pleasing ‘80s inspiration when defining the character of Meemaw, “a hip grandma” who “gets to be a little naughty (and is) lots of fun.

“I’ve sort of imagined her (like) Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias, which came out in 1989. I think that Meemaw probably admired Dolly,” Potts says, stopping short with an emphatic realization: “Who doesn’t?”