The Golden Girls

The best show of the 1980's, hands down. I loved this show from the first episode and have all seven seasons on DVD. They get watched all the time in my house. The acting and writing was top notch on this show. I consider it the last good TV show in my opinion. It went off the air in May 1992 and that is really when I stopped watching current TV. The shows on now just can't compare. It also dealt with some very touching subjects such as, blindness, Alzheimer's, homosexuality, AIDS, impotence, bigamy, and chronic fatigue syndrome, and did it with quite a bit of class. I think overall my favorite season would be the third one. My favorite character would have to be Blanche. I just love her attitude and the way she always pretends she is much younger than she really is. If you want to see four excellent actresses and some classic timing and comedy sit down and enjoy The Golden Girls.

NBC was already a monster by 1985 thanks to programs like "The Cosby Show", "Cheers" and "L.A. Law" (all part of that unbeatable Thursday lineup). In 1985 it appeared that Beatrice Arthur (who struck gold with "Maude", a spin-off of "All in the Family") was going back to television in a new show called "The Golden Girls". Along with Arthur (a smart-mouthed Brooklyn native) was her old-world Sicilian mother (Estelle Getty), a bubble-headed Minnesota native (Betty White) and a sex-crazed belle from Georgia (Rue McClanahan). This quartet of actresses would create the finest core of performers to ever star in a television series. "The Golden Girls", unlike "Cheers", was a hit from its first episode. It dominated with vigor and spunk on Saturday nights. NBC was worried that the show would never find an audience big enough to make a dent in the ratings, but for a time "The Golden Girls" was as excellent as anything else the networks had to offer. The four women, all obviously over 50, lived, laughed and cried together in Miami for nearly a decade from 1985 to 1992. The series pushed the envelope on everything that dominated headlines during its run (AIDS, homosexuality, sexism, ageism, political unrest, abortion and an endless list of other topics too long to go into at length). The episodes went for comedy, but usually almost always had a deep meaning to them about love and friendship. All four actresses shared the spotlight equally for the most part. Arthur and McClanahan had hit gold with "Maude" and White had been along seemingly at the advent of television programming. Getty was relatively unknown, but fit in well with more-established performers immediately (her character got away with more than the others as she was written as a lady who had suffered a major stroke which affected the relationship between what she said and thought). Herb Edelman (who made a name for himself in "The Odd Couple") was always a consistent element as Arthur's two-timing ex-husband and Harold Gould (who was a key player in "The Sting") also became a fixture during the series' latter episodes as White's love interest. Like all good things though, "The Golden Girls" began to slowly lose their edge and appeal by the early-1990s. Time slot changes and constant contract re-negotiations ended the series far too early. Arthur's want to leave the show by 1992 would ultimately kill the program. CBS attempted to bring the other three back with "The Golden Palace", but that series never found its legs without Arthur. 5 stars out of 5.

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".

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.

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.