If you are a fan of old sitcoms, you’ll know it’s the 40th anniversary of NBC’s The Golden Girls, and to celebrate, Hulu is now streaming all seven seasons (finally). Running from 1985-1992, the hit comedy told the story of four middle-aged women living together in Miami, which was basically the coastal precursor to Sex and the City. It wiped the floor with its competition at the Emmys for seven years in a row, and even if you’ve only seen a few minutes of it, it’s easy to see why its 95% fan Rotten Tomatoes rating from the critics has been earned.
I’m sure you’re thinking that it’s better to spend your free time catching up with other Hulu shows like The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but I’m here to convince you otherwise. Sure, all of these shows (and many more) are among the best Hulu shows available to stream at the moment, but there’s going to be so much time available to revel in them. You never know when something is going to be snatched away from one of the best streaming services, so take the opportunity to become a Golden Girls aficionado while you can.
Why am I hardballing this so much? Having watched many, many TV shows in my time, I firmly believe that The Golden Girls is the only one in existence to truly be both ahead of its time and timeless. Where so many shows are now afraid to take risks and speak their minds, my awesome foursome went where many still don’t dare to go. Still not convinced? Let me break it down for you.
The Golden Girls is Hulu’s best streamable show of all time, don’t even fight me
Let’s set the scene. Beautifully sarcastic Dorothy (Bea Arthur), sexual free spirit Blanche (Rue McClanahan), naive yet lovable Rose (Betty White) and Dorothy’s no-nonsense mother Sophia (Estelle Getty) all find themselves in a Miami house share as they enter their “middle age”. As their friendship deepens, the women see each other through all of life's ups and downs, resulting in some of the best comedic writing and timing ever committed to screen. There’s also the banging theme tune shown above too, which is another all-timer contender.
If you’re not familiar with our casts’ names, they were each heavy hitters in the comedic TV space before teaming up for The Golden Girls, and you’ll most definitely know White from films like The Proposal, You Again and the English dub of Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo.
The fact our leading ladies have a fair bit of life experience between them, the range for storylines was endless. While this sometimes explored inappropriate affairs, love triangles, health scares and gossip over a cheesecake, they also took on many social issues. They tackled HIV at the height of the AIDS crisis, LGBTQ+ relationships, interracial marriage, disability, and antisemitism with outcomes that have aged better than most of what we see on screen now. There is so much heart in the humor here, and the care for its craft really shows.
On top of this, the bond between Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche in particular is the kind of friendship you dream of having growing up. None of them should technically get along on paper, and there’s no chance they would have crossed paths if it wasn’t for the fact they needed somewhere to live. But as life has a habit of doing, what’s meant for you won’t pass you by, with the trio proving that living is a beautiful yet complicated thing. They can be caring, but also give as good as they get (nobody wants to be at the receiving end of a Dorothy zinger).
I first found the show when I was around 11 years old, and I still know all of the words by heart as well as any YouTube compilation video. The Golden Girls undoubtedly shaped my view of how I saw the world, and alongside helping me to be unarguably hilarious, I think it made sure I was empathetic to what someone else might be experiencing. Many people are marginalised by life, but they don’t have to be disrespected. If an 1980s sitcom can remind us of that better than many big influences in life, why wouldn’t you watch it?
