The Golden Palace

[ClassyCo]

This semi-forgotten spin-off/continuation of The Golden Girls aired between September 1992 and May 1993. The parent series said farewell by having one of its leading characters, Dorothy Zbornak, get married to Blanche Devereaux's uncle Lucas. It was a tear-jerking and sincere "finale" to a series that had graced TV screens for seven years, and to a show that was a staple in the Nielsen Top Ten of the ratings for six seasons, and one in which each of its four leading ladies won an Emmy award.

With that said, The Golden Palace picks up where the original series left off. Blanche has sold the group's iconic Miami home, and she, Rose, and Sophia invest their money into a struggling hotel known as the Golden Palace. After getting there, however, the three ladies learn that the former owners had fired all but two of their workers to make the hotel seem more profitable, thus leaving Rose, Blanche, and Sophia to do most of the work themselves. Don Cheadle played their hotel manager Roland, Cheech Marin played the hotel chef Chuy, and for a few episodes, child actor Barry L. Sullivan played Roland's foster son, Oliver.

Although the three female leads (Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty) offer a sense of familiarity, the series itself is quite different from the original. A change of scenery, and the addition of more actors to the core cast, gives this show a different feel. The writing has gotten a tad weaker, and the ladies themselves do suffer slight characterization changes. For example, Rose becomes stronger, Blanche is less self-centered, and Sophia is increasingly forgetful. One gets the impression that Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin were brought in to integrate the show, while Barry L. Sullivan was perhaps a ploy to bring in younger viewers. Evidently, the situation as to how to use Sullivan's Oliver to the best of his potential couldn't be worked out, and in Episode 14, he was put back into the custody of his birth mother (as a result, he was never seen or mentioned again).

Bea Arthur does pop up for a two-part episode entitled "Seems Like Old Times". She comes to visit her ex-roommates and her mother. While there, Arthur's Dorothy makes several assumptions as to how the other three ladies have changed (about Rose, she asks several times, "When did she become the strong one?"). Also, she worries that her elderly mother, Sophia, is being over-worked, and she wants her to return to Atlanta with her. Sophia doesn't go, deciding to stay and help Rose and Blanche.

The Golden Palace isn't a bad show by any means. As I said earlier, it does indeed have quite a different feel than its parent series had. Maybe the writing isn't necessarily weaker, as I said beforehand, but it is certainly different. It seems the jokes are a bit "naughtier" than they already were on the parent show, and owing to the "age" of the show (counting the seven years of the original) does give the overall tone a sense of staleness. The absent of Bea Arthur, too, knocks the show off balance. The four different voices that had provided insights on daily situations within the group was split up; Dorothy was gone, and while the others stayed, they weren't quite the same anymore. Betty White once said that the reason she felt The Golden Palace didn't work was because the spin-off became "Golden Girls in the lobby without Bea [Arthur], and it just didn't work. It's like taking a leg off a table, it doesn't balance."

I've read that Golden Girls producers pitched the idea of The Golden Palace to NBC execs before the parent series concluded. NBC, however, considering the age and declining ratings of the original, showed only slight interest, and offered only a half-season order of 13 episodes. CBS, however, counter-offered, and ordered a full season of 24 episodes. The producers decided to move the show to CBS. The Golden Palace (formerly Girls) also changed time slots from Saturday nights to Friday at 8:00 pm. CBS had hoped that Golden Palace would generate an audience for their Friday night line-up that they had filled with comedies. Airing after Golden Palace was Major Dad at 8:30, Designing Women at 9:00, and Bob at 9:30. All of the CBS comedies (a few that had been highly successful beforehand) fell to their all time lows during the 1992─93 season in what was called the "Friday night death slot". ABC's comedy line-up, however, had three shows in the Top 40 that aired the same night.

The Golden Palace came in 66th place in the annual ratings, and was canceled after a single season. Supposedly, a second season had been planned, but was axed the night before CBS announced their fall line-up for the 1993─94 season. For a few years, The Golden Palace did see a second life in syndication on Lifetime, which would air the spin-off as an eighth season of The Golden Girls before the traditional syndicated roll over to Season 1 of the parent series.

I know this thread was long, but I thought it would be nice to discuss this show. I own the complete series on DVD, and I was just curious as to whether or not any of my fellow Soap Chat members had seen or liked this semi-forgotten spin-off of one of TV's most-beloved comedies?

 

[Jessie]

I loved Golden Girls, I watched it with my Mom it was one of her favourites.

I didn't even know there was a spin off of the series. I will have to see if I can find it.

