Cuori al Golden Palace

"The Golden Girls" was a consistent winner from 1985 to 1992 on NBC, but Beatrice Arthur's departure and a slow decline in ratings killed the series. Or did it? By the fall of 1992, CBS thought they would strike while the iron was still somewhat warm by bringing the rest of the core cast (Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty) back with a new series and a slightly new situation. The three actresses were still the same characters and still in Miami, but McClanahan had sold her home and bought a hotel in the city. Naturally she brings White and Getty with her and comedy was supposed to follow. The trio just never had the chemistry or comedic/dramatic timing that they all shared with Arthur. The series also brought in hotel workers Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle (a complete unknown at the time who has become one of the best character-actors of the last few years, making the largest impressions in Steven Soderbergh films like "Out of Sight" and "Traffic"). The new additions, along with familiar faces like Herb Edelman and Harold Gould, ended up creating a helter-skelter group that always seemed to be chasing the magic of the old series. In the end, the Friday night time slot and anemic ratings doomed the program mercifully after one season and only 24 episodes. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

If this series had not been a sequel to the incredibly popular Golden Girls, it might have had a decent run. Unfortunately, the original series was just too beloved, too hilarious, and too perfect to continue without Bea Arthur in the form of The Golden Palace. I loved what someone posted - it would have been like the Beatles continuing without John Lennon.

Therefore, it's very hard to take The Golden Palace on its own merits, which are good ones. The show has a good premise. The GGs take over a Miami hotel, managed by Rowland, who is played by no less than Don Cheadle. The chef is Cheech Marin. Bea Arthur makes a couple of guest appearances, as does the character of Miles. Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty all retain their wonderful characterizations, and if the show isn't as funny as The Golden Girls, it's still pretty funny. Yet it only ran one season, not even picked up by some affiliates because it was felt you can't toy with perfection.

The Golden Palace had all the ingredients for a good TV series except one. It wasn't the Golden Girls.

The Golden Palace was not that bad. However the Golden Girls had already run it course. Also one flaw that could not be ignored was Dorothy's absence. Perhaps if she had remained with the show, then it may have survived for a couple more seasons. However it could never have had the same impact on audiences as its predecessor.

Thanks Hulu!! I have been wanting to see this for years but could never find much on it. Since it never really lived in syndication like The Golden Girls, and was quickly canceled -- it seemed like it would have been a stinker. On the contrary, I think it's great. Sophia, Rose, and Blanche are still their wonderful selves. Seeing fresh jokes from their characters that I've never heard before make me laugh out loud. I've noticed some changes to their characters but nothing that takes away from who they were in GG too much. I'm not crazy about Cheech Marin's character but Don Cheadle was an AMAZING addition.

The one glaring flaw in my opinion, is that the writers seemed to have run out of material pretty quickly. The jokes were still a hit, but the storylines seemed to hit a wall. The Christmas episode was a real *jump the shark* moment, and what the writers did to Rose and Miles relationship wasn't cool, but was an example of how they must have been dry for ideas.

Regardless, it's still enjoyable and I hope this show stays on Hulu for years. I'll watch and rewatch.

I am a HUGE fan of the Golden Girls. When Dorthy got married & the show ended on an emotional side I was saddened...BUT, guess what...Blanche, Rose, & Sophia carried on. The 1st episode started off a little sad. It all begins with the remaining Golden Girls packing up the house because it was Sold! They all are moving to Southbeach into a hotel that they decided to purchase. With Blanche mostly running the front entrance, Rose as the maid, & Sophia (along with Cheech) as the cooks, the zany hotel gets a good taste of the Golden Girls! The show wasn't terrible by all means...actually it was nice to be with the girls again. Where it went wrong was to many story-lines in each show. It was almost to busy! The better parts of the show are (few & far in between) when the girls are actually together to discuss the problems over cheesecake. As much as I want this to be perfect (like the Golden Girls) it's not. Dorthy is a BIG part that is missing...even bringing her on a couple of episodes towards the end wasn't enough to save the show. The Golden Girls will always be remembered as a WONDERFUL show. I think only the die-hard fans (like myself) will remember this one though. Z. 1-10 (9)