The Golden Girls: 10 Behind The Scenes Facts About The Hit Series

Even though it remains a very popular sitcom, there are several behind-the-scenes things about The Golden Girls that only die-hard fans know.
There’s no question that The Golden Girls is one of the best sitcoms ever made. Unlike many other series of the 1980s, it has maintained a timeless quality that allows much of its humor to still resonate with audiences, even after being off the air almost thirty years. Obviously, part of the show’s appeal lies in the phenomenal writing and in the chemistry between the leads.
However, there are also some behind-the-scenes facts about the series that allow viewers to gain a more sophisticated and meaningful appreciation for how great the series truly was.

Bea Arthur Didn’t Like Cheesecake
There are many sad things about Dorothy but, like the other women in the house, she seems to truly love cheesecake. That wasn’t true of the woman who played her, however. As has been widely reported, Bea Arthur did not like cheesecake but, since it was such a key part of the women’s routine and their bonding, she pretended to be for the camera. It’s a testament to her skills as an actress that she was able to convince everyone that she loved a food that she didn’t in real life.
Betty White And Rue McClanahan Were Originally Supposed To Play Different Roles
Betty White has been in many iconic roles, but there’s no question that Rose Nylund is the one for which she is most famous today. However, when the first show entered production it seemed like she would actually be the one to play Blanche, the man-hungry belle, while Rue McClanahan would play the ditzy Rose. Fortunately, the two decided to switch roles, as it’s unlikely that the series would have had the same precise chemistry as ultimately possessed.

Sophia Was Supposed To Be A Guest, Not A Main Character
It’s hard to imagine The Golden Girls without Sophia’s many feisty one-liners. There are several times during the course of the series where she doesn’t have something snarky to say to one of her roommates (including her own daughter). Some fans may not realize, however, that Estelle Getty was only supposed to be a guest actor on the show rather than a main character. However, she was such a success with audiences that she ultimately replaced Coco, the gay cook who only appears in the pilot episode.

Series Creator Susan Harris Actually Has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The Golden Girls was ahead of its time in many ways, and one of its major attributes was a willingness to engage with tough issues. One of the most memorable was when Dorothy was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, and the episode focuses on her struggles to be taken seriously by the medical profession. As it turns out, the series creator Susan Harris had been diagnosed with the condition, so she was able to channel many of her own experiences into the story.
Estelle Getty Often Suffered From Stage Fright
As confident as Sophia might appear on the screen, the same wasn’t true of Estelle Getty. Even though she was able to make this feisty old Sicilian look like someone who took charge of her own life, in reality Getty suffered from severe stage fright. It was especially acute because she was aware of the fact that she was acting alongside three women who were very familiar with the conventions of television, whereas most of her experience had been on the stage.

McClanahan Deliberately Exaggerated Her Accent
As with so many of the other characters, there are many attributes that set Blanche apart. In fact, it’s hard to imagine her without her signature exaggerated southern accent, which she uses to great effect whenever she can. As it turns out, however, McClanahan was at first encouraged to tone it down, and it was only after the first season that she was encouraged to lean into this affectation.
She would ultimately do so to such a degree that it was an exaggeration (something that the others liked to torment her about occasionally).

Elaine Stritch Was Originally Supposed To Play Dorothy
Now that the series has been in the public imagination for so long, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing these iconic characters. However, it turns out that Bea Arthur wasn’t the person that the creators had in mind for the acerbic character of Dorothy. In fact, they wanted renowned actress Elaine Stritch–famous to today’s audience for playing Jack’s mother on 30 Rock–to portray the character, but her audition was such a flop that they ultimately had to turn to someone else.

The Cast Often Had Lunch Together
As is so often the case in Hollywood, there’s been a lot written about how Betty White and Bea Arthur didn’t get along very well. Although they certainly had their differences, it is also true that Arthur preferred that the cast eat their lunch at the same time and with one another.

However much she might have been angered by White’s cheerfulness and her tendency of talking to the studio audience, she clearly felt that it was important for them to maintain at least some sort of bond.
It Was Part Of A Shared Universe
Given the fact that The Golden Girls is considered one of the best sitcoms of the 1980s, it is not terribly surprising that it would have engendered several spinoffs. These included The Golden Palace, Empty Nest, and Nurses. In fact, the shows were all connected to one another and would sometimes feature programming blocks in which the same event would be shown to impact people in each of the various shows (including, most notably, the hurricane).

Bea Arthur Grew Tired Of The Jokes At Dorothy’s Expense
There are many running gags on The Golden Girls. Many of these are quite funny, but it is also true that some of them were hurtful, especially the many jokes made at Dorothy’s expense (most of which focused on her physical appearance in one way or another). While for the most part Bea Arthur’s character was able to give as good as she got when it came to such insults, in reality the actress grew tired of these relentless insults, and she insisted that the writers change it or she would leave the series.