There’s nothing quite like having an old friend visit, having old film developed, or having to get a hearing aid because you’re old to really spring some surprises on you. If you’re into cleverness and witticisms, watch Hey, Look Me Over or Till Death Do We Volley Dorothy’s would-be prom date and the girls’ crotchety next-door neighbor help drive the antics and growth in these two captivating episodes. It’s enjoyable to watch good character builds, but especially fun when other characters push them to become better people. If you’re into character development, watch What a Difference a Date Makes or It’s a Miserable Life Whether it’s the girls posing nude for a Hungarian sculptor, or Dorothy and Rose’s kids hopping into bed with one another, The Golden Girls doesn’t shy away from the lewd. If you’re into sexual content, watch The Artist or Family Affair If you’re a devotee of the ‘browse by category’ menu, or are in the mood for something darker, or more touching, or simply chuckle-worthy, take a look at some suggested Golden Girls episodes to watch by style of content. He loved to gamble, had a goofy laugh, and was known to try to make love to his wife while his T-shirt was covered in linguine. Most accurately described as a “yutz,” Stan Zbornak is Dorothy’s ex-husband who left their marriage of 38 years for a 20-something airline ‘stewardess.’ He frequently visits the house to irritate the hell out of the girls, and, of course, to mooch.Ī Sicilian and a true Brooklynite, Salvadore Petrillo was married to Sophia. He died of a heart attack while he and Rose were making love. The tune is catchy in its own right, but absolutely much improved in the Gospel Remix.īlanche’s late husband, George Devereaux is a Georgian man who must have been super special, since Blanche chose him to marry out of her many reported suitors.Ī (mediocre) insurance salesman but a hell of a nice guy, Charlie Nylund was Rose’s husband and built a life with her in St. It also comes from (and is the name of) The Golden Girls theme song - originally by Andrew Gold and recorded by Cynthia Fee. This is Sophia’s go-to lead in for her wisdom-filled (and sometimes unhinged) stories about where she grew up, a seemingly dreadful and poverty-stricken village in Sicily. Once they realized how hilarious Sophia was, though, there wasn’t enough room for his levity - despite him being (as Sophia said) an “OK petunia.” Chalk it up to Blanche’s tendency to worship anything traditional, Southern, or antebellum, I guess.īelieve it or not, there was a live-in gay cook (slash houseboy) in the pilot episode. Fun fact: Bea Arthur, who plays Dorothy, reportedly hated cheesecake in real life.īlanche calls her father “Big Daddy,” which probably doesn’t make too much sense to you right now, but will make slightly more sense when you actually watch the series. When the Golden Girls would have late-night talks about the problems they were going through, they’d get peckish, of course, and the dessert of choice was usually cheesecake. Herring and farm animals feature heavily in the tales. Olaf is Rose Nylund’s hometown, and - judging by Rose’s stories - is a bastion of lovely but really dopey people. It’s often used as a threat from Dorothy when Sophia acts up - she need only mutter, ‘Shady Pines, Ma’ for Sophia to fall in line.Ī small town in Minnesota founded by Scandinavian settlers, St. Now you know.īefore Sophia moved in with Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose, Dorothy had put her in a retirement home called Shady Pines after she had a stroke. A lanai is basically a finished back patio porch with a roof, with at least one side open to the elements, and probably flora-adjacent. Unless you’re from Florida or Hawaii, you probably learned what a ‘lanai’ was from The Golden Girls. Here’s a cheat sheet to understanding some of the more common mentions in The Golden Girls. Beyond the names of the girls themselves, you’ve probably heard a handful of inside jokes and references - or at least seen them printed on a T-shirt or a meme.