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The Golden Girls are gracing our screens once again but with a twist. In an all-new Golden Girls special, the show is being recast for one night only with an all-Black cast and some of our favorite actresses filling in the famous roles.
While were not getting a full series, were still excited to revisit the hit 80s comedy, which aired its final episode in 1992 and originally starred Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty.
After more than two decades off the air, The Golden Girls is coming back to bring attention to a good cause. The event will highlight Color of Change, Americas largest online racial justice organization. In an effort to further engage our community and drive change, all you need to do to enjoy this evening is sign up to receive messages about how you can make a change during this election! reads the events official description.
Interested? Heres everything you need to know to watch The Golden Girls tonight:
Dorothy Rose Blanche And Sophia Are Making Their Way To Disney+ Soon
We might not have gotten a lot of exercise during this pandemic, but our remote trigger finger has been getting a workout. Between Amazon Prime giving us Bob RossThe Joy of Painting and Julia Childs The French Chef, and Netflix streaming the cult game show Supermarket Sweep, weve had plenty of choices when it comes to quarantine binge-watching. Disney+, of course, got in on the party by releasing Hamilton more than a year before the scheduled date, and now theyre adding another show to their lineup thats sure to have us parked on the couch again. Yep, the Golden Girls are making their way to the streaming service!
How Many Seasons Long Is The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is seven seasons long, as the show ran from 1985 to 1992. Thus, theres a lot of binge-able golden content to keep you occupied. Because the show came out when network television offered longer seasons, there are 180 total episodes.
Each season has around 25 episodes with each episode running in a little over 20 minutes after deleting commercial time. So, get ready to sip some margaritas on your lanai as you watch the girls down some cheesecake in the kitchen this summer.
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Understand The References In The Golden Girls
Beyond the names of the girls themselves, youve probably heard a handful of inside jokes and references or at least seen them printed on a T-shirt or a meme. Heres a cheat sheet to understanding some of the more common mentions in The Golden Girls.
Lanai
Unless youre from Florida or Hawaii, you probably learned what a lanai was from The Golden Girls. A lanai is basically a finished back patio porch with a roof, with at least one side open to the elements, and probably flora-adjacent. The girls have one. And they spend time there. Now you know.
Shady Pines
Before Sophia moved in with Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose, Dorothy had put her in a retirement home called Shady Pines after she had a stroke. Its often used as a threat from Dorothy when Sophia acts up she need only mutter, Shady Pines, Ma for Sophia to fall in line.
St. Olaf
A small town in Minnesota founded by Scandinavian settlers, St. Olaf is Rose Nylunds hometown, and judging by Roses stories is a bastion of lovely but really dopey people. Herring and farm animals feature heavily in the tales.
Cheesecake
When the Golden Girls would have late-night talks about the problems they were going through, theyd get peckish, of course, and the dessert of choice was usually cheesecake. Fun fact: Bea Arthur, who plays Dorothy, reportedly hated cheesecake in real life.
Big Daddy
Coco
Picture It: Sicily
Thank You for Being a Friend
BONUS: THE GOLDEN GIRLS HUSBANDS
George Devereaux
Charlie Nylund
Start Watching By Similar Tv Shows
Chances are, lots of your favorite TV shows owe a debt to The Golden Girls, whether it be through the writing, trailblazing, or just plain inspiration. Check out a few popular television shows below to find a corresponding episode with which to whet your appetite.
If you like Sex & The City, watch Love Me Tender
Dorothy dates a bald, boring, sheepish old man with whom she has nothing in common, except for the fact that hes the greatest lover shes ever had. Then she gabs with her friends about it. Sound familiar? Theres a reason why the foursome of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda took off its because the original four Girls set the course.
If you like Seinfeld, watch The Auction
The foursome try to get rich quick by buying a dumb painting from an awful man whos about to kick the bucket but things go awry. This could literally be the plot of a Seinfeld episode, but its The Golden Girls instead.
If you like Grace and Frankie, watch Goodbye, Mr. Gordon
This episode is perfect for the Grace and Frankie fan, as there are myriad similarities between the series. Dorothy gets a blast from the past when her high school English teacher crush comes to town, just in time to watch her and Blanche appear on a morning show about women who live together and love each other.
If you like Fleabag, watch A Little Romance
Blending hopelessly embarrassing yourself at a social function with a somewhat irreverent storyline, this episode is a perfect fit for Fleabag fans.
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Who Is In The Golden Girls Zoom Event
The event is pack with big names. Alfre Woodard will play Dorothy, Tracee Ellis Ross will star as Rose, Sanaa Lathan will appear as Blanche, and Regina King will take on the role of Sophia. Tonights special has a big name behind the camera, too. Love & Basketball and The Old Guard director Gina Prince-Bythewood is set to direct the Golden Girls reimagining, and screenwriter and Master of None actress Lena Waithe will act as the evenings host.
