Series creator Linda Bloodworth began her television career by co-writing a script for an episode of "M*A*S*H" with Mary Kay Place, and when that script was nominated for an Emmy Award, she found herself in high demand. Bloodworth was offered staff positions on several television series, but she turned them down. "I just wanted to get my own shows on the air", she said. "I didn't want to die working those long hours for someone else's show. I didn't want to bleed unless it was for my own show." She formed her own production company, produced numerous pilot episodes and then, in 1980, she got the idea for "Filthy Rich". "I just set out to write a comedy about Southerners — eccentric Southerners."