This 1985 NBC Sitcom Changed Comedy—and It Still Holds up Today

When The Golden Girls premiered in 1985, it was as ambitious an idea as it sounds. Centering a story around three mid-50s women and a senior citizen in her 80s was taking a big chance with audiences. The show trusted that the comedic brilliance of Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty would draw a wide range of people to watch, regardless of whether they were men or women, Black or white, gay or straight.

That assessment couldn't have been any more true. The Golden Girls separated itself from its peers by exploring topics that other sitcoms never would have touched in the 1980s, and many still won't get close to today.

The ladies in Miami spent their time very differently from how most people generalize about middle-aged women. Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia go on dates and get intimate with their partners. They represent a sexual liberation for women in the 1980s and in the present day. In fact, sex on TV and film has become even more taboo in recent times. Ageism is an even bigger topic in contemporary pop culture. The Golden Girls still provides a template for how to handle sexuality, femininity, and age in the United States.

The series incorporated so many important issues, and they always did it in a way that would teach the audience to accept others. LGBTQ topics were vital to the overall themes in the show, hence why so many gay men adore The Golden Girls and feel like it's a haven for acceptance.

Whether it was an episode about Rose being worried she has HIV/AIDS, or Blanche trying to come to terms with her gay brother getting married, or Dorothy and Sophia having to mourn their cross-dressing brother/son, the series made it clear that queer culture is at every corner of everyday life. LGBTQ people are not some niche backstory in society, and everybody knows somebody who needs acceptance.

The show was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings throughout six of its seven seasons, but even more impressive is its popularity today. The demand for the show is still high, with fans having access to it on Hulu and Disney+. Even though all four actresses have now passed away, their comedic legacies live on through original fans, their kids, and each new generations that's introduced to it.