![]() However, like Soap, this so-called “Lear influence” doesn’t exist in a vacuum. These heightened responses are certainly the case within Soap, and the point is reinforced here with The Golden Girls. As a result, the reactions these shows engender, both positive and negative, are often bigger and broader than those we find on MTM’s more modest fare. Harris) is the boldness that compels them to take risks - either in search of larger humor or larger pathos. ![]() However, one of the elements also inherent in the works either produced by or related to Lear and his lot (which includes the talented Ms. Sometimes we even refer to his style pejoratively when discussing the difference between shows that are issue-heavy, and therefore seem guided by stories instead of characters. What exactly does this mean? Well, when we think of Norman Lear, we probably first think of the topics he covered on shows like All In The Family and Maude, and the groundbreaking places he went with his storytelling, which were then totally new to television comedy. Now, there’s really no good reason to compare Cheers and The Golden Girls, but I think highlighting their differences allows for a direct way to examine the latter and its personal charms, as the schism between the two shows is dependent on the relationship between the two primary - and disparate - styles of situation comedy that had developed in the early part of the ’70s: the MTM mode and the Lear mode.Ĭheers is obviously a descendent of MTM (and for more on why this is so, click around this blog and check out our Cheers posts, because there’s been a whole lot written about this), while The Golden Girls, created by Susan Harris, who wrote for both All In The Family and Maude before channeling her progressive and boundary-pushing sense of humor into Soap (all of these shows have been covered here, by the way), belongs more in the Lear camp. In fact, The Golden Girls‘ unwavering ability to deliver laughs, even in the most dreadful of episodes, is one of the reasons it’s remained a staple in syndication, where it’s managed to captivate new viewers every year. In terms of comedy - consistent comedy - I can think of no other ’80s sitcom that offers real competition, for while Cheers (1982-1993, NBC), which we covered here earlier this year, remains my choice for the best written and character-driven piece of the decade (and my favorite show second only to I Love Lucy), The Golden Girls always exists in a place where high-octane humor is ever at the ready, something that can only be said of Cheers most of the time. The Golden Girls stars BEATRICE ARTHUR as Dorothy Zbornak, BETTY WHITE as Rose Nylund, RUE McCLANAHAN as Blanche Devereaux, and ESTELLE GETTY as Sophia Petrillo.Ī show that I would put in my personal top ten, The Golden Girls is another property that this blog was actively created to discuss, so I’m thrilled that its time has finally arrived. Happily, for those who tire of seeing the series on any of the many cable channels on which it’s syndicated, the entire series has been released on DVD!Ī divorcée and three widows share a house in Miami. ![]() ![]() ![]() Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday and the start of our series on the best episodes from The Golden Girls (1985-1992, NBC), one of my favorite comedies ever produced and perhaps my best known remedy for melancholia. ![]()
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