Thanks for the information @ClassyCo

 

[darkshadows38]

oh hell i remember when this was announced. Bea Arthur did show up on the show at some point though and that's when i think it got it's highest ratings. the show sadly was a flop i really liked it. and since than i've watched in tv and i still like it. is it as good as the original show? hell no it's not but it's not that bad of a show for a spin-off. it's far better than say Joanie Loves Chachie. or however ya spell his name? though i forget what country that is where that means something else. too funny i think

 

[Seaviewer]

It was a bit like AfterMASH in that the actors who wanted to were able continue with something a little different, just not something the audience wanted to see. I didn't mind it but I still wonder whether the Girls just getting a new roommate might have been more successful.

 

[Sarah]

I hated it without Bea Arthur. But loved the original series so much.

 

[Ray&Donna]

I remember when it first aired, but I can't say that I saw the entire season until it aired on Lifetime. It was shockingly bad, to be honest. It was all over the place tonally, and it seemed as though they were trying to take everything that was sacrosanct from the original show and throw it in the dumpster. Without spoiling anyone, the way they ruined Miles and Stan, and had Blanche rethink her heritage, were silly and not at all what people would expect from anything in THE GOLDEN GIRLS universe. It did have some interesting guest stars--Ken Kercheval, for one--but I can say that the only episodes I enjoyed were the ones with Bea Arthur.

Also, Sophia should have been 87 by the time this aired--did they really think, no matter how healthy and capable people can be in their elderly years, that it made logical sense for her to become a hotel maid?

 

[ClassyCo]

I loved Golden Girls, I watched it with my Mom it was one of her favourites.

I didn't even know there was a spin off of the series. I will have to see if I can find it.

Thanks for the information @ClassyCo

You're very much welcome @jessie. I purchased my set from iOffer a few years back. Sadly, the series isn't officially out on DVD, but it has been on lists for release for several years, but for some reason, it keeps getting put off.

It was a bit like AfterMASH in that the actors who wanted to were able continue with something a little different, just not something the audience wanted to see. I didn't mind it but I still wonder whether the Girls just getting a new roommate might have been more successful.

Yes, I've always wondered they just didn't bring in another roommate for the girls. That way the ladies could have stayed in the same setting and it could just pick up where Dorothy walked out the front door.

Who could have been the replacement though???

Personally, when I've thought about this before, the only one I could come up with that would be suitable replacement would be Debbie Reynolds. She had guest-starred on the original show in 1990 (I think it was) when Dorothy was going to remarry Stan. In that episode, Reynolds' character, Truby, was going to move in with Rose, Blanche, and Sophia after Dorothy and Stan remarried and moved away.

Come to think of it, though, would Debbie Reynolds have been too much like Rue McClanahan? Ummm....

I remember when it first aired, but I can't say that I saw the entire season until it aired on Lifetime. It was shockingly bad, to be honest. It was all over the place tonally, and it seemed as though they were trying to take everything that was sacrosanct from the original show and throw it in the dumpster. Without spoiling anyone, the way they ruined Miles and Stan, and had Blanche rethink her heritage, were silly and not at all what people would expect from anything in THE GOLDEN GIRLS universe. It did have some interesting guest stars--Ken Kercheval, for one--but I can say that the only episodes I enjoyed were the ones with Bea Arthur.

Also, Sophia should have been 87 by the time this aired--did they really think, no matter how healthy and capable people can be in their elderly years, that it made logical sense for her to become a hotel maid?

Honestly, I don't think it was all that bad. Although it had most of the same writers, I think the network move from NBC to CBS was what gave the show its oh-so-different feel and tone. I recollect watching a documentary on The Golden Girls in which one of the writers for The Golden Palace said that they [the writers] tried to oblige with what they [CBS] wanted. I think the majority of the changes occurred because of CBS. I'm sure CBS execs wanted a reboot/continuation of The Golden Girls because the former show was already a mega-hit. At the same time, I'm sure they wanted it to be different enough so it didn't show its age and therefore it could have potential to have a long run.

 

[darkshadows38]

i think it's a pretty good show, like i said it's not nowhere near as good as the original, but for a spin-off i liked it and i have seen them all i believe. a lot of the episodes i don't remember but i've prolly seen them. i never did see After MASH to be honest. though i hear that some of it was okay.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I watched the original run, but never saw it in rerun. Until reading the original post, I had forgotten all but a few basic ideas of the show. I did recall it airing on CBS on Friday nights, which was the worst place CBS could have placed the show. Major Dad and Designing Women were once very strong shows for CBS---when they aired on Monday nights. They shunted those shows off to Friday nights to die, just as ABC shunted its long-running shows off to Saturday nights to die in that same time period. At any rate, turning a relationship-comedy into a workplace comedy is rarely successful. I agree with the person above who says it would have been a better idea to bring in a 'replacement' roommate and retain the original setting/mood.

