Golden Girls Boned the Fish When... [Archive] - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC

02-25-2014, 06:39 PM

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225141752/http://jumptheshark.com/

Other Thoughts:

When you found out that the grandmother is actually 24 in real life.
WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT THE MOTHER WAS ACTUALLY OLDER THAN THE DAUGHTER.
Probably jumped when they started singing, in contests, etc. But I worry about the mental health of the last respondent- ISN'T THE MOTHER SUPPOSED TO BE OLDER THAN THE DAUGHTER???
This show never jumped! It always was and always will be the greatest! Estelle Getty was not 24!!! Dorothy was older that Sophia, though, by 1 year.
The daughter is NOT older than the mother. She is 3 years younger.
This show never, ever ever jumped the shark! It was always an amazing show..always!
What a great show. Sure it's about "mature" people but the show was really funny. Like that episode where Blanche and Rose volunteered to save the Lighthouse they did all that work and the Light house was destroyed by a hurricane. This show had a lot of young fans including me.
This was perhaps the best comedy on Television. It never, ever jumped - still great in syndication.
The Golden Girls is one of the few shows on tv that never "jumped the shark", probably because it was not based on sexual tension between characters (UUGGHH!!! THE THOUGHT!!!) and did not change the four main characters over the course of the long-running series. It was truly a show based on the interactions of the characters and as such, could probably have gone on forever! It was still as funny on the last episode as the first episode, if not funnier.
The Golden Girls never even came close to jumping! Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia made me laugh (and still do in reruns!) right up to the end!
It never jumped. It only got better as it went along. All the characters were great and developed into stronger and more believeable people over the years.
The Golden Girls did not ever jump the shark.
Watching this show is the highlight of my every day.
Hang on, maybe the episode where Dr. Kevorkian comes down to Miami and puts the girls out of their (our) misery was just a fond dream...Maybe they could have a reunion TV movie and use this idea...please?
Never jumped. One of the few series that was consistently funny, year in, year out. Didn't even have an episode that was terrible. Even the best of shows have one or two of them. Some shows, like "Roseanne" were terrific in the middle years but terrible at the beginning and end or started out great but by the last couple of years was sliding into sucks-ville ("Designing Women" and "Laverne & Shirley") but thankfully this never happened to the "Girls." One of the best shows ever.
When I realized that I was watching 100 year old ladies act like sluts. I wouldn't want to see my grandmother act like that, so why would I watch Bea Arthur and Rue McClennehan do that? Rue was so easy, any person, even Bea's ex-husband who was bald, could bang her. Probably gang bang her.
The Golden Girls was a brilliantly written, splendidly acted show from its premiere to its finale.
This show was clever and hilarious! And it was pulled off by four elderly women! This show never jumped the shark but the offspring Golden Palace ? wasn't very good at all.
The show never jumped...Luckily the gals were too old to have children (although the introduction of that Empty Nest Guy's dog ran perilously close to the notorious "let's bring a child in to save the show" gambit). The show bowed out gracefully with Bea Arthur's departure and then that god awful Golden Palace, but hey, anyplace I find my Blanche, Sofia and Rose is home.
The Golden Girls NEVER jumped. This show was mature and witty. Sure, Rose got a little irritating from time to time, but she was supposed to be. And to the person who said they didn't want to think about old women having sex...remember that when YOU are retired. I'm pretty sure that if you have any sense of sexuality now, you will most likely still have it when you are 65 (and even beyond *gasp*). Just FYI, no, I'm not a senior citizen defending my age, I'm in my mid 20s. Anyhow...This show was great!
Golden Girls never jumped the shark - I still can watch the reruns over and over just like it was the first time!!!!.
This show never jumped. I was funny from start to finish. However, I think I read somewhere that Betty White wanted the characters to have a pet but her request was never granted. If it had been, I think that the show would have jumped big time.
The Golden Girls called it quits at the perfect time. They knew the seventh season would be their last together and they seemed to let loose and volley those zingers back and forth like old pros (which, of course, they were). The last season of GG is by all means the best, all the series' quality never faltered in the hands of these 4 comedy black-belts.
I don't think this show was really targeted for my age, but I love it!!! I watch the reruns on Lifetime every day. No matter how many times I see the same episode it is still funny!!
I love this show to death in my opinion it never jumped the shark!
Never jumped. I am in my mid-twenties and my brother and I still love watching the re-runs. The one-line quips were hilarious. You can tell the true comedic merit of a show when it does not rely on the usual ploys to hook viewers. ie: young babes, sex, writing in new characters to drum up interest, etc, etc, etc.
When Dorothy got married...but then again...It was the end of the show...
This show never jumped and will always be one of the best sitcoms to grace television. Excellent cast and perfect writing throughout it's entire run. One of the only shows that actually made me LOL. These 4 "Girls" should be back on television real soon! I hope they didn't retire. With all the crap out there, tv needs them back on the air bad!
Overall, I liked the show but I think they were far more forgiving with Dorothy's faults than they were with the others. For instance, she endlessly complained about what a tedious, boring and unpleasant union she had had in her 38 years of marriage to Stan (especially in bed) yet whenever ANYone else showed an interest in him, she'd chase after him like a spoiled brat mad that some other kid wanted a toy she had neglected! At SOME point, it would have been good for Rose, Blanche and even Sophia to ask her WHY could she have cared less whether someone else wanted Stan since it SHE didn't have any use for him! Was it simply a case of a worthless commodity suddenly increasing in value upon being bought by another party? An even more blatant example was when her 20-something sax-playing son became engaged to a 40-something singer, Dorothy actually listed as one of her objections to the marriage the fact that the fiancée was black! Let's face it, had Southern belle Blanche said this, everyone would have automatically used this to claim Blanche was a prejudiced bigot yet NO ONE thought to question why the ostensibly liberal Dorothy considered pigmentation alone to be an automatic and insurmountable problem in a marriage!
Reason #2,456,234,556,6544 why life is not fair. No matter how much she sucks, Betty White keeps getting to make shows.
Overall a very funny show, but I hate when shows suffer from what I call the Archie Comics syndrome...no one ever changes, and inconsistencies pop up to undermine the show. A well written show like The Simpsons or Designing Women or Seinfeld will every so often mention something that happened to one of the characters in an episode a few years ago. This adds a degree of realism to everything. But Golden Girls (like Night Court and so many other shows) would constantly forget stuff like this. Example: Rose mentions her college years, yet on one episode we find out she didn't graduate from high school. There were a lot of other times stuff like that happened. All in all, a funny show however.
This show never even went near the water. I watched it every day on Lifetime, until I had to give up my pirated cable. Dorothy rocked, she was always cracking on dumbasses, that was most of the fun of watching. This show had a great cast, great premise, great storylines and ended at the perfect time and in the perfect way. Too bad producers for other sitcoms can't learn a few lessons from this. TV execs should be required to study Golden Girls before they get license to make any piece of **** show.
I love The Golden Girls show - if it was on 24 hours a day I would probably have to quit my job.
I HATE THIS SHOW! These 4 old sluts should have kicked the bucket years ago. Although I did like the episode where Cuban refugees in Miami broke into their house and took liberties with Betty White while making Rue McClanahan watch. Then Bea Arthur took off her top and scared them all away. THAT was good stuff!
This show NEVER jumped- I still watch reruns over and over again on Lifetime. These ladies are hilarious, each in her own way.
When Dorothy's mullet-headed nephew brought his head-banging friends over & crashed the Girls' house.
This was one of the best shows in the history of TV. Great cast, great chemistry, great writing. The reruns still crack me up. I want to be like these ladies when I grow up. And the above people who dissed this show--I'll bet they watch it on Lifetime daily.
First of all, The Golden Girls is one of my all time favorite TV series. The first four years where the most funny and best written episodes out of the seven seasons. At the end of the fourth season, however, the writing team, consisting of Mort Nathan, Barry Fanaro, Winifred Hervey, Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman all up and left the series. The fifth season began with a whole new set of writers. Although the new writers tried their best it just wasn't the same as it had been. The fifth season 1989-1990, wasn't bad but by the final two seasons, Blanche was constantly being called "slut" where as she didn't get called slut until the ninth episode. Rose had become a total storytelling idiot whose, once fresh and funny stories became dry and were basically all the same. Sophia became tiresome and really didn't resemble or act like the Sophia we saw in the first couple of years. Dorothy was the only one to be kept with dignity, however Sophia's constant insults ab! out her not having a date, was constantly overplayed. Now, for the record, in REAL LIFE, Betty White (Rose)is the oldest, born in 1922, followed by Estelle Getty (Sophia) born in 1924, followed by Bea Arthur (Dorothy) born in 1926 and the Rue McClanahan (Blanche) born in 1936. I don't understand how anyone could say the show jumped the shark when they found out Estelle Getty's real age, after all she was playing Sophia Petrillo, age 80, not Estelle Getty who was 61 in 1985. Who cares if she was really two years older than her TV daughter Bea Arthur, Estelle was perfect as the role of Sophia.
I watch the Golden Girls from time to time on cable and I have to say for the most part it is a really funny show. However, I find that a lot of Dorothy's jokes are really dated now. The writers gave her a lot of one-liners that are specific to the Reagan-era 80s that people either don't remember or just don't find funny anymore. And the episode when Dorothy's cross-dressing brother dies...that was terrible. I was embarrassed for Estelle Getty that she had to give that awful monologue at the end. And the story line about Miles being in the witness-protection program was a bit unbelievable, especially the episode when the guy who played Jerry Seinfeld's father tried to kill him. Other than that, a great show!!
I don't think this show ever "jumped". The comic timing of Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty is priceless. I still laugh watching the reruns (over and over). And please don't think I have pedestrian television tastes = my favorite show is The Sopranos. There is just something about the chemistry among the four "girls" that is difficult to beat.
At the church camp I went to for several years, I would often notice a few of the counselors wearing sweaters that read ST. OLAF or ST. OLAF COLLEGE. I asked one of them if it was any relation to the same St. Olaf that Betty White's stories originated from, and she told me that one of the writers graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota (about an hour south of Minneapolis-St. Paul), where St. Olaf is also located, and I guess when they were figuring out where ditzy Rose's hometown should be, the writer came up with St. Olaf. For the record, I am a 23-year old male who finds this show funny as does my mother and younger sister. Thank you for your time.
This show did the most artful dodge of the shark ever.....Miles in the witness protection, unbelievable Uncle Angelo, relatives that simply came and went with no consistency (remember Blanche's 15 year-old Grandson from 1985-86?)....yet somehow, for me, the illusion was never broken: the characters seemed believable and although the set is rumored to have been tension-filled, the chemistry between these women was absolutely first-class. The writing is sharp, the comic-timing flawless....I watch everyday on Lifetime and never tire of it. I thought I was alone until now!
Classic show. Golden Girls never jumped because none of them carried the show alone; they all carried it together. I'm a male in my mid 20s soon to be married...my fiancee & I both get such a kick out of watching the re-runs. She's foreign and the comedy is still classic and timeless.
I have to watch The Golden Girls EVERY night on Lifetime! It was the best show ever. Very very funny all the way to the end. Even my older brother (32) has to watch it daily!
I just want to say this to the Dorothy Zbornak basher a few comments ago. Dorothy had no problem that her son was marrying an African-American. Her problem was that the woman was like 30 years older. The womans mother had a problem with her daughter marrying "a skinny ol' white boy." Why don't you get your facts straight next time you try to bash one of the girls!
This show never jumped. The show was consistently funny for all seven years. The comedic timing was consistently excellent. I watch the re-runs over and over on Lifetime. The people who over analyze television shows need analyzing themselves!!! It's television for God's sake. The analysis about Estelle Getty being younger than Bea Arthur in real life is ridiculous. These are actors and actresses. The fact Estelle can be younger and play an older woman is a credit to her acting abilities. I repeat...this show never jumped!!!
It never really jumped but early in the shows run Blanche sets Rose up on a date with a guy named Arnie. This is the epi where they go on a romantic cruise and Rose is afraid because she hasnt had sex since Charlie died. Anyways she breaks up with Arnie and he comes back 2 seasons later as Miles
I agree with the majority of posters here: this show never jumped. Rue, Betty, Bea, and Estelle made a terrific team. Although the writers may have changed, I don't feel Golden Girls ever suffered as a result. I also watch it constantly on Lifetime and never tire of it. Although I am sure everyone has a favorite character, this show is fortunate that one character never seemed to receive all the spotlight. This truly was an ensemble cast, whose talents complimented the others' nicely. I find it fitting that Rue, Bea, Betty, and Estelle all have one at least one Emmy for their portrayals during the show's run.
I think this was the Greatest sitcom ever...Every show kept ya laughing, i watched them all the time. Even being younger at the time i still loved the show, they were like extended family. I still watch them every night on lifetime. I cry over the final show everytime i watch it.
This show never really "jumped the shark," but the continuity errors throughout its long run always bugged the **** out of me...someone previously mentioned Rose's college days, yet on another episode it was revealed that she never graduated from high school. And what about these relatives who came and went with no continuity whatsover? And one specific thing that always bugged me...in the episode where Rose is addicted to painkillers, it is mentioned that Rose has never had a cat because she is allergic. However, in the episode that flashes back to how the Girls met and began to share the house, Rose is seen with a cat and she mentions that she was being kicked out of her current home because she refuses to give it up. Helllllloooooo?!?!?
This show *NEVER* jumped. It was fresh, origional and funny since the start. Well, if you didn't like the humor of the show, you would have hated it since the beginning, so if you voted for "Day One", it just wasn't your show. LOL, remember the episode wehre Dorothy and Rose got on Jeopardy! ? That was hilarious, when Alex Trebec was announcing the subjects, the last one was "St. Olaf" hahaha, Dorothy's reaction was priceless... Too bad she wanted to leave the show ...
Blanche, Rose, Dorthy, and Sophia have always been good friends of mine! For 7 years anyway (still now, I watch the reruns). Anyone who dislikes the show, should be, in my opinion, publicly hung! What's not to like? They're clever, halarious, and they each have a distinct personality which has remained consistant over the years. The show never jumped!
I'm in the same boat as everyone else when I say I love the Golden Girls. The only reason I turn to Lifetime (except for mere curiosity). There was too much animosity toward everyone in the final season or so. I still enjoy the show to the end, but it's hard to see Rose constantly berated for her stupidity, or Dorothy for her attitude, or Blanche for her sluttiness, or Sophia for being a pain in the neck. It was starting to get out of hand towards the end; it wasn't as witty as it used to be. Another thing that bothered me was the whole Miles subplot where he was in the witness protection program. I don't know the reason for it, but the show's producers must have realized it was a mistake since they cleared it up within a few episodes and never brought it up ever again (Rose still called the guy Miles even though he revealed that wasn't his real name).
This show is one of the greatest shows ever. Who cares if Estelle Getty wasn't really old. Who cares that Bea Arthur is not the most attractive woman in the world. The show was funny and reminds of all of our grandmothers. Lifetime shows reruns every day. They make my day!
This show can not and will not even jump! The opening credits remained the same basically, minus the occasional shortening or extension of it, but nevertheless, it remained the same. The cast was always the same, it never added or subtracted anyone. The show was about friendship and had a lot of great lessons about life and was FUNNY AS HELL. The Golden Girls proved that you can be kicking ass even if you're completely over the hill.
Although "The Golden Girls" is one of my favorite shows of all time, I have to admit that it did jump the shark at one point. It probably happened at the start of the 5th season, when most of the writers left, and the series got basically all new ones. The best writers for the show were Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman, Mort 0Nathan & Barry Fanaro, and Winifred Hervey (later Winifred Hervey Stallworth). Winifred left the series after the 3rd season, but returned to write one episode for season 4. After season 4, the series lost Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman, and Mort Nathan & Barry Fanaro. Season 3 was really the last of the "execellent" seasons, but season 4 was still pretty good. It seemed that Kathy Speer & Terry Grossman's episodes were starting to get stale and not as funny, but it didn't bring the season down. The show also lost longtime writer Christopher Lloyd (not the actor), and 4th season writer/producer Eric Cohen all after season 4. The only writers to make it to season 5 that were previously on the show were Robert Bruce & Martin Weiss (who started out in season 3), and Richard Vaczy & Tracy Gamble, newcomers as of season 4. The new writers were now Marc Sotkin, Tom Whedon, Phillip Jayson Lasker, Gail Parent, and Marc Cherry & Jamie Wooten. The newer writers seemed to make the 5th season average, but from season 6 on the show had just gone too downhill. After season 5 the only really decent writers on the show, Robert Bruce & Martin Weiss left, and the show would soon get writers that just couldn't write the characters as well. Although season 6 wasn't that good, season 7 proved to be really bad. Another writer that is really worth mentioning is Susan Harris, the creator and sometimes executive producer. She wrote a lot during the first season, and couple times during the second, and the first two episodes of season 5. She also created such shows as "Soap", "Benson", and "Empty Nest".
