The Golden Palace

It was very sad when The Golden Girls came to an end in 1992 with the departure of Bea Arthur - but it was some consulation when this series followed - if only for one season.

The writing was still sharp and dialogue brilliant and played with the usual excellence of the three remaining cast. Unfortunately Dorothy's absence was seriously noticeable and probably played a big part in it not going past 24 episodes. Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin could not fill the void.

The best episode was of course the two-parter where Dorothy visited the hotel.

Still vintage stuff but sadly a show that will be forgotten in the shadow of it's excellent 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.

"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.

OK, so the writing wasn't nearly as good as the Golden Girls. Sometimes the jokes were thin. And the humor wasn't nearly as witty. Nevertheless, I think the format worked. Also I like the other characters (Roland, Chuy & the kid). Some episodes were hilarious. I kind of wish it had lasted longer than one season. I guess it must have had low ratings. But still I like this show and think it was funny. It didn't deal with serious themes as GG did, but still I find it a nice spin-off to one of the greatest shows in TV history. I recommend it! See it. See it now. Watch it tonight and experience the laughs with familiar faces for the first time all over again.

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)