'Golden Girls' to mark 40th anniversary: Look back at iconic sitcom, how to rewatch
"The Golden Girls" marks its 40th anniversary in September, but the iconic sitcom that followed the lives of four single women is still resonating with viewers today.
The show, which starred Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, debuted on Sept. 14, 1985 and ran for seven seasons on NBC.
It was considered progressive for its time, in part for depicting four independent, sex-positive women over the ages of 50.
Grab a slice of cheesecake and head to your nearest lanai — here's what to know about the milestone anniversary.
All seasons of "The Golden Girls" are available to watch on Hulu or Disney+ with a Hulu subscription.
Hulu offers two streaming plans, including one with ads and one without. The ad-supported plan costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. The ad-free plan is available for $18.99/month.
There is also a bundle option for Hulu and Disney+, which includes access to both platforms starting at $10.99/month.
Watch the Golden Girls on Hulu
The ensemble cast of "The Golden Girls" featured Beatrice Arthur (Dorothy), Betty White (Rose), Rue McClanahan (Blanche) and Estelle Getty (Sophia).
Arthur, who was also known for her work in "All in the Family" and "Maude," portrayed Dorothy, a substitute teacher and divorcee on the show. Getty appeared as Sophia, Dorothy's mother.
White, who died in 2021 just shy of her 100th birthday, played a widow and mother of five, Rose, who was known for her naivety. McClanahan's character, Blanche, was the Southern belle of the group and also a widow.
Sophia was the oldest of the four main Golden Girls. In the season two episode "Piece of Cake," Sophia revealed that she turned 50 in April 1956, making her around 79 years old in season one.
The youngest Golden Girl was Blanche. In the show's third season, Blanche said she was 17 years old in 1949, so when the series began in 1985, she was about 53 years old.
Rose was 55 during the show's first season, as revealed in the episode "Job Hunting."
In the season three episode "Nothing to Fear, But Fear Itself," Sophia said Dorothy was conceived in 1931, making her 54 years old at the start of the show.
"The Golden Girls" ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992.
In addition to its 180-episode span, the show produced several spin-offs, including "The Golden Palace" and "Empty Nest."
During its run, "The Golden Girls" won 11 Emmy awards and four Golden Globe Awards. All the lead actresses won Emmy awards for their role on the show as well.
The series finale of "The Golden Girls" aired as a two-part episode on May 9, 1992.
During the episodes, Blanche tries to set her Uncle Lucas up with Dorothy, but Dorothy and Lucas instead trick her into thinking the couple hit it off and decided to get married. By the end of the ruse, Dorothy and Lucas decide to wed for real.
In the end, Dorothy moves out of the Miami home she shared with Blanche, Rose and Sophia to live with Lucas in Atlanta. The latter three women went on to star in "The Golden Palace" spin-off.
Watch the Golden Girls on Hulu
Contributing: Olivia Munson, USA TODAY
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