I loved the Golden Girls. However, you could really tell that they were bending over backwards to keep Betty White happy. First, it is no secret that she is an animal rights activist, and like someone before me said, she wanted a pet on the show. However, the show's writers wouldn't let her have one. Instead, every once in a while, they would have some sort of animal on the show for a single episode. Usually, it was a dog, but there was once a pig and once a chicken. Another way they catered to Betty White was by letting her sneak in Scandinavian language every so often. Using it to describe food is OK. However, everything else was forced. For example, Rose thought she lost Blanche's earrings. To make it up to her, she agreed to be Blanche's gonflerkenflerken. "It's like a personal slave." IF THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS, THEN SAY "I'LL BE YOUR PERSONAL SLAVE!!!!" WHY DO WE NEED THE SCANDINAVIAN TERM? What's even more annoying is that she corrected someone who mispronounced it. What difference does it make? The only time I don't like this show is when Rose starts talking Scandinavian. It's like she owes it to her people.
'the golden girls' didn't jump. it's just as funny now as it ever was. i remember watching this show with my mother, growing up. and now that it's on lifetime every day, i still watch the reruns. picture it: new jersey, 2000. a group of college kids sitting in a dorm room laughing hysterically at 'the golden girls'...it happens all the time at my college. and i'm proud of it! we recently got a new cable system at my school,which gave us lifetime, a station we didn't have previously. someone from the campus paper interviewed me on what i thought about it, and i was quoted as saying how i was "really excited that i get to watch the golden girls again." heehee. eh, so i'm a loser. so be it.
Can i just say that i'm 18 and that i absolutely LOVE this show...i love watching the reruns, it cracks me up!!! I hope when im that old that i have half the life these 4 have!!! They need to make a golden girls/designing women channel...oh wait, thats Lifetime!
I watch The Golden Girls reruns everyday at 6 pm and then again at 11 pm. I probably watch too much t.v. but I thought this show was an excellent show that keeps my attention. It isn't only hilarious but it has a storyline.
I LOVE THE GOLDEN GIRLS!!!! It is funny and smart. I love the girls. Each one perfected their character brilliantly. I love Dorothy the most!!!
when Miles was forced to leave miami, and later returns as a rabbi, that is looking for something to jump over.
It never jumped. It was a really cute show. A show about four friends living together in a great city and dating thousands of random guys every week? Wait! Isn't that the plot to Sex and the City? "Sex and the City: The Golden Years".
i think it's sick that a bunch of old women can be making this much cash when my band isn't making jack and we try our asses off. these old women have enough cash...why should we support them? think people!
When the lesbian made a pass at Rose. That was too heavy for me to stomach.
The Golden Girls never jumped, but it came close for me once. I was probably between 9-12yrs and I was watching the show where Blanche (i think it was blanche) was going through menopause. My mother was in another room at the time. Well, I had no idea what menopause meant, so at the commercial break I innocently went to find my mom and asked "What does menopause mean?" She looked at me weird....and suddenly exclaimed "It's when you don't get your period anymore!" I ran out of that room so fast the same commercial was still on when I got back to the TV. But I still love the show. From that day on, whenever I heard a new word, the first place I looked was the dictionary.
I watched this show with my mom in my childhood and always thought it was funny. Now that I'm 23 and the girls are in syndication, it's awesome to be able to understand all the sexual references that completely passed by me as a kid. The writing was clever, the acting was excellent, and the stories were fun. Although I'm a huge fan ("Golden Girls" mousepad and all), I have issues with the flashback episodes that were made. Someone told me that it's because the writers were on strike, and I believe it -- the writing in the non-flashback parts stinks! For an example of such an episode, the one when George Bush was going to visit.
Am I the only one who ever wanted to get it on with Betty White? I'm 33, BTW.
This show never jumped the shark! My favorite episodes were often the flashback episodes that featured Estelle Getty as a younger version of Sophia. I also thought the actress who portrayed the young Dorothy was a ringer for Bea Arthur. I really enjoyed the Mother's Day special when Bea Arthur actually portrayed Sophia's mother! Great show!
How many flashback episodes can you possibly have in 7 years. It seems like every time I turn it on to watch it they are sitting at the table, stuffing their face with a cheesecake (always in a pink box) and flashing back to previous episodes. Also, didn't each one of them get engaged to and then dump the man at least 3 times each during the 7 year run? I mean, get real and just get married or get a poodle!
Fave line: Rue M. to Bea A.: "There's a theory as to why men go after young girls...they're trying to compensate for feelings of inadequacy and a fear of death." Bea A: "I have another theory." Rue M.: "What's that?" Bea A.: "Men are scum."
The character of Dorothy was the only reason for me to watch this piece of crap. When she would make fun of someone sarcastically was very funny, if not restrained. Maude was much the same way. But it seems like every other episode was a "flashback" to another time, or scenes that you've already seen. Thats lazy writing, and a waste of a good talent. Actually, Dorothy should have had her own show. Plus, all that damn bonding **** was a waste of time. And relatives always showed up that they hadnt seen are talked about in previous episodes. Actually, there aint much about this show that was very good, come to think of it.
The above poster can rest assured that he (or she?) was the only one who ever dreamed of making the two-backed beast with Betty White -- or any others of the Goldstresses. The GGs was brilliantly written, hilariously acted and never once came close to becoming geriatric shark bait, but as far as sex appeal, Charlie's Angels it wasn't.
THIS SHOW NEVER JUMPED, AND ALSO, ALTHOUGH ESTELLE GETTY IS "NOT" 24 , SHE'S NOT OLDER THAN BEA ARTHUR EITHER...SHE'S THE YOUNGEST OF ALL OF THEM. I STILL WATCH THIS SHOW EVERY DAY BECAUSE IT'S SO FUNNY. SO WHAT IF IT'S ABOUT OLDER WOMEN? I'M 25 AND THEY ARE FOUR OF THE FUNNIEST COMEDIENNE'S IN SHOW BUSINESS. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT AGE YOU IF YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR. PEOPLE WITH SMALL MINDS SHOULD GET OVER IT.
A few times they had characters visiting back and forth between GG, Empty Nest and Nurses. They each had a common them (one was a hurricane, another was a full moon) threaded through each show. I remember them calling it so original, but it was done in the sixties between Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. They even had the Beverly Hillbillies visiting Hooterville for Thanksgiving and eating with the PJ and GA characters, which was interesting because earlier on the folks at Green Acres acknowledged BH as one of their favorite shows.lol
It was okay for Blanche to sleep around; that was her character, but Rose? They ruined my image of her when she started talking about sexual relations. I felt as if my grandmother just told me she likes it doggie style.
When Dorothy (Bea Arthur?) grew her gray hair long - she had been very attractive before, and then got to looking like the hag of the world. YUCK.
Okay, so it's the TV equivalent of a chick flick...but hey, I'm a chick, and I dig it!
The episode where the old farts entered the singing contest was the beginning of the jump. The whole singing thing was very corny, and after this, it just got worse. The show would practically become a corny drama.
This show didn't jump, I still watch the reruns everyday. I cannot belive Bea Arthur wanted to leave such a successful show...I call for a reunion and possibly more!
this is just one of those shows you can watch over and over and STILL laugh. A lot of young people laugh. BTW, did anyone ever notice that Blanche has TWO gay brothers? I mean there are two episodes with the SAME plot -- Blanche's brother from Atlanta comes to visit and he's gay and Blanche can't deal with it until Rose tells her its okay. I think Rue McClanahan is the best actress on the show. I wonder what other work she's done... Well anyway, the one-liners are still hilarious and the show is so LIBERAL -- yes, women in their 50s and 60s can still live active lives and even be sexy!!
Golden Girls was and still is the best show ever! I'm only 16 and have watched it for years and the reruns still make me laugh even though i have seriously seen each episode over 30 times! It never ever jumped the shark.
Rose is stupid. Blanche loves men. Sophia is a smart aleck. Dorothy is scary beyond all reason.
This show never jumped the shark...it's witty, fun, and timeless. I still watch on Lifetime every chance I get and I still find the girls as funny as the first time I saw them. How can anyone not just enjoy being able to spend a 1/2 hour with these funny ladies? Estelle Getty is the greatest! I'm not old, either...
On the Golden Girls, Rose, Dorthy, Sophia and Blanche were asked to take care of a baby because their neighbor was in the hospital. At the same time, Blanches sister came from another state because she needed a new kidney. During that show, it almost jumped the shark, but right on the next episode it went back up. Thats why the Girls rule!!!!!
Although it didn't directly affect the show, Dorothy's hair indicates whether or not I will be watching that night's rerun. Her switch to a puffier hairstyle must have coincided with the arrival of the new writing regime. Each of the older shows was a classic, whereas the newer ones were just average. Or worse.
Has there ever been a show more hideously grating than this? First off, I hope Bea Arthur isn't reading this because she'd probably kick my ass. A worse looking man-woman I have yet to come across. Memo to the producers? yeah, Rue McClanahan? Not an attractive woman. Stop trying to make her out to be attractive for the love of god. Also, no real human being is as stupid as Rose. Her character is so farfetched it's ridiculous. Who was the genius that thought people would be interested in old women talking about their hemorrhoids? Bottom line is that I'd rather get my ass kicked by Bea Arthur than watch one more second of this mind-numbing show.
Never did jump--not with stars like Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty. Not that it was flawless, mind you--I grew rather tired of the jokes about Dorothy's cross-dressing younger brother Phil (whom we never saw). I am a transsexual myself who lives full-time as female, and while I am somewhat baffled by men who cross-dress yet continue to identify as men, I am supportive of them. When are we going to stop using people who transgress gender roles as walking punch lines? It got to the point where all Dorothy had to do, it seemed, was say "Phil" and the audience was in stitches.
This show NEVER jumped! It was always hilarious! However, I hated it when they had the episodes about their neighbors. I hated any episode that didn't revolve around Blanche, Dorothy, Rose or Sophia!
Despite major inconsistencies this show never jumped. The writing (minus the inconsistencies, which demonstrate why shows have staff writers and script consultants) was always well done. There was only one episode I didn't like and that was the one where Dorothy scratches a winning lottery ticket worth $10,000. I think Blanche put it in her late husbands jacket, which was in a box that was meant to be put away in an attic or something. But what does Rose do, she places it in a Salvation Army box or something. The girls find out about it, they track down the box and jacket at a local homeless shelter. They find the ticket but grow a conscience and leave it at the shelter after they get to know the people who reside there. I believe one of this country's priorities is to help the homeless but I'm sorry, if I had a winning ticket I would spend it on me, myself, and I. I know I'm gonna get ripped for this but, hell! I'm sure many people would empathize with me on this one. To this day I cannot watch this episode, it kind of hurts my feelings in a weird way.
I am an absolute geek when it comes to the lovely gals of Miami--and I must say that it never jumped. This show was just phenomenal in that it showed that not all women become crotchety and grandmotherly when they get old, and it should be an inspiration for all women to show them that there is sex after 50. I am so happy that I can still see Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and the legendary Sophia every day at 6pm and 11pm on Lifetime. I will say that it came close to jumping when Blanche's daughter Rebecca was once on the show as a fat cow who was married to an abusive "Frank Fontana" (from Murphy Brown) and a season or two later she showed up again as a single skinny gal who was getting artificially inseminated. Also, before his ER success, George Clooney made a brief apperance on the show as a detective. But overall, the momentum of this show never ceased and it ended on a high note and didn't try to continue after Dorothy married Leslie Neilsen (uncle lucas). Long live the Golden Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!
The show was pretty good and certainly true to itself. I recall it having a very loyal mature following and remember a comedienne making a joke about how she was supposed to appear on some t.v. show and her parents said they would watch if it didn't conflict with Golden Girls, daughter or NO daughter. This was the true sentiment of many 50-plus women when this show was on. THEY LOVED IT. My question is this: how come when you click on the "Never Jumped" link, Golden Girls doesn't appear when the comments here have been very favorable.
I am an international student and when I was in England I used to watch this comedy. Now that I am in the U.S., I watch it every night. The characters are super, not to mention the actors. The script is very witty. A comeback of these four ladies would be smashing!!!
THIS SHOW WAS AMAZING AND NEVER JUMPED. I'M A 24 YEAR OLD MALE AND LIVE IN ENGLAND. THE GOLDEN GIRLS IS NOT SHOWN ON TV N E MORE- CABLE OR OTHERWISE. I'M VERY JEALOUS OF ALL U LUCKY PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE LIFETIME. THIS SUPERIOR SITCOM USED TO BE SHOWN ON A FRIDAY NITE HERE ON CHANNEL 4. CHANNEL 4 HAS ALWAYS BEEN AMERICAN SITCOM NITE. CURRENTLY ON IS FRIENDS, FRASIER AND WILL AND GRACE. HOWEVER WHEN I WAS A TEEN AND THIS WAS ON I USED TO TAPE THIS AND LUCKILY I KEPT 5 VIDEOTAPES OF THE SHOW. I'M RE-WATCHING THEM AGAIN AND CANNOT GET OVER HOW FUNNY THIS SHOW IS. MOST OF MY EPS ARE FROM SERIES 6 AND 7 AND I THINK THE SHOW IS JUST AS FUNNY AS IN THE BEGINNING. TRUE THE INCONSISTENCIES R ANNOYING. ROSE AND THE CAT THIS AS MENTIONED EARLIER ON DOES GRATE AND SO DOES THE 'WHO'S MY RELATIVE?' AMNESIA THE WRITERS SEEMED TO SUFFER FROM. BUT OVERALL A FANTASTIC SHOW. I WAS DESPERATE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRLS AFTER DOROTHY GOT MARRIED AND LEFT AND WELCOMED THE GOLDEN PALACE WITH OPEN ARMS. THE FIRST EPISODE WHERE U C THE GIRLS LEAVING THEIR HOUSE (LITERALLY CARRIED OUT ON THEIR SOFA) WAS COOL. OF COURSE THE SHOW COULD NEVER REALLY SURVIVE WITHOUT THE COMEDIC GODDESS THAT WAS BEA ARTHUR BUT I LIKE IT ANYWAY. AND I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS, BLANCHE IS AS SEXY AS HELL AND I FANCIED HER FOR AGES...STILL DO :0) THE WAY RUE MCCLANAHAN COULD SHIMMY HER BODY AROUND THE SET WAS GREAT. SHE STILL HAD A GOOD FIGURE. U DON'T JUST DIE WHEN U HIT 50. THE GOLDEN GIRLS WILL LIVE FOREVER IN SYNDICATION, I THINK BEA LEFT AT THE RITE TIME. WHEN A SHOW GOES ON TOO LONG IT CAN TURN INTO A NIGHTMARE. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO ROSEANNE...AND HAPPY DAYS!!! THE GOLDEN GIRLS ABSOLUTELY NEVER JUMPED.
Ok This show never really jumped the shark but it's just Blanche that makes it not as enjoyable to me. I mean she is butt UGLY yet she runs around like Miss America or something. And the whole thing of her being in her forties is getting way old. I mean come on I never met a forty year old with wrinkles and liver spots like that. Sofia rules though.
The Golden Girls never jumped. I'm glad nearly everyone on here agrees cos it really didn't. About the person a few messages ago who said Blanche is butt UGLY. Well, I disagree..! and the whole point of her pretending to be forty was just that; she was pretending! Blanche was so vain she couldn't even admit to HERSELF that she was old. That was the joke...the vanity of this aging southern belle (Blanche DuBois anyone?) was very silly. I think U missed the point there friend. Great show. Love it!
