“The Golden Girls” is basically the perfect sitcom, following the antics of four mature women sharing a house in Miami, Florida. The series began in September 1985 and ran for seven seasons before ending in May 1992. Since it was first broadcast, it has become increasingly popular. It’s fun to tune in and see what incredibly horny Blanche (Rue McClanahan), bubbly goofball Rose (Betty White), sarcastic divorcee Dorothy (Bea Arthur), and her smart mother Sophia (Estelle Getty) get up to in each of these films It’s pretty easy to binge a single episode and watch an entire season in no time. It’s really no surprise that the series has found new fans in the streaming age, and when there were rumors of a Disney+ reboot of the series sometime in 2024, people went crazy.

Some fans were upset at the idea of ​​making “The Golden Girls” without the original cast, while others were excited at the chance to have more “Golden Girls” quality, even if it meant bringing in new blood. It turned out to be a big hoax, but people were wondering: Could there ever be a Golden Girls reboot? And why did the original series end in the first place? Let’s take a look.

Unfortunately for fans of the Lanai ladies, the only reason everyone was excited about a Golden Girls reboot was a Facebook post from YODA BBY ABY, just one of many accounts known for hyping up fake ones Generate film sequels and TV reboots. The post included a mocked up image for a reboot on Disney+ starring Lisa Kudrow as Rose, Tina Fey as Dorothy, Maya Rudolph as Blanche and Amy Poehler as Sophia, and fans weren’t sure what to think.

Although each of these ladies is very talented, they simply don’t fit the roles they were given. Poehler playing Fey’s mother may be a bit odd, although the original Sophia, Estelle Getty, was actually younger than her on-screen daughter Dorothy, played by Bea Arthur. Getty was transformed into a little old lady by the magic of makeup, so Poehler could theoretically have done the same. Unfortunately, the whole thing was a joke and there is no such series in development.

When the series ended in 1992, The Golden Girls was still very popular, but Arthur felt that the quality of the series was beginning to decline. According to her son Matthew Saks, Arthur believed that “ideas were running out” and although she was “not unhappy”, she was 70 years old and had other things she wanted to do with her time. It’s understandable that Arthur would want to scale back the acting she did in her golden years and instead enjoy at least partial retirement. Her only notable role after “Golden Girls” was as Dewey’s (Erik Per Sullivan) babysitter in one of the best episodes of the Fox sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.” Unfortunately, she passed away in 2009 at the age of 86.

Over the years, some people have suspected that she may have left the show due to a feud with co-star Betty White, but that’s probably not the case. While White has said that Arthur wasn’t kind to her – and Saks confirmed this by saying his mother “unknowingly took the attitude that it was fun to have someone to be mad at” – was widely believed that their “feud” had been blown out of proportion. In her memoir, co-star Rue McClanahan said that while things got “pretty spicy” from time to time, what mattered was that “the chemistry worked.” It sounds like Arthur was just a little too similar to her character, who often looked down on Rose and her silly stories. Hey, at least Arthur had a truly magical friendship with actress Angela Lansbury, proving she wasn’t impossible to get along with.

After Arthur left “The Golden Girls,” the series ended with Dorothy marrying Blanche’s uncle Lucas Hollingsworth (played by “The Naked Gun” star Leslie Nielsen). She and Lucas moved to Atlanta while Sophia decided to stay with Rose and Blanche in Miami. To keep the magic of The Golden Girls going, there was a short-lived spin-off series called The Golden Palace, which followed the ladies after they bought and ran a hotel that – you guessed it – ” “Golden Palace” was called. Arthur appeared in two episodes for a storyline revolving around Sophia, otherwise the series focused on the trio and new cast members Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin.

Unfortunately, The Golden Palace simply didn’t inspire the same joy as The Golden Girls, despite having the same creator and largely the same team, and it was canceled after just one season.

There are currently no plans for a Golden Girls reboot, but is there a chance we could ever see one? According to series creator Susan Harris, that will never happen. She told Entertainment Weekly in 2017:

“They wanted to do the musical ‘Golden Girls’ and remake ‘Golden Girls,’ and we always said no because ‘Golden Girls’ wouldn’t be ‘Golden Girls’ without this cast.”

Harris is pretty spot on because the chemistry between the four leads is what made “The Golden Girls” a success. The writing can be a bit mixed, with a few really great episodes, but the girls themselves are the draw. There’s a perfect mix of camaraderie and mockery, and the same lines delivered by a different cast would probably feel way too mean. It would be great to see more comedies about older women, but recapturing the lightning in a bottle of The Golden Girls is nearly impossible. Everyone was just too perfect in their roles, from Arthur’s grumpy Dorothy to White’s carefree Rose.

We may not get a new Golden Girls, but there are seven seasons and 180 episodes to choose from, which is pretty awesome. For fans of physical media who must own The Golden Girls, there are several complete DVD and Blu-ray sets of the series, but for everyone else, the show can be streamed on both Hulu and Disney+. (“The Golden Palace” is also available on both streaming services!) Fans can grab some cheesecake and settle in for a whole host of cozy TV shows from Rose, Dorothy, Blanche and Sophia that are sure to bring both heartwarming moments and really brutal burns. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our guide to the 25 best episodes of the series, but there’s really no wrong place to get in on the fun.