The Golden Girls recently made a comeback after Betty White's heartbreaking death, but the NBC sitcom almost ran for another season until Bea Arthur, one of its major stars, decided to back out of the show after Season 7. The Golden Girls was innovative at the time, considering its plotline of four single, middle-aged women living together in Miami. The show also included early roles of not yet famous actors and directors like Mario Lopez, Quentin Tarantino and George Clooney. Furthermore, The Golden Girls also featured several already dominant names in the industry as guest stars, like Alex Trebek and Mickey Rooney. The four roommates shared electric onscreen chemistry, which enhanced their hilarious line delivery. Although, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows when the cameras turned off.
It's hard to imagine anyone not getting along with a sweetheart like White, but that was exactly the case regarding her complicated relationship with Arthur. "She found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude," revealed White in a 2011 interview with The Village Voice. Despite Arthur's negative opinions of White, that had little to do with her decision to retire from the show.
Who Was Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls?
Dorothy was one of the four leading women in The Golden Girls and was best recognized for her sarcastic sense of humor. She lived with two friends and her mother Sophia, who was always the life of the party. Each episode featured the wild adventures the four women would get themselves into, and highlighted each character's distinctive personality. For example, Dorothy's sarcastic tendencies, Blanche's obsession with men, Rose's naivety and Sophia's blunt responses.
Dorothy was also often the designated mother of the group and helped mediate many situations, which made sense considering her career as a substitute teacher. Dorothy often butt heads with her ex-husband, Stan, who cheated on her and began a relationship with a younger woman. Although, Dorothy's relationship difficulties came to an end in the show's final season when she married someone close to Blanche.
Why Bea Arthur Left The Golden Girls
Considering the show's immense popularity, it came as a shock that Arthur wanted to leave prematurely. Although, she was 70 years old at the time of her departure, which made her retirement understandable. "I think she got tired of it," admitted Matthew Saks, Arthur's son, in a 2019 interview with Fox News. Arthur also believed the quality of the show was not what it used to be, and was fed up with how her character was frequently criticized as the butt of many jokes, per Jim Colucci's book, titled Golden Girls: Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind The Lanai.
After Arthur decided to leave The Golden Girls, Dorothy moved to Atlanta after she found her happily ever after with Blanche's uncle, Lucas Hollingsworth, during the Season 8 finale. Fortunately, Dorothy received a satisfying ending after years of putting up with her unfaithful husband, Stan, and several failed relationships following her marriage. It could have been worse for her; after the end of The Golden Girls, CBS took over and decided to move forward with the franchise without Arthur with a spin-off/sequel show titled The Golden Palace.
The Golden Palace followed Rose, Blanche and Sophia's hotel business venture shortly after Dorothy married Lucas and the roommates' former house was sold. The show even featured Don Cheadle as Roland Wilson, the manager of the titular hotel. The series was ultimately short-lived after just one 24-episode season. Although, that was just enough time for Arthur to guest star in the two-part episode "Seems Like Old Times" to convince Sophia to move to Atlanta with her. The Golden Palace wasn't the only spin-off series in The Golden Girls universe. Shows like Nurses and Empty Nest followed Dr. Harry Weston and featured cameos by main characters. However, nothing can compare to laughs shared from the jokes during the original series' episodes.
Both The Golden Palace and The Golden Girls are available to stream on Hulu as of January 2022.