It never did! Come on people this is one of the funniest shows ever!! Although it almost did when Miles did "The Chesseman thing"
This show NEVER jumped! Even the final 2-parter was exceptional. When I watch that episode I still laugh when the "strolling troubador" comes by their table at the Medieval Times knock-off singing those famous Olde English lines, "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip..." Excellent writing, great casting, funny supporting characters, and four hilarious old broads--THAT's what good sitcoms ought to be!
This show never really jumped, but it came damn close on more occasions than I can remember. I am in my mid-twenties and I watched this show when it originally aired and still watch the reruns on Lifetime Television for Women. It never fails to make me laugh. My favorite episode is probably the one when Jean The Lesbian visited and wanted to get on Rose. It was priceless when Blanche said, "To think that Jean would prefer Rose over me! That's ridiculous!" The chemistry between the "girls" and the writing was the best thing about this show. Although there were several things that bugged the **** out of me, especially since by now I've seen all the episodes. Several people have mentioned the thing about their children and relatives popping up and then never being seen again. They should have had someone monitoring the continuity of the show over the course of the years that it aired. They had children who were referred to early on and then never mentioned again, or the ones who were shown would come back in later seasons and be played by different actors. The guy who played Miles, Rose's boyfriend, had appeared in one of the early shows playing another boyfriend of Rose's, a completely different character. And I'm sorry, but women in their sixties do not get that many marraige proposals, much less turn them all down. Another thing was the number of flashback shows they did. That was just pure laziness. And for a show that had such biting wit and sarcasm as the root of its humor, it had a shocking amount of sappiness as well. Every time they do one of those damn "group hugs," I want to change the channel. I also hated it when they would do crossover shows with the cast from "Empty Nest," just because both shows had the same producers. It was annoying. Someone made a comment earlier about how dated some of Bea Arthur's lines are, how they were attempting topical humor related to the Reagan 80's, and I agree with this. It really stands out in the ruruns. I get pissed off when sitcoms that are otherwise good feel that they have to interject social issues and be serious, like when Rose was addicted to painkillers and went to rehab and was cured in one episode. I would compare the strength of this show to "Friends" in that the best qualities are the writing and the chemistry of the cast. However, the people who make "Friends" have wisely avoided the temptation to mine serious issues. All in all, I would say "Golden Girls" is one of the best sitcoms ever done, despite its flaws. And in a way it got better with age (no pun intended), in that the actresses seemed to become more comfortable with each other and it showed. I also think that the character of Sophia got better as it went along. In the early reruns she was too abrasive, a real pain in the ass. I would have put her in Shady Pines myself. Later on they exploited her senility more, and it was funnier. I know it's not politically correct to laugh at old people, but trust me, I've had more than one grandparent into their nineties, and when they forget things or say funny things, you either laugh or you cry. **** politically correct, anyway. This is a great show to watch when you're stoned. Come to think of it, there may very well have been some smokage of chiba going on in that house--the "girls" had the ****ing munchies every night at 2 AM like clockwork. Think about it. If they were so hell-bent on doing shows with serious social themes, why did they never do one on legalization of medicinal mariguana for the elderly? By the way, if you want a good laugh, look up a sight called theruecrew.com. A friend and I stumbled upon this late one night and we were practically ****ting ourselves. It's everything you'd never want to know about Rue McClanahan. There's even a section devoted to her five (!) husbands. She was married to one guy for like six months. The site is done by this girl who devotes her whole life to following Rue around the country and then documenting it on her site. What's really weird is that she's really not a 300 pound housewife or a 12 year old gay boy, she's a college frehsman from Maryland who is actually decent looking in her picture. Scary. Although not half as scary to me as the fact that I just posted commentary on the web about "Golden Girls."
I dont believe this show ever jumped the shark because it was so funny and witty. The characters are what kept me watching: Sarcastic Dorothy, Teasing Blanche, Dumb Rose and Hilarious Sophia. But that spinoff sucked! You need both Dorothy and Sophia to make it work!
This show was one that remained consistently funny throughout its entire run. The actresses fit in their characters so nicely and I only wish it could have stayed on a few more years. Thank God for Lifetime.
Oh yeah, I can just see the early production meetings for this piece o' garbage..."Let's see, so far, we've got Estelle Getty and Bea Arthur...but I think we need some sex appeal thrown in there...wait! I've got it! Call Rue McClanahan, see if she's available..." Yeah, just what I wanna see...Rue M as a sex symbol...that must have been what I was thinking about last time I threw up...
The Golden Girls is one of the best shows ever on Television. It is the most consistent show with the best ensemble cast that I have ever seen. All four ladies worked so well together and this is something I have never seen in another television sitcom. The shows were always fresh and fun which helped to add to the enormous popularity of the show. I am glad the show is now in syndication, without it, my days and nights would be left unfulfilled. It is the one true show that I can laugh at every time I see an episode and never get tired of watching the same episodes many times over.
This show is really funny,but one thing that killed it was...........Blanche is a slut............Blanche is a slut,How many times did they have to go out of their way to mention this???????????
This show not only never jumped the shark, it still holds up exceptionally well in reruns. This show had some of the best writing and acting in situation comedy, worthy of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, M*A*S*H, I Love Lucy, and All in the Family. There has seldom been a more perfect juxtaposition of an ensemble cast.
As much as I loved the Golden Girls, my one problem with it was that if you are going to make a character's ethnicity such recurring theme, at least try and get some of it right. Frankly, this show demonstrated more negative Italian stereotypes than 'The Sopranos' ever did. At least David Chase took care to use (for the most part) Italian-American actors (the ones who aren't are the weakest link, no doubt--Tony's kids, for example. Ye gods!). Estelle Getty and that ridiculous old fart who played her brother Angelo were about as convincing portraying Italians as Jennifer Lopez was in the Wedding Planner.
This one of my all-time favorite shows. It never jumped, although there were some times when it gazed longingly over the water. It came closest to jumping during those very special episodes that dealt with the issue du jour in hopelessly preachy and contrived ways. At the end, the actresses would urge the audience to contact the American Society for the Issue du Jour at the address on the screen. Also off-putting was Sophia's habit of introducing her reminiscences with "Picture this: Sicily, 19-whatever." People I know, immigrant or native born, don't share their own pasts as though they were pitching a work of fiction.
This show NEVER jumped! Any show that can pull off as many inconsistancies and still be as funny as the "I've fallen and I can't get up" commercials can never jump.
I must admit I really love this show. It always makes me laugh, but when i realized, after viewing many many re-runs, that the actor who played Miles had also played another different boyfriend in a past episode and ditto with a couple other actors who played the girls' boyfriends (I guess there aren't may older male actors out there)I knew it had jumped the shark!!!--Dorothy getting married in that ugly hoop thing wedding dress didn't help either!! But i do still love this show :)
I agree with the person that thought too many weddings though. That and clip shows. Miles was also damn annoying and there were many plot inconsistencies.
This show is a classic, no doubt about it. But how annoying was Miles? Why would a college professor date airhead Rose. And plus, the whole point of this character was that he was boring-not exactly great TV. If it weren't for this totally Herb of a character then this show would be on "The Simpson's" level.
This show is still fantastic! I do admit that there were some discrepancies in the storylines: the actual age of Dorothy's daughter Kate (the girl was like 25 years old in the wedding episode, and Dorothy was pregnant with her 38 years before on her wedding day); Blanche talks about her sons in an episode, but we only see daughters, Rebecca and Janet; Blanches name changes from Blanche Marie Devaraux to Blanche Elizabeth Devaraux ...BED...; Blanche talks constantly about sharing that home with husband George, but Janet comments on how she likes her mothers home)...there are just too many to name, but the show is great comedically and maintains a great energy!! I still watch it all of the time!!
The show was good for all 7 seasons. However the show did get kinda stale during the 6th season, but it picked back up during the last season. Definitely a classic show. I remember being really young and watching them on NBC. Now I watch them on Lifetime. So what if I'm a 20 year old male. Oh, and by the way that's the only show I watch on Lifetime.
Thanks for the Medicare!
This show never jumped the shark. These four ladies were great together. And by the way, whoever thinks Rue McClanahan isn't beautiful needs glasses!
The Golden Girls will go down in history as the GREATEST SHOW EVER! I think that's because it's about people in their later years, all having fun. (Despite health concerns, cheating boyfriends and obnoxious St. Olaf and Sicily stories) I think that is the way most of want to go (That is, if our husband or wife should ever leave us.) Imagine the last few years of your life being in a home where your innermost thoughts are shared, constant sarcasm is thrown around the kitchen table AND cheesecake at 3:00AM???? Count me in! (I'm only 23 years old!) What's interesting is that the fan base for the show continues to get younger and younger which means it's not just a "generational show," it's for everyone! God bless our Girls! No Shark will ever come CLOSE to them! (Not even in Miami!!!!!!)
Why in the hell did Stan and Dorothy flirt w/each other in the 6th & 7th season?????? And then the last 2 or 3 espiodes they get married???????? wtf????????????Golden Girls had to be one of the funniest shows on tv,much better than the overrated Cheers,Empty Nest,Night Court and worst of all the racist garbage that was The Cosby Show.This was geniuley funny and you could see the 4 ladies really connected.And half the fun was the male bashing,especially on Dorothy's part but when her and stan started flirting it went down a little but it didn't really do it till about the last 5 or 6 episodes then when he drives her to her weeding that was the final straw.
The show was funny throughout it's whole run. But IMO it was at it's best during the 4th, 5th, and early part of the 6th seasons. One thing that bothered me was Bea Arthur's hair. Especially when she grew it really long. She looked pretty scary then. My favorite eps have to be...In no particular order. 1. Dorothy's friend Trudy comes for a visit. 2. Sophia's sister Angela comes for a visit (Both times). 3. Dorothy's son is marrying an older black woman. 4. Dorothy and Sophia dressed up as Sonny and Cher. 5. The mean lady from down the street dies. 6. Rose's boyfriend Dr. Jonathan Newman is a midget. 7. Blanche uses her daughter's baby to get a man. 8. Stan almost marries Dorothy AGAIN....They're many others, but those stick out in my mind the most. Too bad Bea Arthur wanted to quit, but maybe it's a good thing. NBC would've probably tried to hold on to that show as long as possible, and it would've killed it's classicness. Like they did with Empty Nest.
I don't know if relieved or horrified at the thought that there are so many other 20-somethings who admit their obsession with show (don't deny it--you took the time to post a message for Christ's sake) Thanks to the commentator who pointed out that those late-night cheesecake sessions were the munchies. I agree with all who say it NEVER jumped but the inconsistencies must be noted too. Also, have any of you G&G brethren ever noted that at some point over the years, they took out a Sophie wise crack reply in the episode when Blanches gay brother and his cop boyfriend are defending their love and mention "bending over backwards for each other." When the girls are buying condoms at the pharmacy---Hello, "you mean to tell me I shaved my shoulders for nothing," Dorothy referring to loosing her virginity to Stan "He must have slipped me something" Sophie, "Apparently." "I could have sworn I was checking the emergency break" "OBGYN&M" I am the wolf, boom boom" SO MANY and thank whoever for pointing out they this show is Sex and the City, Blanche (Rue) guest spot as Samantha's mother anyone?
Four old ladies all trying to have sex with Burt Reynolds. After a great premise like this, every other episode is like kissing your sister...your old gray haired disgusting sister.
I love this show but, I just saw an episode today where Blanche thinks she is pregnant. PUULEEEEZ, she had to be at least 60 when the episode was filmed, it turned out to be Menopause. This was just a bit toooo much!
Some people say that this show ran out of gas after the 5th season but I disagree. The chemistry of a dumb person, an old and witty person, a sensible but funny person, and a whore was perfect for this show and the number of episodes that could've been written for this are endless. Never jumped and I still watch the repeats.
This show is not only a classic but it's also groundbreaking. Without GG, Designing Women, Living Single, Sex and the City, and countless other 4 single ladies shows would have never been developed. I loved all 4 of the GGs, but Dorothy was my favorite because her comedic timing was impeccable. Although I must say she did wear some of the most ugliest dresses on the show, and who can forget Betty White's green-plaid dress? (YUCK!) I guess Blanche always did have the fashion sense on the show. Sophia's ludicrous stories of sleeping with some political figure were always a riot. And I gotta agree with everyone who hated Miles, I never watched any episodes that involved his boring character. Other than that my favorite episodes are the ones where Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy are in that dance marathon and the episode where the 4 need to see a psychiatrist to end their fighting. And I thought I was the only young 20+ male watching this show.
Oh god this was one of the best show for the first two or three years. But by the 4th season the jokes got old. Dorothy insults stan [ oh hahahaha im dying of laughter] Blanche sleeps w/another guy and they all snicker about [ oh now im going into cardiac arrest about it] Rose tells another dumb story omg that's the funniest thing i've ever heard. I mean sure NBC was kind of desperate by the time th 4th season rolled around. I mean Night Court,Cosby and especially Cheers had all gone to the dogs ,but did they have to drag just painfully weak and frail show on for another 3 yrs????????
This show never jumped the shark. It went out at the top of its game, and I am always surprised how well the show stands up to the test of time when I see it in re-runs (Yes, I watch Lifetime, and, yes, I am gay.).
Rose Nylon had to be one of the wimpiest characters on TV ever.Not only did she let them insult her intellect, but she got used by everyone.I mean everytime the manly looking dorthy would say something to her rose face would cave up like mount everest,and i felt really bad for her.And of course Blanche was nothing but a bitch,a slut,who though she was the **** and constantly called everyone else ugly, unattractive and when a man would show interest in the she go after tha man ,And i wanted to strangle Sophia,Who ever told her she knew everything was lying out on their ass.Rose besides being a dumb ass and a wimp was the sweetest character and the one i cared for most to bad the others treated her like ****.
This is one of me and my wife's favorite TV shows, but can ANYONE out there answer me this question: how did anyone in that house keep from looking even older than they already were?! Nobody in that house ever slept (even though we all know that old folks don't need as much sleep as us 20-somethings)! I would kill for a decent 8 hours sleep, whilst these ladies are showcasing the "NO SLEEP" method, available from the Institute for the Eradication of Sleep (no such thing, but in our day and age, there probably is one somewhere out there). For criss-sakes, even after shoveling cheesecake after cheescake into their mouths, they never gained a pound! Also, Blanche and her clown makeup made even the most garish-looking circus clown seem tame. Don't even get me started on her childish behaviors, ranging from her delusional state of pretending she was still in her 40's, to having to know and see everything (if you all have trouble on this one, remember the episode where Dorothy was put in charge of a surprise banquet in Blanche's honor and Blanche absolutely HAD to see what Dorothy was working on, or she would fly into a hissy-fit about it), to her hoity-toity comments, put-downs, and slashing insults about Dorothy's and Rose's appearance, of which would have earned a **** YOU!!! and a middle finger salute from me. OVERALL, A COOL TV SHOW!!!!
this show has the best writing,the best acting,the best timing ever and they quit before they had to jump shark. I'm not old either. these girls proved you didn't have to be young to be successful on tv. the golden girls stayed in the top 15 through it's entire 7 years
Despite the continuity headaches (how come nobody's mentioned how Blanche alternately loves/hates cats/dogs? Or how Dorothy's debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome is diagnosed and immediately forgotten? Or the first season's gay live-in cook?), the show never really jumped. But it came awfully close in one horrible, horrible episode. It's the one where Paul Dooley and Rita Moreno played the girls' neighbors, a middle-aged married couple experience dull marital difficulties. Watching it is a surreal, nightmare-like experience. It begins with the girls making a trip over to the Dooley/Moreno house, where they talk to the couple for about minutes--AND THEN THEY LEAVE, abandoning the bewildered viewer in bizarre, unfamiliar territory. It's a shocking moment--imagine a "Seinfeld" episode in which the four principals leave the restaurant in the first five minutes, but in which the camera stays behind, and spends the remaining twenty minutes watching the other diners chewing silently. The episode must have been intended as the pilot for a pre-"Empty Nest" spinoff that never got picked up, for obvious reasons. I say "pre-'Empty Nest,'" because probably the worst aspect of this episode is that it features David Leisure playing the same grating neighbor character he did on the later show--but with a different name! Still, a strong show over all--even if it's hard to watch a Miles episode without wanting to bludgeon him to death.