Ross teased the event in an Instagram post today, showing her and her costars photoshopped onto an image of the original Golden Girls.
A post shared by Tracee Ellis Ross on Sep 6, 2020 at 9:02am PDT
Start Watching The Best Representative Episodes Of The Golden Girls
Are you ready to become a moderate Golden Girls expert in only 3 hours, 36 minutes, and 22 seconds?
Get a pizza or bucket of chicken ready to binge only 9 episodes in a crash course in what The Golden Girls hype is all about. The official starter kit to The Golden Girls becoming your jam is below.
START WITH:
Huzzah! Youve completed the 9 episodes of The Golden Girls for beginners. You can now not only claim to have seen The Golden Girls, but youre at least a middle-weight expert in its style, humor, and cultural currency.
If youd like to continue on, or delve into starter episodes with a different approach, read more recommendations based on genre, other television shows, or internet nostalgia below.
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The Golden Girls Is Currently Available For Streaming On Hulu
Full seasons of The Golden Girls are available on Hulu. If you dont have a Hulu subscription, plans start as low as $5.99 per month for a basic subscription with ads. If you pay a little bit extra, $11.99/month, you can watch all Hulu content minus ads. However, if youre only debating getting Hulu for The Golden Girls, it may be wise to sit back for a bit, because the platform is about to lose the sitcom.
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The Golden Girls Cast Estelle Getty As Sophia Petrillo
Known for her wisecracks, put-downs and brazen remarks, Dorothys mum Sophia was a favourite with the shows fans. Sophia initially moved into the Miami house after her Shady Pines retirement home was damaged in a fire. Born in Sicily she believes strongly in ancient Sicilian traditions, including the power of the “Sicilian curse”, which she often threatens to cast on Dorothy. There are also regular hints that she and her family have mafia connections.
Like her co-star Bea Arthur, Estelle was a New Yorker, who starred in various theatre plays before landing a role in Broadway show Torch Song Trilogy, playing Mrs Beckoff. It was this role that brought her to the attention of the creators of The Golden Girls who cast her as Dorothys fast-talking no-nonsense mother Sophia. Younger than her on-screen daughter, Estelle relied on wigs and heavy make-up to age her. While filming the Golden Girls she also appeared in Fantasy Island, Cagney and Lacey, Tootsie and Mask.
What Is The Golden Girls About
The Golden Girls focuses on the friendship of Dorothy Zbornak, Rose Nylund, Blanche Devereaux and Sophia Petrillo, four senior citizens who are not only close friends, but they also share a home together in Malibu.
The hugely popular sitcom closed out its run with a finale that attracted a whopping 27.2 million viewers and had three spin-off shows, The Golden Palace, Empty Nest and Nurses heres hoping they get added to Disney+ too at some point in the future.
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The Best Ever Moments From The Golden Girls Plus All The Famous Guest Stars
Bea Arthur said that one of her favorite scenes was with Estelle Getty where they dressed as Sonny and Cher and sang I Got You Babe. Meanwhile Rue McClanahans favourite episode was a series seven episode in which Dorothy uncharacteristically becomes popular at The Rusty Anchor, Blanches favorite place for meeting men, while Blanche seductively sings I Want to Be Loved by You on top of a grand piano!
As well as Leslie Nielsen and Dick Van Dyke, other guest stars throughout the series included Burt Reynolds, Sonny Bono, Bob Hope, Mickey Rooney,Quentin Tarantino and even a young George Clooney.
A Bit Of Background Information About The Golden Girls
What is The Golden Girls about?Four women over 50 — one divorced and three widowed living together as roommates in Miami, Florida.
Who are The Golden Girls?Dorothy Zbornak , Blanche Devereaux , Rose Nylund , and Sophia Petrillo .
Why do people love The Golden Girls?Its one of the first shows about chosen family, showed everyone that there is life after 40, was ahead of its time on topics like marriage equality, HIV, homelessness, and single motherhood, and centers around the bonds of friendship. Plus, its absolutely hilarious and the four leads act the hell out of it.
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Understand The Golden Girls Characters
The internet is rife with which Golden Girl are you? quizzes, and its predominantly because our gals are a quartet of archetypes. Get schooled on the four main characters so you can have a head start.
Dorothy ZbornakThe sarcastic, grounded one, Dorothy is a substitute English teacher who is recently divorced from her husband of 38 years. Shes often the bastion of sanity amongst the girls as wacky antics ensue.
Blanche Devereaux
The coquettish vixen, Blanche is the youngest of the girls and primarily enjoys the company of men, being from the South, and herself. Shes the owner of the house the girls live in at 6151 Richmond Street in Miami, FL.
