Things I Like
A nonsense list of things I like and why.
It's ads, it's animals, it's shows, it's more ads.
“I THOUGHT YOU WORE
TOO MUCH MAKEUP AND
YOU WERE A SLUT."
If you were to guess what TV character said this, you’d probably assume a sassy character from Sex and the City or the always sharp Succession. You would be wrong. This line came out of the mouth of an older female character, on an early evening 25 minute sitcom in the 80s. That’s right, it was uttered by the Saint Olaf native Rose Naylund played by the
brilliant Betty White in The Golden Girls.
My aim in life is to introduce as many people as I can to the comedic genius that is The Golden Girls. I find that people automatically overlook it because of their assumptions about a middle-aged female cast or because of the era that it’s from. Basically, we’re all probably a little sexist and very ageist. I can guarantee that this show will obliterate all of your preconceived ideas. If you don’t believe me, just ask one of the 27 million viewers who tuned in for the 1992 finale. The characters Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sofia are each more sharp and sarcastic than the other. Every second line is cleverly composed and excellently executed. The Golden Girls broke ground in countless ways. The first was by portraying 50, 60 and 80-year-old women on TV as vibrant, and independent individuals who are everything that younger generations are and more - socially, professionally, romantically and sexually active. The show is genius in the way that it is structured. The lead characters show us the ups and downs of their everyday personal and professional lives while the guest characters create an opportunity for the show to feature wider more societal issues. Even in today’s woke climate shows get credited for tackling potentially divisive subjects. In the 80s and 90s, The Golden Girls were doing this when no other shows were - Heck, nobody was!
The show successfully managed to wrap up its subtle subversive quality in a thick layer of striking and unrivalled intelligent wit. In a time of many untouchable taboos, The Golden Girls tactfully engaged with many storylines around LGBTQ issues including HIV, coming out to friends and family and gay marriage. When Blanche’s brother Clayton comes out as gay, and later marries his boyfriend, it is the oldest and usually curt character Sophia, who says “Everyone wants someone to grow old with, and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?” The
show creators and cast treated then-controversial LGBTQ issues with sensitivity, tact and a touch of fearlessness.
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These subjects were not simply shoehorned into episodes for a box-ticking exercise. The show creators and cast did this with consideration, care and research. This was an incredibly brave move at the time as the show led with open-mindedness and kindness for minorities when almost nobody was doing this on TV or in society at the time. The show went on to include storylines about teen pregnancies, the impact of ‘illegal’ immigration on families plus the old age one we still are trying to crack, misogyny.
The Golden Girls has an incredibly impressive list of people who made guest appearances over the seven years on the air. Legends at the time included Debbie Reynolds, Bob Hope, Alex Trebek, Burt Reynolds and even Sonny Bono. Most of them were romantic interests for the four women. Some other surprising big names made appearances in the infancy of their careers. The handsome, George Clooney played an ineffective junior police officer before his big break in ER. Most surprisingly Quentin Tarantino was even featured. He played an Elvis impersonator at Sofia’s wedding. Without that role and pay cheque Tarantino wouldn’t have had the finances to produce Reservoir of Dogs - you can either thank or blame The Golden Girls for that one. Don Cheadle, Dick Van Dyke, Jack Black, the Law & Order guy Jerry Orbach and even the incredibly baby-faced Mario Lopez made appearances.
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Although this show has accumulated multiple Emmys and Golden Globes, it’s often overlooked in the TV history books and by generations today. The show has everything from life lessons, comedy legends plus a catalogue of shocking one-liners and the pioneering first woman of US Television, Betty White. Do yourself a favour, binge it.
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*No AI was used. Made clear by my poor writing skills.