This show NEVER JUMPED! Lifetime Channel - 9-10 a.m., 6-7 p.m. and 11 pm - 12am. Say no more, say no more! GG's are like air - no life without them. It would be a bleak world indeed without their special humor and endearing wit!
Let me start by saying I am 20 I watch Golden Girls every night, and NO I am not gay. This show even though good to watch in reruns, jumped several times. I agree with previous posts in regards to the consistency errors being a problem, Blance being a animal lover/hater ect. My JTS moment though is all the flashback episodes, any and all are JTS moments. I have 2 main problems with them, 1. the are just plain lazy 2. the used the same 2 scethces in almost everyone of the flashback episodes (the dance a thon where an obvious Rose body double does cartwheels, and the one where Dorthy yells "CONDOMS ROSE CONDOMS CONDOMS CONDOMS!" when in the supermarket and the teller replies "easy lady you just get out of prison?". Pretty funny stuff but must I see it every flashback, and why are they always having flashbacks about the same stuff anyway how could they forget? Another thing I just thought of is how come the girls act like they are family and so close and all that when they had just met less than 5 years prior?
I've said it before, this show never jumped. However, as I have read some other postings referring to the late night Cheesecake shoveling sessions as the munchies, has anyone ever seen the episode where Sophia makes a "REEFER" reference to one of her friends, telling them that "they'll never buy that glaucoma story, leave the reefer at home". Gotta be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
"The Golden Girls" is the best sitcom on TV, hands down. I watch it every night - sometimes 4 episodes in one night! - and I never get tired of it. Norman Lear was a genius to come up with this one...the writing was always excellent...the girls are always hysterical. I recently saw Bea Arthur perform on Broadway, and it was truly an epic moment - she even made a "Golden Girls" joke and the audience went wild! "The Golden Girls"...no longer just for old women, gay men, and drag queens!
To the above poster: Not to nitpick or anything, but Norman Lear had NOTHING to do with The Golden Girls. You may be thinking of Maude which Bea Arthur also starred in. But The Golden Girls was A LOT funnier than ANY of Norman Lear's sitcoms. Susan Harris was the Creator/Producer of The Golden Girls. She outta be commended for coming up with such a hilarious show. Too bad Bea Arthur didn't want to hang on for just one more season.
This show never jumped, the episode with Issaac Newton was priceless, You mean you just opened up the phone book and called him, a total stranger.
This show never jumped the shark, but they did have some terrible episodes. The good ones outweighed the bad ones, though. The worst show I ever saw was when Rose had a heart attack and had to have heart surgery. She told the other girls that she wasn't ever going to die. That she was going to have her head put on somebody else's body. Then she dreamed that they all had their heads on other people's bodies. That episode was just too absurd and stupid. It shouldn't have been made. Another thing was the writer's inconsistencies. On one episode we hear about Rose's college years, and then on another we hear that she never even got her High School diploma. There were other examples of inconsistencies. On one episode we hear that Dorothy's brother, Phil, has ten kids, and then on another we hear that Sophia is the Grandmother of six. On one of the episodes Dorothy's son is, like, twenty-nine years old, and he gets this fourty-three year old woman pregnant and marries her, but we never hear anything about the baby that he is supposed to have fathered. After that episode the show acts like it never happened. Another thing is Blanche falls in love in every other episode, but she never stays with any of the guys she has supposedly fallen in love with. If she's not going to stay with them, why did the producers of the show have her act like she was so in love with them? That didn't make a whole lot of sense. Also she gets, like, three marriage purposals throughout the whole series, and every time something happens. The producers seemed desperate to keep Rue's character from finding any happiness in a serious romantic relationship, but they let Dorothy, who hardly ever dated, get married in the series finale. I just can't see Dorothy, who hardly had any dates, getting married, when it's Blanche that knows so many men. I think the producers were stretching reality a bit on that decision for the show.
It jumped the shark when a few episodes became too emotional. They dealt with death, sickness... shows that had a few gags but a very serious plot. On these occasions I would have to turn it off, the Golden Girls is an all around amusing show but when it begins to have some drama I have no need for it.
Never, ever did this programme jump the shark! So many reasons: the Lanai, Cheesecake, Miles coming back as "Max Plankmaker" the Amish Farmer, "Silly Rabbi, tricks are for kids!", Uncle Angelo, Cousin Sven, Mount Losenbacher (when they visit St. Olaf), Big Daddy, Sophia's purse, "Hi, it's me, Stan," Mel Bushman, Rose's lost father: the monk, Sophia takes the Pope's ring, Shady Pines, "Picture it, Sicily ...", Grab that dough!, Kim Fong Toy (Rose's fake name at the high school reunion they crash), Dorothy on Jeopardy, Mr. Terrific, the Zbornie, etc. And of course, the greatest line of all time: S: "Hurry up Dorothy, we're going to be late for Temple." D: "Ma, it's Tuesday, and we're Catholic."
The Golden Girls never jumped. It is still one of my favorite shows. Even my 3-year-old nephew says 'Is it time for Golden Girls?' I was a little upset when they revealed that Miles was in the witness protection program. When that was revealed he said he could finally let his children/family know where he was. Well, his daughter had visited him before and had dinner with him and Rose. Also, why does Stan always say, ‘It’s me, Stan’ after they have opened the door? Can’t they see it’s him! Also, whatever happened to his wife that he married at that hotel? Remember, she was talked to Dorothy at the bar on her wedding day? She is never mentioned again. Did you ever notice that in the first episodes the rooms are on the left side of the house as opposed to the right side? And after 7 years, why didn’t they get new furniture? It also bugged me that Phil’s funeral and burial was held in Florida although he did not live in Florida and Dorothy and Sophia were not originally from Florida. Also, why weren’t his children at the funeral?
This show never jumped. This show was too clever and witty to ever jump. The characters had so much to them that it just worked beautifully. When I think about it, no other show can make me laugh out loud more than this one does. Not Seinfeld, Not even LUCY can make me laugh more than this show does. I'm so glad that Bea Arthur realized that all things must come to and end, and left the show in 1992. That's where Susan Harris and them should've pulled the plug too. But people are so greedy. I've heard that the spin-off "Golden Palace" was not very good at all, and even worse the fact that Dorothy wasn't there. And I must point out how stupid NBC was to move The Golden Girls from the 9:00 hour on Saturdays to the 8:00 hour during the 1991-1992 season. I mean parents aren't going to watch an adult comedy with their children, and they wonder why the ratings dropped so severly during the last season. In 1990-1991 the show was #10, the next season it dropped all the way to #30. Oh, and I hope Bea can let go of her beef with Betty, no offense but these ladies are liable to croak any day now. Why hold on to silly grudges that happened 15 years ago????
This show never jumped the shark!!!!! It's my only reason for tuning in to Lifetime...the only thing that bothered me JUST a little was that it DID seem as though all of the girls were insulted except Dorothy. I really love Dorothy, but it seemed like the others' faults were made fun of, or mention at least, more often than Dorothy's. Oh well, I still love it!
This show definitely jumped, many times after the initial dive, but it was good anyway. One question. HOW BAD CAN BEA'S ASS ACTUALLY BE? It's an imponderable. Must be damned bad, putting her in those caftan getups day after day...and shoulder pads? Wow, she could've passed for Refrigerator Perry in some of those episodes...
Did not jump. Bea Arthur left exactly for that reason. Ratings were still good and the show was still funny, but definitely on the brink of losing material. Bea wanted to leave while the show was at it's height. Good move. Also, Estelle Getty is only a few onths younger than Dorthy. Anyways, who cares if she was younger playing Dorthy' mom. It's called Acting. If Bea would have stayed the show would have stayed on the air would have jumped eventually for sure. Golden Palace jumped Day One, but you can't blame the producers for trying to capitalize on the GG momemtum. Without Bea, it's Shark Food.
I never liked this show! It had great acting, but it was a bunch of old ladies living together! And Blanch was the sex symbol for goodness sakes! She was just too old! It was just boring from day one!
Never jumped! I'm 25 and I remember watching when I was a teen. Still watch religiously on Lifetime. I just want to remind everyone that this was, in fact, the eighties. I think some of the comments don't keep this in mind. TV was not what it is now. Shows did not have the "reality" bug at that time. I think GG refects the just that. Shows then were a bit more wholesome and I appreciate that now. I can't watch shows where people are killing each other before I go to bed! GG was one the funniest shows I have even seen and will continue to watch as long as it's on!!!
This was a funny show in the first few years (Dorothy's lesbian friend is my favorite episode). Then the writing became predictable, too many flashback episodes, and WAY too much Rose bashing. Every other line became about how stupid Rose was and how pathetic she was. She wasn't that dumb at the beginning. This is very lazy writing, and I could barely make it through to the last episode. The last season was an improvement though. There is a great episode where Dorothy goes along with Blanche to her favorite piano bar, and steals the show. Blanche tries to do a sultry number from The Fabulous Baker Boys to put the spotlight back on her, and almost chokes the pianist with the mike cord, falls off the piano, etc.
How can anyone say that Dorothy didn't get made fun of on this show? She was constantly berated by Sophia and Blanche for not having a man, never having any dates....I specifically recall times when she was called "strapping" or otherwise alluded to as manly by Sophia, Blanche, and Rose. She took her fair share of abuse. I think they went easiest on Sophia, if anyone. Great show, by the way. My twentysomething brother is scarily obsessed with this show; it does attract all ages.
This show went through different phases. The first two seasons were VERY hilarious with A LOT I mean A LOT of pop culture references. Which in a way looks bad in reruns, I have to ask my mom what a lot stuff they say during the first 2 or 3 seasons. Then by season 4 they had calmed down a bit on the pop culture references and started focusing more on the comedy. During season 4 there was a huge shift in writers/producers and it's very obvious by the 3 episode of the 4th season. The show, while still very funny seemed to be lacking realism and direction. By season 5 the pop culture references got fewer and fewer and to me this is when the show was at it's best. The first episode of season 5 had to be one of the best mixing great comedy with a serious twist (Dorothy's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). By season 6 it seemed as if the show was running out of comical steam, while still funny it seemed forced and the writing was less witty and the pop culture references were basically gone. Season 7 WAS an improvement as someone stated above, but by this time Bea Arthur couldn't take it anymore (Who in actuality wanted out after the 1st season but was obligated by contract to stay). Dorothy's character by this season to me was the funniest, she had this very funny charm during this season, maybe because she didn't take her work too seriously knowing it would be her last season, regardless she made it work for her. All in all, one of the best shows on TV ever and the chemistry of the cast battles that of Friends and Seinfeld.
The previous poster who says Dorothy did get her share of abuse is right—remember all the jokes about her “turkeylike neck,” and that gay guy who called her “Stretch”? (My friends and I created a GG drinking game in which one of the rules is “Do a shot whenever reference is made to Dorothy’s height and/or ugliness.”) But I think the point some other posters have been trying to make is valid too. In the final seasons, it was clear that Bea Arthur wanted to get the hell out of Dodge, and the only way the producers could convince her to stay was to give her scripts that flattered her character. Think of the episode where Dorothy goes to the bar and steals all of Blanche’s admirers (by singing “Hard-Hearted Hannah,” of all things—yeah, Bea, that gets me hot), or the final wedding episode, which is basically a love letter to the character. And this would have been fine, except that the Dorothy in these episodes is a thoroughly different Dorothy—she’s all trembling vulnerability, and not at all the poison-spitting gorgon we loved so well. The show never really jumped, but Bea Arthur’s vanity (and the producers’ willingness to appease her) made for some weaker episodes.
Okay, why wouldn't this show be popular among 20-somethings? These four old dames were fantasy objects just as much as "Charlie's Angels:" who wouldn't want one of these sassy, healthy, sex-obsessed gals as a grandmother, instead of the severe, disapproving, drooling and incoherent nursing home inmates we were forced to visit on every holiday while growing up? Also, GG was a great outlet for anyone who likes fart & dick jokes but feels guilty laughing at Andrew Dice Clay. The following exchange would have been crass and sexist coming from anyone but Blance and Sophia: "The doctor says he wants to put a pacemaker in me!" "Every man's got a name for it." And Sophia managed to reference passing gas in every other episode, which would be obnoxious if it were Pauly Shore but was endearing from Estelle Getty. A double standard, but what the hell, this show was my guilty pleasure for years, starting when I was a college student stuck in my apartment studying on a Saturday night. They always fell flat, however, when they tried to tackle "topical" subjects: I hated the episode where Dorothy suspected she might have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for two reasons: 1. CFS was a theory or a collection of symptoms at the time, not a recognized medical disorder; and 2. You only know Dorothy was having a problem because she kept talking about it: "I'm so tired. I'm so tired." She didn't act any less energetic or look any more haggard (although it would have taken Ray Harryhausen to make Bea Arthur look worse) than usual. People who suffer from a debilitating condition like CFS or clinical depression can't stand up for very long and have trouble raising their voices above a whisper. Anyway, it's very odd how these old broads were dragged out of retirement for this last hurrah, and they all have kept going: Betty White has made a few TV movies, Rue McLanahan has done "The Vagina Monologues" (if anyone has a bootleg copy, please don't send it to me) and Bea Arthur is everywhere thanks to her one-man show. To be or not to Bea Arthur, that is the question.
Everyone else is right on -- "The Golden Girls" was one of only a handful of sitcoms that never came close to jumping the shark. True, some seasons were stronger than others; as most people have pointed out, it was the middle years -- seasons four and five -- where it lost a little momentum and got a little stale. But still, this was one of those rare shows where different seasons were outstanding for completely separate reasons. For example, the first season (the strongest, IMHO) introduced the tight bond the ladies had with each other and emphasized the social and financial condition they all lived in (such as the terrific second episode where Rose loses her job at the grief counselling center and worries about her future). Meanwhile, the seventh and final season (the second strongest, again IMHO) really let the show get silly, with wild but not totally nonsensical plots as well as some of the hands-down wittiest (if mean-spirited) one-liners in the show's history (don't forget, this show also turned sarcasm into an art form). As for the four leads, there is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said -- they were all brilliant and I don't think any of us could picture another actress taking any of their places. Having said all that, I must also address the show's biggest fault -- the inconsistencies. Most of them have been stated by other posters, but some have been missed. Probably most significant is that in the pilot episode the ladies have a gay male cook named Cocoa, who is seen throughout the whole episode and then never again (someone did mention this above). Then, in the third episode, Dorothy refers to a gardener named Hernando (sp?), who is also never brought up again. Not coincidentally, both episodes were written by creater Susan Harris, who most likely wanted to put her characters in a higher class bracket than the show's future writers felt necessary (a wise move on their part). Also, as I said earlier, Rose loses her counselling job in episode two and claims to get a new job as a waitress, yet a few episodes later she's back at her old job with no explanation. The number of kids Dorothy's brother Phil had changed several times during the show's run, as did the age of Dorothy's son Michael (29 one season, 23 the next). Also, all four ladies seemed to have friends and family members from their past just dying to come down to Florida and see them all the time. One otherwise-great episode had Dorothy hosting her high school reunion at their house in Miami and all her old classmates were there... despite the fact that they all went to school in Brooklyn! (Aaargh! How unlikely can it get?) I could go on and on and on, but the important thing is that such inconsistencies could ruin a weaker show, but not this one. The plotholes may have been occasionally frustrating, but television has yet to beat the wit, the tone and the timeless casting of "The Golden Girls".
This show never jumped the shark. I love this show, even now. I'm watching it on Lifetime as I type this ("on 10 you can cook a Lean Cuisine") I have so many favorite lines and moments from this show, but I had to add my favorite inconsistency (there really were so many)...the episode where Miles' daughter meets the girls and Rose and then she tells Rose not to see Miles anymore. Wait a minute...wasn't Miles really a pseudonym after he went into the witness protection program? So was that his fake daughter, or what? Anyway, I even love the inconsistencies. Great show.