After the events of Golden Palace had played out, the character of Sophia ended up transferred to Empty Nest. It's worthy of note that EN didn't acknowledge the Golden Palace events, simply saying Sophia had 'returned to the neighborhood' and was living in (an apparently much-improved) Shady Pines. Sophia visited the Westons in most every episode to drop one-liners and to baby-sit Carol's baby; Blanche and Rose were not mentioned, I don't think (the EN reruns are edited down and some references might have been cut).

As disappointing as Golden Palace was, the show was Shakespeare compared to the dumpster fire known as AfterMASH. I attempted to watch it for many of the same sentimental reasons I watched Golden Palace, but it was clear very quickly that this was a BAD idea that never should have been green-lit for series. A TV-movie, perhaps, but not a regular series.

 

[Seaviewer]

Yes, I've always wondered they just didn't bring in another roommate for the girls. That way the ladies could have stayed in the same setting and it could just pick up where Dorothy walked out the front door.

Who could have been the replacement though???

Personally, when I've thought about this before, the only one I could come up with that would be suitable replacement would be Debbie Reynolds. She had guest-starred on the original show in 1990 (I think it was) when Dorothy was going to remarry Stan. In that episode, Reynolds' character, Truby, was going to move in with Rose, Blanche, and Sophia after Dorothy and Stan remarried and moved away.

Come to think of it, though, would Debbie Reynolds have been too much like Rue McClanahan? Ummm....

I had two thoughts: Dorothy's sister, who had already been introduced played by Dena Dietrich, or simply put up another sign at the supermarket, which was the way they had all met in the first place.

 

[ClassyCo]

I watched the original run, but never saw it in rerun. Until reading the original post, I had forgotten all but a few basic ideas of the show. I did recall it airing on CBS on Friday nights, which was the worst place CBS could have placed the show. Major Dad and Designing Women were once very strong shows for CBS---when they aired on Monday nights. They shunted those shows off to Friday nights to die, just as ABC shunted its long-running shows off to Saturday nights to die in that same time period. At any rate, turning a relationship-comedy into a workplace comedy is rarely successful. I agree with the person above who says it would have been a better idea to bring in a 'replacement' roommate and retain the original setting/mood.

After the events of Golden Palace had played out, the character of Sophia ended up transferred to Empty Nest. It's worthy of note that EN didn't acknowledge the Golden Palace events, simply saying Sophia had 'returned to the neighborhood' and was living in (an apparently much-improved) Shady Pines. Sophia visited the Westons in most every episode to drop one-liners and to baby-sit Carol's baby; Blanche and Rose were not mentioned, I don't think (the EN reruns are edited down and some references might have been cut).

As disappointing as Golden Palace was, the show was Shakespeare compared to the dumpster fire known as AfterMASH. I attempted to watch it for many of the same sentimental reasons I watched Golden Palace, but it was clear very quickly that this was a BAD idea that never should have been green-lit for series. A TV-movie, perhaps, but not a regular series.

Yes, CBS putting the show on Friday turned out to be a very bad move. However, that wasn't their intent. The network wanted a comedy line-up that would perhaps overtake ABC's successful comedy duo on Fridays nights ─ which was Family Matters and Step by Step, which had finished at #28 and #35, respectively, in 1992. CBS wanted to take The Golden Palace (and hopefully a large chunk of the Golden Girls audience) and put it with three other comedies ─ Designing Women, Major Dad, and the fresh Bob ─ on back-to-back and form a comedy-block powerhouse. The strategy backfired, however. Not one of the four CBS Friday night comedies cracked the Nielsen Top 65 at the conclusion of the 1992─93 season.

They came in as follows:
The Golden Palace (at 8:00): #66 (10.0 rating)
Major Dad (at 8:30): #69 (9.8 rating)
Designing Women (at 9:00): #67 (9.9 rating)
Bob (at 9:30): #72 (9.6)

As you said, @Daniel Avery, both Designing Women and Major Dad had been big hits for CBS in years prior to this Friday night time slot change. In 1992, both of these shows were Top Ten hits on Monday nights. The former was receiving its highest ratings ever during its sixth season (finishing at #6 for the year), following the departure of two of its core cast (Delta Burke and Jean Smart). The latter, too, was also receiving its series-high ratings during the 1991─92 season (finishing at #11 that season). The newly developed Bob starred comedian Bob Newhart, who had appeared in two successful comedies beforehand: The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart.

