Who Knew? 'The Golden Girls' Was Created Due to A Successful Joke!?! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 01-20-2011, 12:42 AM

TV LEGEND: The Golden Girls spun out of a joke at an NBC function introducing the 1984-85 NBC lineup.

STATUS: True

Quite often, to this very day, networks make a big production out of introducing their new fall lineups to basically anyone who will listen.

This was true back during the 1980s, as well, and in 1984, NBC was filming an “all-star special” to promote their 1984-85 TV schedule.

One of their biggest shows, hype-wise, was the brand-new police drama, Miami Vice…

Well, during the special, two of NBC older actresses, Selma Diamond (from a show that had debuted as a mid-season replacement in January of 1984, Night Court)…

and Doris Roberts (Remington Steele)…

did a skit that revolved around Diamond mishearing the title as “Miami Nice,” where Diamond would jest that the show must be about a bunch of old people in Miami playing pinochle.

The skit got a big laugh from the NBC executives, who also thought, “Hey, there might be an actual show there” (specifically Warren Littlefield, senior vice president for NBC entertainment under Brandon Tartikoff).

A few weeks later, two TV producers, Paul Witt and Tony Thomas, were pitching Littlefield on a series about a young female lawyer. Littlefield turned them down, but he asked them to pitch him on “Miami Nice,” instead. Witt was incredulous, but Littlefield insisted him that he was very serious about the concept, so Witt went back to his wife, Susan Harris (who presumably was going to be a writer for the proposed female lawyer show) with the idea and she wrote up a pilot script. Littlefield LOVED it.

The rest is, as you know, television history….

http://legendsrevealed.com/entertain...s-revealed-35/

browneyes106 · 01-30-2011, 05:04 PM

I remember learning about this back when Lifetime did the Intimate Portrait documentary on the Golden Girls.

01-20-2011, 12:42 AM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Who Knew? 'The Golden Girls' Was Created Due to A Successful Joke!?! TV LEGEND: The Golden Girls spun out of a joke at an NBC function introducing the 1984-85 NBC lineup. STATUS: True Quite often, to this very day, networks make a big production out of introducing their new fall lineups to basically anyone who will listen. This was true back during the 1980s, as well, and in 1984, NBC was filming an “all-star special” to promote their 1984-85 TV schedule. One of their biggest shows, hype-wise, was the brand-new police drama, Miami Vice… Well, during the special, two of NBC older actresses, Selma Diamond (from a show that had debuted as a mid-season replacement in January of 1984, Night Court)… and Doris Roberts (Remington Steele)… did a skit that revolved around Diamond mishearing the title as “Miami Nice,” where Diamond would jest that the show must be about a bunch of old people in Miami playing pinochle. The skit got a big laugh from the NBC executives, who also thought, “Hey, there might be an actual show there” (specifically Warren Littlefield, senior vice president for NBC entertainment under Brandon Tartikoff). A few weeks later, two TV producers, Paul Witt and Tony Thomas, were pitching Littlefield on a series about a young female lawyer. Littlefield turned them down, but he asked them to pitch him on “Miami Nice,” instead. Witt was incredulous, but Littlefield insisted him that he was very serious about the concept, so Witt went back to his wife, Susan Harris (who presumably was going to be a writer for the proposed female lawyer show) with the idea and she wrote up a pilot script. Littlefield LOVED it. The rest is, as you know, television history…. http://legendsrevealed.com/entertain...s-revealed-35/
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01-30-2011, 05:04 PM	#2
browneyes106 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 01, 2008 Posts: 6,094	I remember learning about this back when Lifetime did the Intimate Portrait documentary on the Golden Girls.