One thing that always griped me about this show was the fact that they didnt get the timelines and ages correct. An example: Dorothy was reminiscing with Sophia and they mentioned that Dorothy was unmarried & pregnant and that little Mikey was born in 1949. Okay if thats the case then why in 1985 when Dorothy's son Michael came to visit and announced he was marrying the older Lorraine, Dorothy kept repeating "Michael, you are 24, she is 45." If Michael was was 24 y/o in 1985 then that would mean he was born in 1961 not 1949. I would have thought that when Sophia did her "picture it, Brooklyn 1949" they could have changed the date to 1955 or 56 and then when the age difference between he & Lorraine came up they could have said he was 29 and Lorraine about 47. It would have been more believable because Lorraine looked a lot older than 45 anyway.
I never got into the Golden Girls until it went into syndication and Lifetime started airing them every day. And although the plotlines, jokes, and acting sometimes weren't the greatest (yeah, she's funny. yeah, she's as far away as you could possibly get from a stereotypical nice little old lady, but come on! Did anybody actually like Estelle Getty's acting? Her line delivery was more stilted and humorless than Colin Quinn's Weekend Update on SNL.)I actually like it. It's cute, it's harmless, it's very funny at times. But one thing that always bothered me was the rickety little table they constantly had cheesecake on. They would always have three people sitting down, one facing the camera and audience and two women on either side of her, and they would leave the fourth chair empty, and instead have someone drag a *stool* from somewhere and sit by the middle person, towering over everyone, not having anything to eat, just to avoid having someone's back face the camera! What is wrong with this picture? Either figure out another sitting arrangement, or else don't have kitchen scenes that look that stupid. Minor, minor point, and other shows do it, too, but other shows don't spend as much time showing four ladies gossipping over plates of cheesecake and bowls of ice cream that they never actually eat so i thought i would point it out.
This show was and is the absolute best! I must agree that the earlier ones were funnier. I love how Dorothy just lays into Rose with her one liners. One of my favorites is when they are standing in line at the drug store (flashback?)CONDOMS ROSE, CONDOMS, CONDOMS, CONDOMS! "So is interuterian." "What do we look like, Charlie's Angels?" The list goes on and on!
Never jumped. Just wanted to respond to this: "An even more blatant example was when her 20-something sax-playing son became engaged to a 40-something singer, Dorothy actually listed as one of her objections to the marriage the fact that the fiancée was black! Let's face it, had Southern belle Blanche said this, everyone would have automatically used this to claim Blanche was a prejudiced bigot yet NO ONE thought to question why the ostensibly liberal Dorothy considered pigmentation alone to be an automatic and insurmountable problem in a marriage!" You are WRONG!!!!! I've seen that episode. Dorothy's objection was over the age. The black fiance's mother was objected to the race thing.
This show never jumped. I didn't watch it when it was on t.v. originally, but I think I've seen just about every episode in syndication. Now that I'm a little older (30's) I appreciate how witty it really was. I love the fact that these senior citizens talked so candidly about sex...and ripped on each other so much. Rose's inane stories and the pained expressions on the other women's faces...classic!
I'm a 26 year old guy and I've always loved the GG's, but, like everyone else the inconsistencies annoyed me. Being Italian-American, I especially hated the Italian ones. Like if Sofia was born in Sicely, why did she talk like a Jew from Brooklyn. I'm sure that when she came to America (at age 20) she said "slow down ya yutz your driving right past her (the Statue of Liberty)" Yeah, ok, a 20 year old Italian immigrant used a Yiddish expession. Really believable. And, in one flashback episode, we see Sophia's mother (played by Bea Arthur) living with her and Sal in 1950's Brooklyn. In the episode with her brother, however, we hear that her mother died before she came to America, AND uncle Angelo pretended to be a priest and was married for a whopping 72 years before his wife died, and Sophia knew of none of this! Her brother was married for 72 years, looked about 70 and she Sophia thought he was a celebate priest the whole time. Were the writer's brain dead? I could go on, but overall a funny show.
I remember watching this show from the beginning as a little girl and I loved it then and I still love it now! Thank God for Lifetime! Thanks to Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia I learned that life doesn't end at 60. Who cares that they didn't have perky breasts and bodies to die for?? So they had grandchildren and crows feet....unlike some of my friends who are already dreading turning 30 (and they are my age, 23) these ladies didn't roll over and play dead. They got out there and lived life to the fullest. Even though they were 60+, they were young at heart and that is something to be admire.
The mind numbing writer errors made GG JTS. One episode Sophia mentions her wedding to Sal was pre arranged by the parents, in another she was pre arranged to marry some guy but she didn't because she found love with Sal. Im pretty sure almost every other episode had a glaring error. It makes it hard to get "lost" in a show when they keep making these mistakes. These ladies had to memorize all the scripts, didn't they notice and object!? It leads me to believe the writers don't care about the audience, so I don't care about their product. Another thing that bugged me was how everyone picked on Dorthy for never having a date, but every social event she had one and she was constantly dating men almost every episode. STUPID STUPID STUPID
It sounds strange, but I think the Golden Girls hopped the shark in the first season, but over the next few seasons they hopped right back off. I would like to comment on an above posting that told the writers to stop trying to make Blanche attractive. They didn't, it was the way the charactar Blance thought of herself. It was a really good show and I'm sorry that Bea Arthur is so adamant about not doing a reunion.
Golden Girls never jumped the shark, but it did kind of precariously "nosh" the shark with those boring ass episodes that centered around Rose' beau Miles, and Cousin Angelo. Those episodes were just not funny.
The show never did jump, but it came dangerously close a few times: (1) the episode when Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche were singing "Mr. Sandman" (and Dorothy actually WAS Mr. Sandman," (2), the episode when the three of them were fighting over a sculptor not realizing he was a homosexual, and (3), the finale when Dorothy didn't realize she had hired ex-husband Stan as her limo driver. By the way, the episode when Miles (Harold Gould) returned from a Witness Protection relocation, he was not dressed as a rabbi. He was disguised as an Amish person in an episode when Blanche attempts to join a Southerners-only sorority, only to find out that her great grandmother was a former Miss Feldman from Buffalo. The "Sorry rabbi, tricks are for kids" one liner was from that episode, and I might add, the second funniest of the entire series (Sophia asking Stan "Is it because you're a shmuck!?" is number 1). Speaking of Yiddish expressions, the four Italian characters on the show, Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Sophia (Estelle Getty), Uncle Angelo (Bill Dana), Aunt Angela (Nancy Walker), and Sal (Sid Melton) were all played by Jewish actors or actresses, as was Stan (Herb Edelman). The show was originally intended to be about a Jewish family, but Susan Harris (also Jewish) wanted to shy away from this angle, so Italian they became. Uncle Angelo should have had no trouble learning a new ethnicity - on the Steve Allen Show, he was Jose Jimenez! Did anybody notice Quentin Tarantino as Elvis? He was one of the Elvis impersonators to attend Sophia's marriage to Max Weinstock (Jack Gilford). The sequel, "Golden Palace" stunk just as much as the Ottawa Chinese restaurant of the same name, but WHO CARES! I'M GOING TO SEE BURT REYNOLDS!
One thing that always annoyed me about this show was the fact that, they were supposed to be best friends, but whenever one of them met someone new that the others didn't like, they had violent arguments almost ending their friendships. At the end, the person with the new friend always realized that she was wrong because their new friend did something terrible. Case in point is when Dorothy befriends Barbara Thorndike, or whatever and the girls all hate her. Then when liberal Dorothy finds out Barbara belongs to a restricted club, she tells her to go to hell. Amazing. She went from obsessing over this woman and almost loosing her "best friends" to thinking she is the devil incarnate. And then of course, the girls make up. I would think if you totally alienated your friends over some person who just appeared out of nowhere, you might have a tough time getting them to forgive you. This happened like four times on this show! Another similar episode was when Blanche got Dorothy a job at her company and acted like a jealous bitch because Dorothy was doing well there, and then it was just forgotten. Pretty immature behavior for geriatrics! I don't know many friends in high school who act like that.
Why were they always going to these formal banquets, wearing evening gowns like they were going to a wedding? Who does that on such a regular basis? Yet, these same three women, all working adults couldn't round up enough money between the three of them to buy a lousy TV set?
I'm not sure that the show ever really JTS, but there were some big irritants... remember when Blanche's father married that really young woman (the red headed 30 something), and then a couple season's later Big Daddy dies, and Blanche and Dorothy head to the funeral and the only family there was Virginia her sister???! Like, what the hell happened to the wife, her other sister and her brother Clayton and his gay husband? Not to mention all these town folks and guys Blanche had slept with during her youth... pretty weak storyline in that one... Also, Blanche ALWAYS talked about her children... Becky, and then the other daughter and her son... well, the son never showed up, how stupid is that... and remember when Jason her grandson showed up, again, he never came back, her granddaughter that was in the talent show in one of the early seasons... Becky's daughter, but I guess it didn't matter that Becky wouldn't have her until like Season 6 when she got artificially inseminated... I personally think GG was the best show ever... still watch it, but have to say that sometimes I get pissed off that there are so many inconsistencies. Line delivery by Dorothy though was absolutely exceptional! And the interractions and chemistry between all cast members was second to none.
This wonderfully sublime piece of TV nirvana never jumped the shark. It had a chemistry like no other show I'd ever seen. You always railed for the girls, feeling their joy & pain with them. They were that believable. The last episode still makes me catch the vapors during the last few seconds, when it's finally over. I've seen it probably 10 times but it still has the same effect. BUT! One thing this otherwise wonderful gem did get wrong [and very often I might add] was who had how many kids, who's parents were dead and who's were alive, how many grandkids they had, even trivial stuff such as this: Blanch at one point LOVES cats, another episode years later she hates them passionately. Sophia also has the same bi-polar sentiment towards felines. Those variables always show up. Aside from the incontinuities, I vote it for the best show EVER!
Christ, after year three, every episode of TGG was a wheezing after-school special. But they lost me forever at the end of the Christmas show when it started snowing (in Miami!). A lamer grab for the heartstrings I've never seen.
You have to love Golden Girls for what it is ... a cheesy programmatic show. Its charm lies in its predictability and lovability of the characters. This show will never get old for me.
Never Really Jumped, although many of the episodes are hard to watch (clip shows, Miles in the Witness Protection Program, etc.) Dorothy was very funny and Sofia was the best! When they insult each other it's pretty good. My favourite episode was the funeral one, with Mr. Puh-Fifer. "Now, Mr. Puh-Fifer, about the Puh-Funeral......." I don't really know why Bea Arthur left but I guess it's because she tired of being associated with Dorothy, or maybe it was just good old-fashioned pride.
Nancy Walker shows up as Sophia's sister, Angela, in a couple of earlier episodes. In the second Angela episode, Sophia somberly declares that her and Angela are the only ones left of the "original family". A scant one or two seasons later, we have Sophia's brother Angelo appearing out of nowhere and Angela disappearing with no explanation whatsoever and no further reference made to her character again. Not only that, but brother Angelo comes with the preposterous story of how he has been pretending for 72 years to be a priest when in reality he was married all along! What were the writers smoking when they came up with this stuff? Is Estelle Getty so stupid she didn't see the flaws and continuity errors of her own character? Making it worse is the stupid, unbelievable similarity between the names of sister AngelA and brother AngelO!! If TV writers are going to screw with the continuity of a series, at least try and make it a little less transparent!
Never jumped. To the above post(s) that said they dislike "clip episodes", I'd have to disagree. The clip episodes are, in my opinion, the best reruns to catch because they highlight the best of their comedy situations (i.e. Rose's "petit" boyfriend; Dorothy's "priestly" date; Blanche's horror of Jean falling for Rose and not her; Sophia telling the story of how she got nailed by Pablo Piccaso; etc.) If you're studying comedic acting, watch these actresses and study them. If not, kick back with a slice of cheesecake, fire up your hand-rolled cigarette and enjoy!
Several people have noted all the flashback episodes. But perhaps what makes the Golden Girls unique in this aspect is that many (if not most) of the actual flashback scenes are not in the context of any prior episodes. In other words, these are sort of fake flashbacks. The "CONDOMS, CONDOMS, CONDOMS" scene and the scene where all 4 jump into Sophia's bed during a bad winter storm just to name a few. Why bother presenting these scenes as flashbacks when they could have easily fit within the context as-is of a regular here-and-now episode? And these 2 scenes were presented as flashbacks in more than one episode! I also grew weary of Dorothy's on-again, off-again relationship with Stan. In one of the first episodes of the series Dorothy mercilessly castigates Stan and writes him out of her life once and for all. Then on at least 3 other episodes I can think of Dorothy loves Stan again and almost marries him on one of them. Her attitude toward him is too inconsistent throughout the series.
The Golden Girls is one of the best comedy series of the late 1980's to early 1990s show. If I had to choose a time when the show jumped the shark, it would be when Dorothy got married, and left the show. The show just was not the same without Dorothy. They should have ended the series there, instead of continuing on with the remaining cast owning a hotel.
I liked the show very much, but the factor that these women lived in Miami and constantly wore pant suits, sweaters and longs sleeved clothes, really got to me.
I used to like this show when I was 11 or 12 for some ungodly reason. Then I don't know what turned me off it: the realization that every single episode hinged around old ladies talking about sex or the realization that the writers lack in basic math skills. (It's said Dorothy's son Michael is only about 30, but she had him when she was 17. From the way they scoff when Blanche says she's in her 40s I highly doubt Dorothy is 47.)
I don't think this show ever really jumped the shark, albeit I agree with the scores of fin-watchers who say the inconsistencies can be a bit annoying. However, I really never noticed them until I started watching the reruns on Lifetime, then scrutinizing the scripts becomes easier since the show's on six times a day or so. I think the first few seasons were, by far, the best. I tend to skip over some of the others but never miss the first season episodes. My favorite is when Rose gets a gun -- "You shot my vase!" (I can't believe no one else quoted that eppie). I also like the very early episodes where Sophia was a little more crusty and a little less percocious. I loved Betty White. She and Bea Arthur had the best lines. Lifetime makes me mad in that they cut some of the funniest scenes in reruns. ie. In the episode where Rose buys a gun, Blanche emerges from the kitchen with flour on her mug, complaining that the robbers got her mama's jewels to which Dorothy replies, "But at least they didn't get your cocaine." Classic.
Golden Girls really only lost steam in its final season. I used to watch it religiously, but then didn't pay it much attention the last season. I think it was around the time of of Rose's boyfriend Miles being someone else that it finally lost touch with reality. It started off as a being about real issues older people face but then the outlandish relatives appeared, the character traits became more caricature-ish (Rose dumb and tells a story about St. Olaf, Blanche slut, Dorothy can't get a date, Sophia makes smart remark and tells a story about Sicily etc.) It's easy to tell when the show is losing its grip on reality- the girls seem to wear more elaborate, expensive nighties and wear heels and a lot of makeup before bedtime. And their schtick became formulaic and repetitive. My favourite episodes are: when they all get the flu, when they get stuck in the house during a cyclone, when Blanche becomes a writer, when Blanche's sister asks for a kidney, the lesbian episode, - there are a lot of great episodes and almost every episode in its first few years is good.
Again, I agree - it didn't really jump the shark, but there were some glaring inconsistencies that were pretty irritating. Remember the episode when Rose has to take courses in night school because she never graduated?! She tells Dorothy that it was because she was in a kissing booth at the St. Olaf fair, got mono and wound up sleeping through graduation. And yet, at another point she tells the girls - in a later episode - that she was the valedictorian of her graduating class. Stupid writers. OH! Actually maybe it did almost Jump the Shark... remember when those neighbours from next door - George and Leslie, I think her name was - totally unknown to the audience, and all of a sudden about 90% of the episode was about these characters who were having marital problems?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Like, who the heck were these people? And why were they important enough to devote an entire episode to? I think that the creators of the Golden Girls thought that they might be on to a potential spin-off and thought they would try an episode with these characters before launching it. Regardless of the reason, it was a flop -- most BORING episode ever. Stupid acting, bad characters... lousy.
