The Golden Girls

The Golden Girls is one of those rare sitcoms that works from the very first episode until the very last episode. Not one moment of this show is wasted or unneeded. The shows focuses on three best friends over the age of 50 sharing a house together in Miami, Florida in the 1980's (and early 1990's). They are Dorothy (Bea Arthur), the sarcastic, quick mouthed substitute teacher, Blanche (Rue McClanahan) the aging southern belle who won't admit her age and is overly sexed up, Rose (Betty White) the withering moron with the heart of gold. They are joined by Sophia (Estelle Getty), Dorothy's mother that because of a stroke cannot filter what she says. This show is comedic gold and is a treasure to watch.

With its bright, wicker-strewn set and four distinct female characters, I don't see how "The Golden Girls" could've missed. Add a terrific cast, and you've got a goldmine. My favorite episodes are the serious one about Alzheimers, the hilarious one where the women have to decide between a new roof or a painting by a dying artist, and any of those that prominently feature Beatrice Arthur (portraying my favorite golden girl, Dorothy Zbornak). Occasionally there was a dip in inspiration, such as the groan-filled two-parter about Blanche's moonlight madness party, or some fearsome overacting (Estelle Getty was the usual culprit). Still, the reruns never fail to get a laugh out of me, and I must know the episodes by heart by now. Sharp, canny writing, funny second plots to match the main action, brilliant characterizations and good writing for the supporting players. It is my generation's "I Love Lucy".

I am not going to be original and just say that The Golden Girls (1985- 1992) is pure gold of the sitcom. This is the show about four women, three in their late 50s, and one - octogenarian but not many shows would compare with the brilliance, fun, laughs, good jokes, catchy one- liners, great pacing, sparks, the perfect casting, the unique chemistry between the Girls - the rare fun that every one of 180 (yes, every one) episodes of the show is. The show about the women who may have passed the primes of their lives but still are funny, sexy, full of life, beautiful, vibrant, and value the gift of friendship, is a winner. The casting of four highly talented actresses as four friends sharing a house in Miami, Florida back in the 1980s proved to be the real gold. Sharp and no-nonsense Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur, RIP), naive beyond belief raised on the Minnesota farm Rose (Betty White, the last surviving Golden Girl), Southern belle Blanche, fun loving and much more fun having namesake of another less fortunate Blanche(Rue McClanahan, RIP), and Dorothy's Sicilian mother Sophia (Estelle Getty, RIP), the coolest, sharpest, funniest 80+ mom TV ever known, are all equally fabulous and bring to every scene of every episode wit, class, humor, and talent. What fascinates and touches me - from 124 reviews on this site, 57 were written by the males of all ages and almost all of them have the words "great", "one of the best" "perfect" etc in the titles. I think The Golden Show is equally interesting and appeals to both men and women, to the young ones and well... the golden ones :) because it is - simply one of its kind and it mixes funny and touching, serious and hilarious, satiric and sentimental in perfect measure and balance. I have problems choosing my favorite girl. I wish all of them were my personal friends and I want to thank THEM for being the best TV friends.

This show was a friggin' classic!

This came out when I was very young, before they showed it in reruns on Lifetime, I had no clue what was so funny... now I know!

I'm a guy, but I enjoy shows like this because of almost everything... especially when the other three girls insult Rose.

The way I see it, no matter how many times you've seen this show, it's always funny.

This is definately a 10 in my book.

The Golden Girls were without a doubt one of a kind. four older woman living together that in a lot of ways were completely different from one another. I remember growing up and watching this show every Saturday night with my mother. I would sit there with my mother and we would both laugh our selves silly at the show and all the cracks and comments Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia would make to one another. My mothers favorite character was Dorothy and my favorite was Sophia because she always had a wise crack to make especially at Blanche. Then there is Rose with her St. Olaf stories that she constantly told. I do still see The Golden Girls on Lifetime and I do still watch them every now and then for a laugh. Every time I see Betty, Rue, Bea or Estelle on TV it always reminds me of this show. I think that they worked very well together.