The Golden Girls is an American sitcom that premiered on NBC in September 14, 1985. The series, which lasted for seven seasons, was originally conceptualized by NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff and created by Susan Harris.
The Golden Girls revolves around four older women sharing a house in Miami Beach. They become housemates after Blanche Devereaux (Ruth Mclanahan), the owner of the house, places an ad for roommates at a grocery store bulletin board. Rose Nylund (Betty White) and Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) respond to the ad. Dorothy’s mother, Sophia (Estelle Getty), later joins them after her retirement home, Shady Pines, burns down.
Tartikoff came up with the concept for the show after paying a visit to his elderly aunt. While there, he saw how she and her best friend, who was also her neighbor, interacted with each other. He noticed that even though they constantly bickered and argued with one another, at the end of the day, they remained good friends.
The show follows a simple format. One or more of the women gets involved in some kind of conflict, and all four of them try to resolve it. They usually gather around the kitchen table, eating cheesecake and discussing the problem. One of the women then shares a unique life experience, and by the end of the episode, the conflict reaches a resolution.
During the show’s seven-year-run on NBC, The Golden Girls’ timeslot was changed twice. From its premiere in 1985 to July 1991, the show aired every Saturday night at 9:00 pm. The show started airing 30 minutes earlier from August to September 1991, and then ultimately aired at 8pm from September 1991 to September 1992.
American syndicated reruns of The Golden Girls began in 1990. Seven years later, the Lifetime cable network acquired the rights to air the reruns exclusively in the US. In 2003, the network featured a retrospective special, where they showed some of the series most popular episodes. The special was accompanied by a reunion of the show’s stars, with the exception of Getty, who was too ill to participate.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Golden Girls Central
(Image Courtesy of NBC)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
