The Golden Girls first premiered in 1985, and to this day it remains one of the most popular sitcoms to have ever aired on television. Featuring a roster of sassy, senior women, The Golden Girls was comedy that also wasn’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects, such as aging, elder care, mortality, and the dissolution of …
The Golden Girls first premiered in 1985, and to this day it remains one of the most popular sitcoms to have ever aired on television. Featuring a roster of sassy, senior women, The Golden Girls was comedy that also wasn’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects, such as aging, elder care, mortality, and the dissolution of relationships. The show remains a staple on television even today.
Why do people love ‘The Golden Girls’?
Almost immediately after the show’s 1985 premiere, The Golden Girls received a lot of praise from critics and viewers. The premise of the show was simple enough: three widows and a divorcee living together under one roof in Miami. The women in question — Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Dorothy’s mother Sophia — all had to deal with children, employment, and each other as they struggled to maintain peace and unity in the house.
Fans loved The Golden Girls for the originality of the concept. After all, there had never before been a TV show that centered on a group of senior women. The show’s razor-sharp humor also endeared it to audiences. And though the show never shied away from tough topics, it was the strength and power of the women’s friendship that kept viewers coming back year after year.
Although the women in the show were all very different with distinct personalities, there was one common thread that tied them all together: their relationships with various men.
Dorothy’s ongoing relationship with her ex-husband
Dorothy Zbornak, as played by Bea Arthur, was possibly the toughest of the four women. A no-nonsense woman who worked as a teacher, Zbornak was often deliverer of stinging insults and sharp punchlines. A divorcee, Zbornak’s relationship with her ex-husband, Stanley, formed the basis for one of the show’s longest-running plotlines.
Although Dorothy and Stanley divorced after 38 years of marriage due to Stanley’s infidelity, Dorothy still retained a soft spot for him. They got together several times during the course of the show’s run, creating a will-they/won’t-they dynamic. In the final episode of The Golden Girls, Dorothy was the one to get married (not to Stanley — to Blanche’s uncle, who was portrayed by guest star Leslie Nielsen) and move away from her friends. The highly emotional episode tore at fans’ heartstrings.
Blanche was portrayed as a promiscuous Southern belle
Blanche Devereaux was played by Rue McClanahan as a vivacious, slightly promiscuous Southerner with a flair for younger men. Blanche was one of the widowers on The Golden Girls, with her husband of many years, George Devereaux, dying several years before the show’s events begin. Throughout the course of the series, Blanche dated many men, getting engaged several times. However, due to her fear of commitment, Blanche never actually ties the knot with any of her many boyfriends.
Rose was a dingbat
America’s sweetheart, Betty White, portrayed Rose Nylund, a well-intentioned but very daffy woman who didn’t always understand the intricacies of speech. Rose was married to Charlie Nylund, who passed away several years before the women all move in together. Rose dated several men throughout the course of the series and seemed to find love with a professor named Miles Webber. The two even consider getting married but ultimately never make it down the aisle.
The Golden Girls was a once-in-a-lifetime show, featuring plotlines and characters that were unlike anything else on television. For fans, the magic will probably never fade completely.
