Spanning over seven seasons and 180 episodes, The Golden Girls made its television debut in 1985. Not only was the iconic sitcom well-received amongst audiences, but the series was also met with massive critical acclaim, garnering dozens of awards and nominations. Decades later, the show continues to thrive. Given the great success, the showrunners wrongfully assumed the spin-off, The Golden Palace, would also be a smash hit. Following their off-target assumptions, the short-lived series turned out to be one that most people have never heard of or, at least, scarcely remember.
Set in Miami, The Golden Girls centers on four older women, Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty), who share a house. From comic relief to relatable, albeit absurd, storylines revolving around love and female friendship, the series quickly captured the hearts of audiences, still resonating with viewers today.
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The Golden Palace immediately picks up where its predecessor left off in 1992. Once Blanche, Rose and Sophia move out of the house they previously shared, the three women pool their money together and subsequently purchase a hotel in Miami. Much of the series focuses on the trio comically struggling to manage their new business and interact with the various guests. The sequel also features a handful of new characters, including hotel manager Roland (Don Cheadle), head chef Chuy (Cheech Marin) and Roland’s foster child, Oliver (Billy L. Sullivan).
However, whether one season was insufficient to flesh out new characters or because the writers weren’t sure how to properly incorporate them, the new additions play as one-dimensional and unnecessary. When it comes to Oliver, whose character fills time instead of furthering the plot, this is especially true.
As a result, the initial premise sounds interesting enough. Still, where the script and execution are concerned, The Golden Palace falls flat. Rather than succeeding as its own standalone series, The Golden Palace wound up as nothing more than a somewhat dull continuation of The Golden Girls. However, The Golden Girls‘ magic formula fails to carry over because of character changes. For example, Blanche — now the hotel’s main operator — lacks her trademark vanity and promiscuity. Not to mention Sophia’s tough remarks are heavily toned down, and Rose is much more strong-willed. While The Golden Palace likely made these changes to differentiate from its predecessor, the result is characters that resemble very little of their past incarnations.
Along with character changes, the series struggles to find its own voice. In an interview with Archive of American Television, Betty White explains why she believes the series didn’t last longer than one season. “Problem was, we had the same writers. If a script began to not fall together, they’d give one or other of us a monologue and pretty soon, we were doing Golden Girls in the lobby. The idea was sound, but the writers weren’t ready for it.”
While The Golden Palace features three out of the four original women, Dorothy, who married Lucas (Leslie Nielsen) in The Golden Girls‘s final season, is noticeably missing. Even though the character makes a two-episode guest appearance, it isn’t enough to save the show. In the end, a lack of Bea Arthur coupled with a poorly executed idea and uninspired episodic storylines leaves a lot to be desired. What could have been an entertaining spin-off, The Golden Palace became nothing more than a mostly unheard-of, one-season flop.
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