The Golden Girls Rock! Ive grown up with this show, and probably have seen each episode a hundred times. Still, it never gets old. In fact, it seems to get better every time! Come on..."Miami, Miami, youve got style, blue sky sunshine white sand by the mile...", it doesnt get any better than that! Dorothy Blanche, Rose & Sophia are awesome! Great show, hope they never stop playing reruns :)
The Golden Girls overall is terrific, but admittedly there are some clinker episodes here and there. Some episodes are incredibly disjointed like when the girls want to leave for Christmas and they end up in a diner with it snowing in Miami. Or the one where selling Michael Jackson's jacket ends the girls up at a homeless shelter. But perhaps the most disjointed, sloppy and overall poorly executed story involves a 2 parter in the last season when Rose reveals she has some occasional pain, the girls unbelievably decide to crash a high school reunion for no apparent reason pretending to be people they aren't and Blanche's daughter Janet visits. Rose collapses at the reunion after Dorothy is crowned queen of the reunion. Rose gets better, reveals that she wants her head frozen upon death and wants the other girls to do the same and we all think that everything is back to normal again as the episode wraps up. At the last minute we learn that Rose has cardiac arrest and needs a bypass surgery. At the beginning of Part 2, the girls are deeply distraught over Rose and the fact that they can't see her due to not being family. Rose's daughter Kirsten shows up at the hospital and Kirsten chastises the girls. Rose goes under surgery in this very serious Part 2 episode. Meanwhile, awkward jokes are tossed with the intent of lightening things up but to no avail. Kirsten forgives the girls, Janet shows up at the hospital and Rose (who we think is on death's door) has a dream where she, Blanche and Dorothy have their heads frozen. She wakes up and all is well in Golden Girl world once again! This story is all over the map and I still can't figure out why Janet was even there. It is apparent that this 2-parter was so close to the finale and everyone must have known the show was already going to end or why else would this stinker of a 2 parter have been produced? It was obvious that nobody cared anymore. Sloppy, disjointed story and dialogue; noticeably low energy acting and weak, uninspired "humor".
I am Dorothy Zbornak reincarnated. I adore this show and will NEVER get sick of watching it. FYI.. according to my almanac, Betty White is the oldest, followed by Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty and then Rue MCClanahan. But who really cares? I saw Bea Arthurs' one woman show on Broadway and love her to death. And by the way, I have a cross-dressing brother!!!!
This show wasn't as high quality at the end, but I don't think it ever jumped. I just saw a rerun of the final episode last night. It had one of the funniest lines I think I've ever heard on tv. Somebody asked Dorothy about the sex with her fiancee and she said, It was so good we named it!
First, many of you offer LEGITIMATE criticisms of this show, chief among them the frustrating continuity problems (family members appear and disappear, ages not matching up, etc) but this show NEVER JUMPED. I can't believe there was actually a discussion of the ages of Estelle Getty and Bea Arthur being close and they played mother and daughter! SO WHAT? It's not like they LOOKED close in age [more unbelievable to me was Phylicia Rashad and the oldest daughter on Cosby--no way did I believe THEM as mom & daughter. And, Ann-Margaret was nominated for an Oscar for playing Daltrey's mom in 'Tommy' and she only had 3 years on him!] This show is a CLASSIC! Sure, in some ways it was formulaic and predictable, but great acting and writing (at least the first 5 years) more than made up for that. YES, there were some shark fins in the water after the original writers left. Some DUDS in the last two seasons--but also some CLASSICS in the last season (all the 2 parters in my view). You hardcore TV fans who've followed many long-running shows for their entire lifetime know that there's almost always a 'dip' around season 5 or 6 - some recover, some don't. And even some of the later episodes that weren't GREAT, were still good: often the 'A' stories were good, but the 'B' stories sucked. Example: 'A' story: Dorothy forces Sophia to go away with her for quality time--I thought this was funny--she loves her mom so much she almost becomes a fascist proving it; 'B' story: Rose & Blanche collaborate on a children's book. A lame-ass story barely redeemed by good acting. To the poster who said this about chronic fatigue syndrome: "CFS was a theory or a collection of symptoms at the time, not a recognized medical disorder", well, forgive me, but that is flat-out wrong! Susan Harris, who wrote that episode, had been diagnosed with CFS, however I grant you that she had the bucks to go to a lot of specialists and found one who was 'ahead of the curve'--which is exactly what happened in the episode. No, it wasn't 'well known' at the time, but it was MORE than a theory. Still, you make a good point about the 'issue' oriented episodes. Exception: when Rose thought she might have AIDS--it was dealt with without preaching, and it was funny without ever trivializing the subject. These four ladies were SUCH PROS (someone called them '4 comedy blackbelts') that I'd rather watch a so-so episode of GG rather than a 'very special episode' of some UPN, WB or current NBC 'must MISS' series!! We all have our definitions of 'classic' but to me when I can laugh out loud at jokes I've heard before, (like Van Dyke, MTM, I Love Lucy, and a paltry few others), well, to me that's classic. One last word about the demographic for this show: I know (and know of) SEVERAL people who love it who aren't old, white, gay, or female.
The show was jumping with: Two Kirstens - Rose's daughter Kirsten 1 - Episode where Kirsten thinks Rose lost all of her fathers savings. Kirsten 2 - When Rose went to the hospital for cardiac arrest. Two Big Daddys - Blanche's father Big Daddy 1 - Blanches father wants to marry a women half his age and Blanche disapproves. Big Daddy 2 - Blanches father sells the Hollingsworth estate and wants to be a country music artist. Two Glorias - Dorothy's rich sister Gloria 1 - Comes to visit Sophia and Dorothy. Gloria wants to take Sophia back to California permanently. Gloria 2 - Comes to visit Sophia and Dorothy to announce that she is out of money, then sleeps with Stan. There ya have it.
The Golden Girls never "Jumped The Shark", I enjoyed watching it (and still do) from first episode till last. Watch reruns all the time on tv. Great show. Still holds up.
I absolutely LOVE The Golden Girls. In contrast to many of the opinions, Rose was my absolute favorite (and IMO, the prettiest)! Her St. Olaf stories and weird customs were the best. And Blanche was my least favorite. Why? Not just because of her sluttiness, but the fact she felt because it was HER house, she could make the other girls feel like ****, especially Rose. *Sigh* But other than that, I loved this series, and it never jumped the shark, although it DID come close to it a couple of times (the Empty Nest crossovers, Sophia's brother and sister, when Sophia became more nasty than witty, and the majority of the last season). I also gotta agree with whoever said they ended it at the right time. I couldn't see it drag on for a few more seasons. As for the inconsistencies...I thought they were funny, and nothing seriously to get all bent out of shape over, so if you want to complain about inconsistencies, go over to The Simpsons.
Dorothy being so popular at that nightclub and her and Blanche's little heart-to-heart at the end was just beyond stupid. It was like the writers sat down and said, "Let's totally undo years of character development in the last season, everybody!" Crikey, there's a reason it's the LAST season. Because it's due.
The Golden Girls NEVER, I repeat NEVER, jumped the shark. I agree that a lot of the continuity problems can be irritating, and around the end the show seemed to start loosing its edge. But no TV show makes me laugh the way this one does. This show has so many great one-liners that I even find myself saying when I can. "For one week, I'll be your personal vedenfreugen," "Gerklecknerbaygenhopstephnerfrau,""Sticks and stones may break your bones but cement pays homage to tradition," "Better late than pregnant" "Hey Pfeiffer, how would you like a punch in your pface?" "No, Ma, it was a little girl selling girl-scout toilets," "so you're a little thicker around the middle...so is Blanche!" I could go on forever. Presently, I can't get enough of Dorothy jumping on that envelope that Rose thought had a spider in it. Golden Girls forever!!!!!!
The show jumped the shark when Dorothy married Lucas. In other words, the show was hysterical right up 'til the end. Nevertheless, the greatness of the show is undermined by the constant continuity problems. Most of them have already been mentioned, and I believe only "The Odd Couple" was worse in the continuity department. Dorothy was married to Stan 38 years and is 55 years old in season 6? Sofia has at least 4 ex-husbands back in Sicily, each with different names. When Rose reveals she was adopted she claims "Gunter and Alma Nylund were my adoptive parents." Um, Nylund was her married name! How did that make it past the writers? I think the bottom line is the show knowlingly sacrificed continuity to make storylines, and that was both a good and a bad thing. By the way, Bea Arthur's very radical face lift between seasons four and five was a little hard to leave unaddressed and hurt the show a little. I think that's why they began Season Five with the "chronic fatigue" episode where she supposedly looks different.
Roughly around the second season or so. Come on, after a while I simply just didn't care what the hell these four old broads were doing. The entire show depicts them running around having as much sex as possible as if somehow trying to recapture their youth. They only touched on a few very basic topics that are encountered by the elderly. Otherwise...the problems they faced were those of a common teen. Women loved this show as did the "Golden Generation" because it made them feel that they could spice up their lives just like the old ladies on the show. "See Edna? Let's not go out and get denture cream. Let's go to a nude beach and let our wrinkled selves hang out!". The only thing worse than an estrogen ridden show is elderly estrogen attempting to act young.
I loved this show growing up!! It was on from the time I was 3 until I was about 9 1/2. We watched it at grandma's house when we stayed up there on occassional Saturday nights. I'm 20, almost 21, and still watch the reuns. One of my co-workers from the college office we worked in (who is 2 years older than me, and just graduated) still watches this show too, and we used to discuss it at work. Great characters, plots, hell I still love the theme song and the song during the beginning when they show the exterior of the house. Too much fun. I even took pitures of the house in Disney World. This is a great show with much younger fans--trust me, we like it too!!!!!! Still holds up in syndication!!!
This show cleared the aquarium in 1990. I used to watch this show when I was growing up, but starting in 1990, it went downhill. The writing in the shows final 2 seasons was horrible. Rose was always flighty and naive, but the writers in the last two seasons wrote her character as if she was borderline ********. Blanche was a little loose and a huge flirt, but she was written by these writers like she was a total slut. Whenever these shows from the final two years come on, I just change the channel.
For a show with such a long run, Golden Girls was amazingly consistent and never, in my opinion, jumped the shark. I could've done without the Empty Nest/Nurses crossovers, and Golden Palace was a mistake. But aside from Dorothy's hair, it is impossible to tell the seasons apart in reruns. It does not deteriorate. Even during the writer's strike, they came up with some pretty good flashback episodes.
Dorothy got married! Hedious dress! Supid choice of groom! etc., etc., etc. One of the worst wedding episodes ever.
The first 2-3 seasons of the show rank with the best comedies ever made. The acting and writing is so clever and funny. The best way to identify the funniest episodes is by Bea's hairstyle: the episodes with the shorter haircut are the earliest. The show began its jump when Sophia began getting too smart. Her character should have remained more stoic with the hint of senility. Think of how much funnier she was when, in the first episode, she declares, "The man is a scuzball!" She remains fairly expressionless while Dorothy throws up her arms in disgust. This was high comedy. The show definitely made the jump when the characters became extreme, due mostly to lazy writing: Rose becomes ridiculously dumb, Dorothy painfully desperate and mean, Blanche an all out slut: remember the first season when Blanche and Dorothy are fighting over Dorothy's boyfriend having made a pass at Blanche? Dorothy calls Blanche a slut and she is terribly offended. After the show jumps, Blanche looks prouder after she is referred to as a slut every half hour. I agree too that the inconsistencies in the plots and family relations were sloppy. Of note too is how bad the Italian accents were portrayed. In the show where Sophia friends from Sicily claim Dorothy is their daughter, while Vito Scotti nails the accent (he had one anyway), the woman's sounds like an awful german/russian mix. I wish the last few seasons would go away...maybe become "lost" as they taint the memory of the incredible first few seasons.
It never jumped.Having said that I do have a few complaints . 1) to much Stan- Dorothy's ex. Some episodes with him were good ,but I gag at the one's when to her back and she almost marries him! And she's supposed to be the smart one? 2) I didn't mind the sex stuff up to a point but sometimes they seemded like cats in heat. 3) I have to agree with the poster who didn't like Dorothy's long shaggy hair whenever I see one of those episodes I think did she think that looked good? Overall a great show ,great charaters vivacious but vain Blanche -when she gave a compliment or a kind word it meant somthing .Nieve but wise Rose - loved her St. Olaf stories. Straight-shooting Dorothy she was good pointing out everyones shortcomings even her own and last but by no means least Sophia wisecracking,storytelling was their ever a funnier mother&daughter.A true classic.
The Golden Girls never ever jumped the shark! Every ep was funny as hell and intelligently written. Each character was well developed and the things that happened to them weren't so extreme that they couldn't happen to you. This show is awesome and I (being 19) love it despite it being about older women.
Am I the only one who thought the first few episodes were the worst? The writers had not worked out the characters yet and the material just wasn't very good. "The man is a scuzball" is a line I'd expect to find on any sitcom on TV today. The episode with the conversation about Mei Ling and her coming-out party, culminating in Blanche telling Dorothy to "ask the towel lady," is just cringe-inducing. After about half a year, though, this became one of the best shows of all time and never JTS.
Miles and the witness protection program. When it is revealed that the "Cheeseman" is after Miles, it is also revealed that Miles had a completely different secret identity - name, career, etc. - and that he really lived in Chicago. However, when the Cheeseman is caught and Miles is free he returns to his pseudo-career, pseudo-name and pseudo-life that he had under the witness protection program! The whole story doesn't make a lick of sense. I can understand him falling for Rose, but the notion of retaining the "Miles" name and identity like it's a non-issue is the epitome of sloppy, careless writing and total disregard for the audience. Was Miles' daughter a fake, too? We'll never know.
When they continued to use that same opening over and over again for seven years. The theme music was okay, but couldn't they have pasted some new clips together, especially when Bea Arthur got rid of the afro. I think it was better the years before it was cancelled, because the show seemed to move more faster and characters lightened up! And finally, can someone please tell me why in the final episode they insisted upon saying that Dorothy married Blanches uncle! It would of been more believable if they said her cousin but her uncle, NO WAY!. And bringing in that stupid dog Dreyfus was a corny act. They should've at least tried to introduce some new recurring or permanent cast members.
This show was awesome. It is still funny and relevant today. Of course, there were a few episodes that weren't as funny as others, but overall, this is one of the few shows that never JTS, always remained watchable, and had an original premise that actually worked. It was a refreshing change from Cosby and his clones, sexual tension as a premise, as someone else mentioned, and the buddy cop shows (TJ Hooker, Hunter, etc) that were getting boring by that time. Genuinely funny, and it never compromised. Gotta dig that.
Never Jumped. The Golden foursome only got better as they went on, every episode had a new theme and always found a way to address a social issue in an effective, and hilarious, way (Rose's AIDS scandal, Blanche's brother Clayton's gay marriage, Dorothy getting screwed by her Ex, etc.) I watch it every day on lifetime, I'm just a teenager, and even my boyfriend finds it hilarious (who knew a 17 year old would like, much less ADMIT he likes, a show on Lifetime?)
This show never jumped, although it came close a few times, especially when they had Kristie McNichol playing a cop with that stupid dog, Dreyfus. Golden Girls was actually one of the funniest shows ever made. When I watch a rerun, even though I might know a funny line by heart, I still laugh out loud. My favorite gag: Rose: (to Blanche) "You've been under more sailors than.......(hesitates) Dorothy: "A Nautical Toilet?" Ha ha!
The Golden Girls NEVER jumped the shark. After Bea left the show it became a new show, Golden Palace. This show jumped the shark from the first episode. You can't take the main ingredient out of a gourmet dish and expect people to still enjoy it.
In its original run, The Golden Girls never jumped. Although I am not compelled to watch the reruns, I did enjoy it quite a bit back in the day. To clear up some apparent misconceptions, I don’t think it was necessarily intended for older audiences; it was just a sitcom about older women. Was Mork and Mindy intended for aliens living in Colorado? No, it was just a sitcom. Also, there are many posters who complain about the number of flashback episodes. Are you people talking about clip shows or flashbacks? I didn’t notice that many clip shows so I assume we are talking about the flashbacks. If this is the case, it is actually very natural for us, as we get older, to reminisce and talk about the good old days, so this phenomenon seems normal. I had no problem with the flashbacks and actually enjoyed them.
