When four incredible actresses make a program like “The Golden Girls” so popular then a final episode will always be a huge draw.
The hard work and effort of Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty brought 27.2 million people to their TV screens. “The Golden Girls” ran for seven seasons and 180 episodes all on NBC.
Their final episode aired on May 9, 1992. What a mark for the show, too, as the finale ranked as the 17th most-watched one in television history circa 2016.
Bea Arthur Departure Brings An End To ‘Golden Girls’
Why did “The Golden Girls” really come to an end? Arthur was leaving the show, ready to move along to other projects. In the finale, Dorothy, Arthur’s character, marries Blanche’s (McClanahan’s character) uncle Lucas, played by Leslie Nielsen.
After “The Golden Girls” finale, a spinoff called “The Golden Palace” aired to a less-than-stellar response from viewers. It didn’t last too long on NBC.
But the show remains active in syndication around the world. New generations of viewers are finding the witty, sarcastic humor between all four women worthwhile and full of laughs.
Betty White Offers Interesting Analogy For Show’s Stars
Each one of the show’s stars had a uniqueness about themselves. It was not just what they presented in the show itself. Beyond it, Arthur, McClanahan, Getty, and White were all a little different.
“It’s like four points on a compass,” White said in an interview with the Archive of American Television. “We were each so different from the other. It was East, West, North, and South.
“I think that’s why we fit together so well,” White said. “For the first five years, it was such a happy thing … between scenes, instead of going to our dressing rooms, we’d sit there and yack and talk about very intimate things.”
Their differences make the characters interesting. That’s a formula for success on some shows like “The Golden Girls.”
