Picture it: Four women in their golden years defy television executives’ expectations and become the screen sirens of primetime in the ’80s, beating out an equally spunky queen with a knack for solving mysteries (Murder, She Wrote) and a ruthless bunch of oil barons who seem to enjoy stabbing each other in the back for funsies (Dallas). Against all odds, The Golden Girls became one of the decade’s biggest hits, proving that sharp wit, great chemistry, and a lot of cheesecake could outshine just about anything on television.
And for seven years, they thanked each of us for being a friend with gigantic belly laughs through Rose’s (Betty White) rambling tales about St. Olaf, Minnesota, Dorothy’s (Bea Arthur) zingers, Blanche’s (Rue McClanahan) vivaciousness, and Sophia’s (Estelle Getty) stories of her life back in Sicily.
But did you know that the quartet was making friends on a global level? Susan Harris’ winning formula was so successful that NBC exported the template, inspiring international versions of The Golden Girls around the world. Many local adaptations took the core concept of four older women sharing a home and reimagined it for different cultures, proving that friendship, laughter, and navigating life’s later chapters are truly universal. Here are just a few we found. Please enjoy.
Golden Girls, Weekdays, back-to-back episodes, 10/9c; Sundays, 6/5c and a two-hour prime-time block starting at 8/7c, MeTV; Streaming, Hulu & Disney+