Well, there are so many posts on this page that if you get to mine you will have heard it already 20 times over! Golden Girls NEVER JTS! It really was GOOD wasn't it? and fun. Those women were brilliant and each of them deserved the Emmy they one. And everybody who watched has their fave actors, characters, storylines, episodes and seasons - and they're least favourite too! Continuity problems - so what? It still made me laugh and sometimes even wanna cry. I love this show.
The one bone of contention I have with the Golden Girls is the layout of the house. It makes absolutely no sense. In the living room there is a hall on the right that leads to all of the bedrooms in the back. From this same point of view, you would go to the right through the kitchen door but once in the kitchen there is some sort of hallway or door in the back to the left of the kitchen window that leads into the garage. So the garage and the bedrooms would be running right into each other! Also, the much talked about "lanai" appears to be in the front yard since you enter it just beyond the front door from a hallway that veers left from the living room. On any other show these annoyances wouldn't matter, but every episode of the Golden Girls shows the house from multiple angles - none of which could possibly match up to the set that doesn't make any sense! I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet.
The unneccesary 2-part story of Dorothy's chronic fatigue syndrome. If Dr. Harry Weston of Empty Nest is such a great pal of Dorothy, why didn't she just go to him in the first place instead of waiting until halfway through Part 2? The Part 2 ending was utterly ridiculous where Dorothy just so happens to see the doctor, whom she saw in New York, at some swanky Miami restaurant. Give me a break! How small a world could it possibly be? Another JTS moment was when Rose (again VERY small world) just happens to run into her biological father from St. Olaf at the hospital. The problem is the guy looks to be about the same age as Rose! Brother, perhaps, but Rose's father would have been pushing the century mark or pushing up daisies by that point.
The Golden Girls was a funny show, but it JTS when the writers decided that the word "slut" had to appear at least once in every episode. It was done for "shock" value, but it got real old real quick.
When Miles Webber, professor, revealed that this was a fake identity since he was in the witness protection program. Miles was really Nicolas Carbone, a mob accountant from Chicago. "Miles" disappears when the Cheeseman pursues him and assumes a SECOND identity in the witness protection program as Samuel Plankmaker, an Amish furniture builder. When the Cheeseman is caught, "Samuel" is free and can be "Miles" again, which he does. Wait a minute! I thought Miles was really Nicolas Carbone! I agree wholeheartedly with the above poster. This was a very poorly written story.
This is one of the best. It's a classic. Really. Never jumped. Some episodes were not my favorites but they had the best dialogue and each woman made her character mesh so well. Bea Arthur had impeccable comedic timing. Dorothy always had the best one-liners and Bea always delivered them with a great energy and style. Betty White was great. I loved Rose and her dimwittedness. Her naivete was astounding and brought many laughs. Rue McClanahan was wonderful as Blanche. I loved the sex appeal that she brought to the foursome and all her tales. Estelle Getty-fantastic. Too bad she was discovered so late. Sophia was a perfect fourth wheel who let the ladies know the truth. They all won Emmys for their roles. The show won for Best Comedy twice. My favorite episodes are too many to count but here are two off the top of my head. The murder mystery weekend where they thought Blanche had killed her boss. I also loved the episode where they hired the black housekeeper and when they fired her they thought she had put a curse on them. Both are classic G&G. I love this show and have seen every episode and I am a 17 year old black male, so this shows that this show is not for one race or sex. It's just full of laughs and had the best chemistry I have ever seen. And I also hate that Bea and Betty didn't get along behind the scenes. Two great comedic actresses. And pray for Estelle Getty who I understand is in failing health.
This show was great to the end. It remained the same type of show throughout the years and never got too wild or unbelievable at any one point, nor did it go downhill, it went out on a high note.
I think the only Shark jump here was the Miles in the Witness Protection Program. The GG had a lot of continuity, but some people are taking it to extremes. Some of it is talk. Blanche claims to sleep with men, but how often do we SEE this? Dorothy is taken down a lot. Remember the line by Dorothy "Why don't I wear a sign too ugly to live?" Even Blanche and Rose took Sofia down when it suited them. Remember when Blanche and Sofia dated the same guy and Blanche only wanted him cause Sofia wanted him. The most glaring continuity error was Dorothy's pregnancy. She was at least 60 when the show started. Assuming she got pregnant just as high school ended that would put her oldest kid at 42. But do we actually know which kid this is? Perhaps Dorothy got pregnant, married Stan and then miscarried. This would explain the differences. Remember Polly Holliday (TV's Flo) as Rose's Blind Sister...Relatives came and went but even then the writer put this in. Remember when the wanted to convert the garage to bedroom specifically cause so many relatives were visiting. As for one poster saying the GG were poor. Blanche was left well off by her husband. When he was alive she was well off. Remember she had a nanny for her kids. The show featuring Rita Moreno WAS the pilot for Empty Nest. It was just drastically reworked. And finally Rue was 49 years old in real life when the series started. It's kind of late for menopause but my mother was 45 when I was born so it is NOT unbelievable. Rose wasn't stupid. Remember how she would THREATEN the other characters that she would tell them stories. She knew what she was doing. Nor was she a wimp. Remember how comptetitive she was. Remember how she got her teddy bear back from the 10 year old girl scout holding him hostage --Funny Stuff. Remember Sofia had a stroke so she just made stuff up she couldn't remember she even admitted she made up stories...Remember her saying it's a little lie that gave her a lot of pleasure. The chemistry between everyone was excellent. You TRULY believed Dorothy hated Stan (though when this lessened you could believe that too). Finally don't confuse the clip shows with the flashback shows. Yes they did probably one clip show a year but so did Family Ties and other NBC shows. But other shows were NOT clips they were flashbacks (like the Dick Van Dyke Show in the Army shows) Like the episode when they described their mother's days or their Valentine's Day...Truly a GREAT SHOW
I can only hope I have this much fun when I get old. This show is so funny. I won't even list all of my favorite moments b/c there are too many, but any show about women in their 70s and their weird adventures shouldn't make a teenager (and now someone in her mid-20s) laugh this damn hard... until it hurts... so consistently. Any story about Sicily managed to be funny, just b/c it was so fantastical and would get progressively weirder as Sophia told it. Any St. Olaf story almost made it seem like a cozy, tolerable place to live, if you can put up w/ MN (and I live there now). And for the posters who think Blanche is too big of a slut, hey, so what? When she was younger, she probably would've been sent off to a convent if she even mentioned THINKING about sex that much. So, she's living it up in her later years, when she doesn't even have to worry about pregnancy! And Dorothy... well, Bea Arthur is magnificently funny, but the one thing I hate about the character is how she still puts up with Stan so much. Doesn't she have any Sicilian relatives who could, you know, disappear him? I'll bet Sophia could hook her up. Then, after the murder, they could all sit around the kitchen table in their silky pajama sets and robes and eat cheesecake and reminisce about their earlier adventures ad nauseum. Yeah, 55, 60 years from now, I hope this is my life. "Miami is nice/ so I'll say it thrice..."
Golden Palace doesn't count. All changes to the Golden Girls formula happened AFTER GG was cancelled. The ONLY thing the Golden Girls did badly were the multitudes of "flashback" episodes and the multiple spinoffs. However, some of the flashback shows had short clips of stories that we HADN'T seen instead of "best of" moments, which was a bit unique. And the spinoffs involved characters that were never part of the Golden Girls show to begin with (other than Golden Palace, obviously).
I am a diehard GG fan, but the show DID jump the shark. During the episode when Rose is addicted to pain-killers and tells Dorothy she is mourning the death of her beloved cat Fluffy. Dorothy retorts that Rose didn't have a cat named Fluffy b/c she's allergic to cats. This TOTALLY goes against the VERY first show, in which Blanche and Rose met BECAUSE Rose had a cat and had left housing that wouldn't allow her to keep it.
I honestly believe the show never jumped, but, there are definitely some episodes that aren't as good as others. I always base it on Bea Arthur's hair style. The earlier episodes are first class comedy, but, the later episodes had crazy plots that showed a lack of creativity. Coincidently, this is also when Bea's hair looks like she's wearing a tobaggan. I also agree with some of the other posters that the episode when Miles Webber is found to be in a witness protection program was very weak and didn't make much sense. I also didn't like the whole Stan in therapy plot line with the monkey. It seemed in the final season that they all started hating each other--which was a shame. The brunt of this mean treatment was generally Dorothy (remember the episode when they all vote that she should move out?). It kind of made the whole wedding finale seem a little false in sentiment. But, like I said, I still watch the reruns, and this is really nit-picky. Love the show.
The Golden Girls never jumped, amazingly enough. Sure the continuity is terrible - but that's because it's a show that doesn't take itself too seriously. Yes, the Very Special episode featuring Rose's addiction to painkillers was periously close to a jump, they somehow managed to swim away. All in all, the show kept up the same quality throughout all seven seasons. It is incredibly watchable twelve years after the last episode (in which, by the way, Dorothy explores her weird approach/avoidance thing with her ex-husband Stan once and for all). Smart writing mixed with screwball sit-comedy and four of the finest actresses ever to grace our sets makes The Golden Girls a classic.
The Golden Girls was a great show - but it just ran too long. By the 7th season, everything was cliche.
Before Rose became mildly ******** in the later years, she was at times portrayed as a neurotic basket case in addition to her usual stupidity, especially in earlier episodes like in the pilot when Rose is afraid Blanche is going to kick her out, the episode with the break-in, the episode where Rose loses her job, the episode when Rose sleeps with the first man since Charlie, the episode where Rose thinks she has AIDS, etc. These episodes are downright painful to watch.
I really loved this show, except for maybe one or two episodes. My favorite character was Sophia, with her special brand of wisdom and a smart-alecky answer for everything. She and her daughter Dorothy kind of reminds me of Fred and Lamont Sanford of "Sanford and Son". Like Fred, she didn't mind letting you know how she felt about whatever--they spared NOBODY. The most important difference between Fred and Sophia, however, was that the former was narrow-minded and the latter not, even though I never really cared about all those Italian jokes. Rose was delightfully dumb, with her nonsensical stories about good old "Saint Olaf", but I couldn't abide her "command" of the Swedish language. Blanche was okay, but you have to admit she was sometimes so full of herself it wasn't even funny. She looked nothing at all like a real hot mama, even though she, like the other ladies, dressed very well. Dorothy, well--I kind of finding her negativity pretty depressing; I guess that's because I used to lean on people with all of my troubles. Other than all this, this show never JTS.
This show never jumped. Even if the writing dragged, or the storylines were weak (as in the Myles episodes), the acting was superb. One thing that sets this series apart from others and is part of the reason why the show is funny 20 years later is due to the directing. This was likely the best work most of the actresses did, and it was due to good writing but also very good direction. This show won several directors guild awards. IT wasn't only the one-liners that were funny - but also the reactions long after the joke/put-down was delivered. I was also frustrated by continuity errors, but still laughed. One of my favourite lines was when Sophia thought she caught her sister (Nancy Walker in fine form) cheating with her boyfriend. Sophia accused her of running around with her guy, and the sister says "run around - I can hardly walk" and Sophia says - "don't rub it in!"
First, let's put the ages of the actresses to rest. According to the Internet Movie Database, the oldest of the four is Betty White, born 17 January 1922. Bea Arthur is next (13 May 1923), followed by Estelle Getty (25 July 1923). Rue McClanahan is the baby of the group (21 February 1934). Therefore, the "daughter" was, in real life, approximately two months older than her "mother." To which I say, kudos to Estelle Getty for believably playing someone 20 years older than she really was. Second, even though this is not one of my favorite shows, I think that it was amazingly consistent for the duration of its run. Even though it had its high points and its low points, it never truly reached that point of no return known as "Jumping the Shark."
The Golden Girls NEVER JUMPED! It is still one of the best shows on television, even in reruns. I would have to say one of the best episodes is the one where it's Dorothy's birthday and Rose takes her to Mr. Ha-Ha's Hot Dog Hacienda. The timing on that scene was incredible. That's what made the show great. THe four women were incredibly funny, and had great comic timing (especially Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty). I'll always love when Blanche or Rose or even Dorothy makes some comment, and you know that Sophia is going to say some smart-ass comment, but then Dorothy jumps right in with... "Shut Up, Ma!" or something like that. Just great. Timeless Show.
Even though I agree with the person who talked about Miles in the witness protection program to be way out there--so was his character, and I was glad when something happened to him, since he was boring and Rose(yes even the Ditzy Rose) deserved better. But the show never jumped, and I would love a reunion movie--but since Estelle Getty is close to death so I hear, I seriously doubt it will ever be.
As someone who loves "Golden Girls" and can recite entire scenes verbatim, it pains me to admit it ever jumped the shark. Truth is, though, after Season Four, when longtime writers Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman, Mort Nathan, and Barry Fanaro departed to create their own series in an episode aptly titled "We're Outta Here", the shark was spotted. Shortly thereafter, in Season Five, the show jumped and never looked back. To be fair, the show was in a steady decline up to that point. After a stellar first season that mixed comedy and pathos in a deft way reminiscent of Susan Harris' own "Soap," the show took a turn for the broad. The believable situations of Year One--Dorothy confronts her ex, Rose deals with her fears after being robbed, Blanche fights old age--gave way to more outlandish, albeit very funny, stories in Year Two (Rose "kills" a neighbor, the girls are stranded on an island). By Years Three and Four any trace of the the premiere season's deep humanity had been sacrificed for increasingly outrageous stories (Rose thinks Bob Hope is her father, Sophia's whirlwind marriage). But in the hands of talented writers and director Terry Hughes--and, of course, four top-notch actresses--these episodes are still entertaining, sometimes hilarious, occasionally touching, despite a creeping silliness and maddening inconsistencies. When Speer, Grossman, Fanaro, and Nathan left in 1989 along with Christopher Lloyd and Eric Cohen (one of the show's lesser contributors), Witt/Thomas/Harris plumbed deep in the barrel, not quite scraping bottom, to come up with a team of competent writers who shared the previous regime's fondness for the absurd but lacked their talent to connect it to reality or, more important, make it funny. Instead, fans were treated to an endless recycling of tired old jokes and stereotypes and a surprising amount of meanness on a show that had always exhibited as much heart as it had bite. Any inspiration Marc Sotkin (exec producer, 1989-92) and company had in their first year on the show (Blanche's daughter opts for artificial insemination, Rose is an unlikely victim of AIDS) dissipated quickly, and the show settled into a disappointing pattern of silly plots and shopworn insults (courtesy of a couple of former "Jeffersons" producers) for two years before it limped mercifully off the air. Terry Hughes' departure in 1990 did not help matters. It's astonishing to see, when the show jumps from the finale back to the pilot in reruns, how steep a decline "Golden Girls" suffered. For this reason, I will collect Seasons One through Four only on DVD and will take in the later years only when I am home in bed sick with nothing but crappy reality shows to watch. (And I'll watch a crappy reality show before I'll even sit through the credits of "Golden Palace.") But when "Golden Girls" was good, it was very, very good. Today's TV-makers could take a lesson (or three) from it.
Golden Girls is one of the smartest, funniest shows that has ever aired. I watched in when I was little and it was on NBC and I still watch it at 20 on Lifetime (Thank God for syndication). Yes, Estelle Getty was younger than her on-screen daughter, but only by a matter of months and what does it matter? Today on TV, most teenagers are played by people in their 20's or 30's (hello Dawson's Creek and the OC). The Golden Girls stayed great from day one until the very end.
Never jumped...a great cast, a great production team, and some of the best writing I've seen in a sitcom...make no mistake, Golden Girls was one of THE BEST sitcoms of its time...for any mid-80s series to tackle issues like homosexuality, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, etc. deserves both admiration and commendation. Also, to the one poster who wondered about the mysterious guest shot of Paul Dooley and Rita Moreno, you were half right...they were originally supposed to star in Empty Nest (it was supposed to focus on what they did after their kids left home, hence the name) before undergoing a complete plot and cast overhaul that only David Leisure managed to survive . And being a game show fan, gotta love the Grab That Dough and Jeopardy eps...Rose as some kind of Ken Jennings-like super champ? LOL
The Golden Girls JTS when they started color coordinating. In the first 2 seasons, the girls wore clothes that the average older woman would wear: jeans, sweat shirts, now and then a basic, patternless dresses. Then once the show became popular, the girls started to wear evening gowns for dates and even while sitting around the house they would be wearing completley decked out outfits with all the accessories. How realistic is that? And no girl ever wore an outfit with the same color as any of the other girls. They always represented the color wheel. I stopped watching because it was so annoying. I longed for the days when they had messy hair and wore sweats.
