Most fans are unaware of the ‘Golden Girls’ spinoff that failed.
The Golden Girls has stood the test of time. Although the ’80s sitcom ended nearly three decades ago, fans still relate to the show’s characters. The episodes were humorous, the women were engaging, and The Golden Girls gave viewers a half-hour to sit back and have fun. Today, you can still catch an episode and feel like you’re sitting down at the kitchen table with a group of friends.
But many viewers might not know the storyline didn’t end when NBC canceled the show in 1992. Though technically, The Golden Girls went off the air at the end of the seventh season, the story continued in a short-lived CBS spinoff. Sadly, the new sitcom ended after only one season. So, what happened? Why couldn’t The Golden Palace build off the success of its popular predecessor?
‘The Golden Girls’ spinoff showed promise
The Golden Girls spinoff The Golden Palace Empty Nest
The concept of a spinoff is nothing new. Many TV shows have found success with the idea, even years before The Golden Girls came along.
For example, The Bob Newhart Show successfully generated a long-running spinoff in the early ’80s, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show spawned three spinoffs that lasted more than one season.
The Golden Girls spinoff — The Golden Palace — followed Rose, Blanche, and Sophia after the three moved out of their Miami home. At the end of The Golden Girls, Dorothy remarried and relocated to Atlanta. The Golden Palace added a few new faces. Don Cheadle, Cheech Marin, and Billy L. Sullivan rounded out the main cast.
But the new show had one major difference: Its premise involved the three women living in and running their own hotel.