In a week where much of the internet was fooled by a hoax announcement of a Golden Girls reboot coming to Disney Plus, supposedly starring Lisa Kudrow, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Tina Fey, many fans of the original series will be surprised to find out that there is a Golden Girls revival series already out there — well, kind of.
The Golden Palace, a CBS sitcom that ran from September 1992 to May 1993, was born out of Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls, deciding to depart the successful sitcom after seven seasons — a little earlier than series creator Susan Harris, as well as co-stars Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty would’ve liked.
Famously, Betty White said although she loved Bea Arthur, the actress was “not fond” of White, with a recent book about the series claiming that Arthur thought her co-star was “two-faced” and “conniving,” a sharp contrast from the respect Betty commanded from her other co-stars, leading her to be dubbed the “First Lady of Television”.
Thus, The Golden Palace was born, a follow-up series in which Rose Nylund (White), Blanche Devereaux (McClanahan), and Sophia Petrillo (Getty) leave the Miami home featured in The Golden Girls, trading it in for a hotel that the trio decided to purchase.
The Golden Palace is essentially The Golden Girls’ version of Joey – sort of
With Dorothy living a new life with her husband Lucas Hollingsworth (played by Leslie Nielsen) after the events of The Golden Girls finale, new characters were added into the mix for The Golden Girls. This included a young Don Cheadle as the hotel’s manager in one of the actor’s early roles, and Cheech Marin (of “Cheech and Chong” fame) playing a Mexican chef battling for kitchen dominance with Sophia in a battle of Mexican vs. Italian food, evoking every stereotype in the book.
Guest stars included a young Jack Black, George Burns, and an occasional visit from Bea Arthur as Dorothy in two episodes. Reminding viewers of the magic of the original series, however, may have been a bad move, as critical reviews and audience ratings quickly dwindled as the series continued. Many Golden Girls fans were quick to point out that characters had seemed to change personalities – particularly Rose, who had gone from sunny and dim-witted to level-headed and stubborn.
The concept also seemed far-fetched, and it was difficult for viewers to believe that Sophia in particular, nearing ninety years of age, would take on the demanding role of a hotel chef. The show would also imply that Sophia was in the early stages of dementia, which isn’t exactly a laugh riot, either. All of these disappointing storylines, coupled with a larger setting and smaller cast of beloved original characters, caused viewers to switch off, before CBS eventually pulled the plug altogether and cancelled the show after one season.
The Golden Palace has joined the likes of Joey (Joey Tribbiani’s post-Friends adventure), and AfterMASH (the M*A*S*H follow-up) of mostly-forgotten spin-offs that even hardcore fans also prefer not to remember. However, some contemporary reviews of The Golden Girls sequel are less harsh, viewing the series as a flawed follow-up with some moments of value, particularly a storyline where Southern Belle Blanche faces off with Don Cheadle’s character about the undeniably racist origins of the Confederate Flag.