One of the best sitcoms ever, this show never jumped. Well written, well acted, the interaction of the major characters was hysterical. You felt as if you were looking in on the doings of a group of actual friends who didn't always agree but were always there for each other. Still watch it every chance I get, its timeless. The absolute funniest episode was the one where Sophia was getting married and Rose mixed up the list for the wedding invitations with the list for the Elvis fan club meeting and Sophia's wedding was attended by a roomful of Elvis impersonators. I have seen this episode about 50 times and it slays me every time.
THE GOLDEN GIRLS was a consistently funny NBC sitcom about four older women living together in an apartment in Florida. Some suspension of reality was necessary in order to enjoy this show, but I've done it before and I will do it again. I found it hard to believe sometimes that Rose was THAT dumb or that Blanche was THAT slutty, but I went with it and found there were laughs to be had. Sometimes it seemed like the ladies were competing for laughs, but when you put four veteran actresses together week after week, I guess there's bound to be some competition. It did not detract from the enjoyment of the show however. Beatrice Arthur had the uncanny ability to deliver the most outrageously funny lines with an expression of stone. Betty White, after years of sardonic bitchiness as Sue Ann Nivens, proved she could play dumb and naive as well. Rue McClanahan truly invested in Blanche's belief that she was the most beautiful, desirable woman on the face of the earth and you couldn't help but laugh at her and Estelle Getty was completely convincing as the old woman who only feared two words: "Shady Pines." I also loved any episode that featured the late Herb Edelman as Dorothy's ex, Stan. His relationship with Dorothy and Sophia was realistically amusing. This was a great comedy series that didn't jump the shark until it tried to morph into THE GOLDEN PALACE. But that's another story...
This show never jumped. It is one of the best sitcoms of all times. It's hard to believe that a show about four older women could reach such a broad audience, but I see by the comments here that I am not alone (I'm 28). Actually, I don't know anyone who doesn't love this show. And to those who complained about Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan's looks, how shallow can you possibly get? I can't believe that could even be a reason for hating a TV show. Who cares what these women looked like? They were absolutely hilarious. I would sure as hell rather watch 4 hilarious women than 4 attractive ones with no sense of humor.
True, the witness protection plot was a little forced. True, Bea Arthur's hair got bigger and scarier every season. True, the sometimes repeat guest stars (Arnie=Miles) or different people playing the same character (two Big Daddies) or slight plot holes (sometimes Blanche had sons, sometimes daughters, etc.) could be annoying. But this show never jumped. It's a true classic that was just as good its last season as it was its first. I've seen every episode at least 5 times and keep going back for more.
This show started out as a good show that celebrated old age and friendships but turned into a cartoonish show consisting of mainly one liners about sex and Rose's stupidity. Still, it would be nice to see some shows representing the over 50 crowd again. It seems those days are gone. Besides Everyone Loves Raymond, how many shows have interesting characters over 50?
Never jumped. Four classy and talented actresses plus good writing made this show one of the all-time best comedies for seven wonderful seasons. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty took every line the writers gave them and hit them out of the park. Yes, there was some inconsistencies in the writing (where was Stan & Dorothy's 40 yr old child? If Stan could afford a house in Maui, how come Dorothy didn't take him to the cleaners during the divorce? Why did prim and proper farm girl Rose cuss and sleep with men? Why did Blanche, who owned the house, have the smallest bedroom? How many bathrooms DID that house have - 1 or 4?) but the show was hilarious. You could always depend on this show making you laugh til your sides hurt.
I have to admit that I don't think this show could be accused of J'ingTS, but some of the things bugged me to no end. Examples: Wearing boots (Dorothy) and sweaters (Blanche) and sweatshirts (Rose) in hot and humid Miami,FL; Blanche's kids' names varying from Skippy to Janet to Rebecca to ? (sorry, I can't remember); Rose's daughters changing constantly - isn't it supposed to be the same actress who plays Kirsten? The daughter in the episode where Rose has a heart attack is very different (homely, sorry to say) from the episode where the daughter gets mad at Rose for supposedly squandering Charlie's money (prettier) AND from the episode where yet another daughter sleeps with Michael, Dorothy's son (still prettier); Myles - he was SO unbeliveably boring and drab - who could relate to him? He could have made Samuel Plank-Maker-the-Amish-Farmer into a riot as I know Harold Gould is a good actor, but the guy was about as exciting as a dirty diaper; The fact the house stayed spotless and the lawn impeccable but no one ever had to lift a finger to clean or mow (I like, though, that in one episode Blanche calls bleach "blee-ock," alluding to the fact she never does laundry); Also the fact that EVERYTHING took place in Florida - even their high school reunions, grandchildren's births, funerals, weddings, etc. -despite the fact Rose was from Minnesota, Blanche from Georgia and Sophia & Dorothy from NY. Let me tell you - I lived in South Florida for many years and the only reason a scant few of my relatives came to see me was to use my place as a hotel stopover on their way to DisneyWorld!; The strange part of their living room that they never ventured into - where it was all glass and such? Was it haunted?; The fact that they have no dining room or family room, but they have FOUR bedrooms, all large and lavish-like? C'mon on, people!; The stupid gay cook, Cocoa. What was up with that? Four seniors on a pension (okay, some of them worked, but not too often it seemed) and they can afford to hire a full-time cook? Silly; The fact they get on like peas in a pod from the onset and Blanche doesn't seem to mind these strangers moving in to her home; And why was Rose seen holding Mr. Whiskers in a grocery store in the first show? Highly unlikely, unless she's a seeing-eye cat; Phil - why was he always played up so much as a cross-dresser and such?; Blanche's NEVER-ENDING boyfriends. C'mon, no one has that many men in their lives, and that many marriage proposals. I loved when she turned down that millionaire's marriage proposal because his kids needed a mom and besides, he wouldn't have been there for Blanche after they married as he was so totally engrossed in his line of work. Stupid reasoning! He manages to get to know her, though, and propose, even though he has "no time"; How did they do finances? Did Blanche has leases with the girls? Sophie just shows up from Shady Pines unannounced - good thing they had that fourth bedroom!; And the worst of the worst: that episode at the next-door neighbors' house. WHO CARES ABOUT THE STUPID DOCTOR, HIS BORED WIFE AND MARITAL PROBLEMS, AND HIS CONSTIPATED PATIENT WHO FINALLY PEES????? Okay, enough complaining. Memorable moments which make me laugh: Uncle Finger Binger Clovis, the 2-Headed Mule Who Skied Backwards on Buttermilk "Condoms, Rose! CONDOMS, CONDOMS, CONDOMS!!!!!" "Hi, it's me, Stan" (Sophia eulogizing at the Casanova's funeral:)"And looking at this dog kennel, that was no easy feat" Detctive: "St. Olaf?" Rose: "That's amazing!" Rose: "And they just creamed what was left on his pants" Big Daddy Stan's hair Baby, the stuffed pig under the covers that NEVER moves, even when it bleats! Hilarious! What a crappy mess that would have been - a pig in your bed! Funny! Rose: "I'll be the plant." Sophia: "You ARE a plant." "You shot my vase!" Rose: "If you could invite anyone famous to dinner, what would you eat?" Visiting a thimble museum Sophia running a marathon, with her purse no less Okay, I've written too much here, although I could go on and on! All else I'd like to add here is that "The Golden Girls" is truly golden, as it serves to make us laugh out loud and feel good. If you don't like the show, why do you go on this website and crap on it? Just keep your comments to yourself, especially the young man who feels that the GG's success is totally unwarranted because his "band" is not doin' so good, and besides, why should 4 old broads be suckin' up the money and not him? You've got problems, my friend, and not just with your band.
Golden Girls came to the tip of the jump ramp when they did the Rita Moreno/Paul Dooley episode where he was a doctor with no time for her, which was used as a pilot that didn't sell.
"The Golden Girls" never jumped, unless you count the trainwreck that was "The Golden Palace." But let's forget that ever happened.
the golden girls never jumped. i still enjoy watching the show when i can with my three close friends all of whom are golden girls nuts. when i was a child i lived for saturday nights, and watched the golden girls every week at 9pm, only missing episodes when they conflicted with maple leafs games during hockey season, and even then i frequently got my golden girls in between periods. this show definitely came out of the best era for sit coms imo, because television in general during the 80s and early 90s was at a happy medium. it wasn't as rigid as the road to avonlea, but not as gorey, sexually charged, and graphic as the reality shows and dramas of today's television world. may the golden girls live on forever.
“The Golden Girls” never jumped. Never. This is the single best sitcom of the 80s and I would put it in the top five of all time. These women were comedic heavyweights and each and every episode has moments that make even the dourest TV viewer laugh out loud. I’m a 33-year-old man, and I remember watching this show as a teenager and thinking it was hilarious. It still is! The personalities of the four were established from the very first show, and we felt like we knew these people. That familiarity made for endless comedic possibility, and the talented cast and writers were able to make the audience laugh in simple anticipation of the next one-liner. The girls ripped each other mercilessly with hysterical results. Many of their rips were even more insulting than what would come later on the supposed groundbreaking “Married… With Children”, and were much funnier. I don’t know how the four were able to keep a straight face while listening to Rose or Sophia’s stories. Dorothy’s “snappy answers to stupid questions” bring the house down. Blanche’s saucy and slightly disturbing nymph act was right on target. Sophia is perceived as the harshest with the one-liners, but she’s the only one who has an excuse – she’s had a stroke. Rose is my personal favorite and Betty White plays the Scandinavian dimwit perfectly. She’s one of the funniest characters in the history of TV. The show was able to make you care about these characters, and it’s a testament to the talents of these ladies that they were always able to keep the show focused as a comedy rather than a social commentary. Any time they did “issues” they did it well, but what kept the show going was the drop-dead hilarious comedy regardless of the moral of the story. Herb Edelman as Stan was a welcome sight any time he appeared and any episode he was in was guaranteed to be funny; he played off Bea Arthur perfectly. The show’s problems were many, especially the well-documented continuity problems listed above. These really didn’t matter very much in the end, because we tuned in for the impeccable timing of the girls and who really cares about the rest. There were too many “Empty Nest” crossovers, true, and there were one or two not-so-great episodes. Flashback episodes were many, but many of those were actually new shows with scenes never before seen. Other minor flaws include Miles and the expensive, multi-layered wardrobes (in Miami!). Classic: Shady Pines, St. Olaf stories, cheesecake, fat Blanche, dateless Dorothy, Rose being mistaken for a 10-year-old, “Picture it…” Stan’s rug, Burt Reynolds (funniest episode ever), etc. What a great show.
This show never really jumped,but it has an amazing ability to bounce back after a clunker episode(which it did,a few times.)Clunker episodes include:the murder mystery weekend, the girls landing in jail because they're mistaken for hookers(oh,come on!),and any episodes that gave gratuitous air time/special appearance time to the cast of that god-awful show "Empty Nest". I also caught some inconsistencies in the scripts:like,how old IS Dorothy's son?where was Blanche's brother Clayton when their father died?why does Sophia speak such bad Italian and why,if she came to America as an adult,does she speak with a Brooklyn accent?why does Blanche spend so many nights eating cheesecake with the girls if she's supposed to be such a slut?In spite of all this,I love the show,especially for the chemistry of the four actressses(who all worked together before-remember when Dorothy and Blanche were Maude and Vivian/Rose and Blanche were Ellen and Aunt Fran?-except for Estelle Getty,who fit in wonderfully.)
The Golden Girls never jumped the shark. PERIOD. There were a few bad episodes (ie Dorothy's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) but by and large, the show had witty writing and well rounded characters. The fact that some above posters are bitching about the women acting like 'sluts' and talking about the actresses who portrayed them in a negative light just goes to show how disgusting most of my generation is (I'm 28). If it's not a hot woman or young guys trying to get laid, it goes right over (or under) their head. Wake up losers! You'll be in your 60s one day too! I'm sure by that time you'll still have the same urges and wants as you do now. Growing older isn't a negative thing and it's a part of life. That is what this show was trying to shed light on. We're all the same, age is all relative.
"The Golden Girls" never jumped shark, but the hairdos on Bea Arthur were atrocious! The first three seasons her hair looked stylish, but after that it looked like a gray dog's flopping ears. Rose should have married Miles when she had the chance. They shouldn't have been a mother on this show; they should've been around the same age (like Sophia losing the gray wig and glasses). I hated the way Dorothy wore those boots or sandals w/ every outfit.
I have seen every eppisode of this show about 15 times at least! and every time it is still totally hilarious! the writing was so great! and the acting was awesome! it is still one of my favorite shows; even after all this time!
GG never jumped, but to the poster who said the Rita Moreno/Paul Dooley pilot was never picked up: You're wrong! That was obviously the sketch for Empty Nest. Hell, the episode was called "Empty Nests," and David Leisure was the annoying neighbor (as "Oliver" instead of "Charlie").
Like most other posters, I loved and still love this show. One more age dilemma that I can't seem to ignore the way I can ignore the others, probably because it comes up so much more often: If Sophia was 80 at the show's start in 1985, she could not have been more than 6 years old in 1912, when most of her stories take place.No 6 year old's meet handsome men and drink chianti. Even the more realistic "Sicily, 1922" is a serious stretch. Also, why did everyone think Miles was so boring? He was never that central of a character, and I really loved him with Rose. I thought his cheapskate ways were really funny. ALso, if anyone has ever seen any old Maude episodes, she was considered attractive by the characters on that show, even though she was much better and younger looking on GG, IMO. One other thing...someone mentioned before that certain scenes were cut....thats HORRIBLE! Probably explains why I've seen all the reruns a thousand times, but still have dim memories from childhood about jokes I have yet to see on the Lifetime episodes. It's great to know there are so many others out there that feel the way I do about the Girls!!!
The Golden Girls never jumped. The 4 actresses jelled perfectly. There's Bea Arthur with her withering stares & sharp put downs. There's Betty White as a spot-on naive flake. Rue McClanahan did a very good job with her slutty persona. And Estelle Getty (with a superb makeup job) was the old woman with the salty mouth. Yes, there are times when one has to suspend belief: wearing sweaters in Miami, relatives that change in age, the layout of the house, etc. This show had a large gay following (it was shown in gay bars) mostly due to the camp factor. The show was just plain funny! The interaction between the leads was marvelous & was little wonder that it was awarded Emmys to all 4 actresses (one of the few shows to reach this accomplishment).
I really don't believe this show ever jumped the shark -- there may have been a few "off" episodes (e.g. Sophia's son and Dorothy's brother Phil dying and ending up in the casket in a teddy? -- unwatchable because it's equally depressing and absurd without ever really being witty and incisive as was the mark of most of the episodes) but the series as a whole never actually jumped in the sense that it went downhill. I was in my early teens when this show originally aired in the 80's and I loved it then. I love it more now in my early 30's when I watch it on Lifetime. Other reviewers have hit upon the only reason that I can give as to why I would watch the same episodes over and over (believe me, my husband does NOT understand it) -- when I watch the Golden Girls, it's just plain comforting. I'm not sure if it's because that along with being very entertaining it's so familiar in a very safe way. I also have many episodes that could count as my favorites and really only two I dislike (the aforementioned Phil's death and when Blanche's father dies for much the same reason). The main reason though that I'm saying it never jumped the shark is because all the way up until and through Dorothy marries Lucas and says good-bye to the other "Girls" this show has never lost it's comfort level for me and I don't imagine it ever will. And when Beatrice Arthur looks directly at the camera for her last shot -- for all intent and purpose breaking the 4th wall without any words spoken -- I really do think she was giving some respect to each person who loved the Golden Girls with a small acknowledgement that this was good-bye. It was a great moment-- fitting for such a great show.