I don't necessarily think the quality of the shows CBS had put together on Friday are to blame for the low ratings. I think the problem came with ABC's shows already being established, and the fact that three of the shows CBS had on that night had already had lengthy runs; the show itself may not have declined, but audiences do tire of sameness and they move on. Bob was the only show that survived the cancellations in 1993, but was retooled a lot before starting a second season (Betty White was added to the rebooted cast). The Golden Palace almost did, but the execs pulled the plug a day before their new schedule was announced.

As for Sophia's roll-over to Empty Nest... Well, I've only seen a few episodes of that show (thanks to Laff re-airing them), and most of those episodes were the latter episodes. Sophia was listed at the end of the opening credits (as "and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo" if I recall correctly), but as you have said, the majority of her screen time was spent spitting out more than her usual dose of sarcasm. However, by the time Sophia had joined the cast of Empty Nest, that show had dropped pitifully in the ratings, and after falling to rock-bottom in its final season, it was finally axed.

I had two thoughts: Dorothy's sister, who had already been introduced played by Dena Dietrich, or simply put up another sign at the supermarket, which was the way they had all met in the first place.

But would Gloria have brought the same "voice" to the kitchen table as Dorothy did? Would that have been too close of "clone like" maneuver? It's certainly intriguing to wonder, though. However, I think the girls putting up another sign in the supermarket would probably been the better way to keep The Golden Girls story going. Just think how hilarious an episode about the girls interviewing some wacked-out potential roomies would have been... You know, until they find the right one.

 

[darkshadows38]

Bob i remember that show i think it a Bob Newhart show right ? i don't remember ever watching that one but i remember it being out. hard to believe it's been that long since any of these shows were on tv

 

[Daniel Avery]

But would Gloria have brought the same "voice" to the kitchen table as Dorothy did? Would that have been too close of "clone like" maneuver?

Imagine if they really really dug deep and had the original fourth roommate from the pilot episode move back in--the gay cook?

 

[TomParks2016]

Yes, I've always wondered they just didn't bring in another roommate for the girls. That way the ladies could have stayed in the same setting and it could just pick up where Dorothy walked out the front door.

Yep when the house went the show was done...really no need for another roommate either...the three were good on their own with a supporting cast

 

[Don Howard]

New title, no Bea, new network, fairly new premise. A case of going to the well a year too long.

 

[montyc]

The rip it up and start all over has rarely worked. Archie Bunker's Place and Three's a Crowd are two more. None were as heinous as AfterMASH, the biggest dud in the bunch and every bit as tired, dull and cliche ridden as MASH was clever, engaging and witty.

The rule of let's milk the cow long after it went dry is Hollywood's business as usual. When easy money is on the table never underestimate Hollywood's ability to let greed get in the way of good taste and quality product.

What's next Casablanca, the series? (Done twice) The New Dick Van Dyke Show (Yep, it happened) or The Color Purple, part 2: Celie's Revenge (starring Lola Falana and just kidding!) or Tara, The Gone With the Wind Years (I am sure proposed many times but thankfully never came to fruition. But we still got Scarlett!)

 

[Daniel Avery]

How about Titanic II: The Revenge?

Unfortunately, for every good spin-off, there will be three or four bad ones. Perhaps the stronger spin-offs occur while the parent show is strong, or at least still on the air. In the two you mention, as well as GP, they suffered because the premise was not strong enough for the show to survive without the parent-show tie-in, and the weaknesses could not be overcome simply by placing the spin-off near the parent on the schedule.

Golden Palace never really grabbed me mostly because of the hotel setting. Not once in the entire run of GG had the girls ever expressed a wish/desire to run a hotel*, so there was no kind of build-up to this very important choice in their lives. Perhaps if the Golden Girls folks had known the spin-off details earlier they could have laid some groundwork in the final few episodes of GG? It would not have helped strengthen the premise all that much, but at least it would not have been so out of the blue.

*Yes, Blanche had enough experience with hotels to be a voice of experience, but hers was that of a guest (usually under an assumed name) and not a manager.

 

[Seaviewer]

The New Dick Van Dyke Show

The New Dick Van Dyke Show was actually pretty good. It was not a spin-off of his previous series by the way but it did suffer by comparison.