Rose Nylund
The densest but most endearing of the bunch, Rose hails from St. Olaf, Minnesota, which could quite possibly be the place with the highest concentration of dimwits on the planet. Shes innocent, competitive, and loquacious when sharing stories of her hometown.
Sophia Petrillo
The wisecracking grandma who isnt afraid to call it like it is, Sophia is the eldest of the girls, Dorothys mother, and arguably the funniest of the bunch. She moves in with Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche when her retirement home, Shady Pines, burns down.
Was There A Golden Girls Spin
Yes, The Golden Girls spawned two spin-offs. Golden Palace lasted one season and followed Sophia, Blanche and Rose as they renovated an abandoned hotel with the help of Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle. Meanwhile, Empty Nest ran from 1988 to 1995 and followed the lives of a family who lived in the same neighborhood as the girls, with all four main cast members guest-starring.
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The Golden Girls Cast Betty White As Rose Nylund
Naive country girl Rose moves from tiny St Olaf, Minnesota to Miami after her husbands death and finds work at a grief counselling centre. In later seasons she becomes romantically involved with college professor Miles Webber, who eventually turns out to be on a witness protection programme.
Born in Illinois, Betty White grew up in California, and originally wanted to become a forest ranger. But at the time women werent allowed to be rangers, so she decided on a career in the performing arts. After being turned down by film studios for not being “photogenic”, she forged a career in radio before becoming a well-known face on TV entertainment shows and game shows. In her fun-loving 1954 series Life With Elizabeth, she plays the newlywed wife of Alvin . his series is currently available on Amazon Prime. She then landed roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mamas Family and then The Golden Girls.
How To Start Watching The Golden Girls: A Starter Kit
I have to admit something. Ive never seen The Golden Girls.
If youve been told most of your life to watch a television show about old ladies from the 80s and youre finally ready to take the plunge to find out what all the hype is about, welcome. Youve come to the right place.
Perhaps youve reached the moment in quarantine when youve binged all of the modern shows that were on your list, and now youre ready to head back thirty years. Maybe youre a gay man who is slightly embarrassed to not understand all of the references to Shady Pines or Coco on Grindr. Or it could be that youre just so charmed by National Treasure Betty White that you decided to pick this moment to give it a go.
Whatever your reasoning, if you’ve ever wondered, “Is The Golden Girls worth a watch?”, read our ultimate guide for how to start watching The Golden Girls, start understanding the references, and, jeez, start living already.
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Where Was The Golden Girls Filmed
The show was shot entirely on a set and while there was a replica of the original house exterior built on the Disney lot in Orlando, it has long since been demolished.
The original home, used for exteriors only, does still exist although it is some way from the shows Malibu setting. The LA-based property went on the market last year for $3 million.
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How Many Episodes Are In The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls lasted for seven seasons, running from 19851991 and clocking in at an impressive 180 episodes.
The show earned critical acclaim for its enlightened and positive attitude towards ageing, with star Betty White discussing that theme in a 1991 interview with NBCs TODAY.
I think its great, she said. You dont fall off the planet once youve passed a given age, you dont lose any of your sense of humour, you dont lose any of your zest for life or lust for life.
If you were a dull young person then youre going to be a dull old person, but I dont think just because the years go by that you have to be that way.
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The Golden Girls Coming Soon To Disney+
Today, Disney has announced that all seven seasons of fan-favourite sitcom, The Golden Girls, will be added to Star on Disney+ in Canada on Wednesday 8th September, 2021.
Audiences will be able to stream all 180 episodes of the beloved series which tells the story of four single middle-aged women who share a house in Miami Beach, Florida.
Almost 30 years after the series finale aired with record tune-in numbers, the multiple Emmy ®, Golden Globe, American Comedy, DGA and WGA Award-winning show remains an iconic classic to this day. The all-star cast of Beatrice Arthur , Rue McClanahan , Betty White and Estelle Getty each won a Primetime Emmy® for their performance in this funny yet poignant comedy, which highlights the importance of friendship.
Earlier this year, all 7 seasons were added to Disney+ in the U.K. and Ireland. They are all available on Hulu in the United States.
Are you going to be binge-watching your way through The Golden Girls on Disney+ this September?
How To Watch The Golden Girls Zoom Event:
To tune in to tonights event, you dont need any streaming subscriptions, or even basic cable. All you need is a good internet connection and a phone, laptop or computer, because the event is being hosted on Zoom. Even better, its totally free. To secure your spot in the virtual audience, just head to the Mobilize website, where you can sign up to watch the Golden Girls special starting tonight at 9/8c. Just remember to register before if you dont, you wont be able to stream tonights episode.
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