The date was September 14, 1985. Saturday nights and television as we knew them…were about to change forever.
On this night, “Picture it, Sicily…,” “Back in St. Olaf,” Shady Pines, Ma!…” and “Lesbian? Lesbian? Lesbian?!” were on their way to becoming phrases that would be etched into the minds and hearts of millions of people worldwide.
NBC premiered The Golden Girls on this night…a show about four “older” women who shared a house, lots of laughs, tears, men and…cheesecake in Miami.
In my opinion, until The Golden Girl came along, Norman Lear was the king of groundbreaking shows that were funny and thought provoking because they touched upon the everyday issues effecting society. It started with All in the Family which spun off shows including The Jeffersons and Maude, which itself spun off another classic show…Good Times. These shows covered a rage of topics in the 1970’s including racism, poverty and abortion all while entertaining the masses. They remain to this day, groundbreaking masterpieces of television.
Then came the Girls.
While covering many of the same issues of Mr. Lear’s shows, but from an “older” perspective, The Golden Girls explored sexuality in ways network television shows hadn’t until that point. It also dealt with aging, poverty, HIV and AIDS, immigration, interracial marriage and homosexuality. Of course it didn’t hurt that one of the “Girls” was also one of Mr. Lear’s brightest stars from his string of hit TV shows, Bea Arthur.
Together with Betty White, Rue McClanhan and Estelle Getty, The Golden Girls ushered in a new era of television with fantastic writing and four amazing actresses, each of whom took home a coveted Emmy award, during the show’s seven-year run. Only three other television shows have had all the principle actors win an Emmy award for their performance – All in the Family, The Simpsons and Will & Grace.
Popular in over 60 countries and remade in England, Greece and Russia during its initial run, The Golden Girls remains as popular today as it did in its heyday and is one of the most watched shows in rerun syndication.
30 years later, all but one the the girls are gone, but they will forever be in our hearts and minds.
Long live The Golden Girls!
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