The Golden Girls Seasons 1-7 is an award-winning American sitcom created by Susan Harris. This series, which first aired in September 1985 and ran until May 1992, also features Harris as an executive producer. The popular show revolves around four older women who live in the same house in Miami, Florida. It all started when Blanche, the widowed owner of the house, put up a rooms-to-rent advertisement at the local grocer.

Divorcee Dorothy and widow Rose answers the ad and so the three women become roommates. Later during the series, Dorothy's mother, Sophia, joins the three girls when her retirement home burns down. Hilarious situations and heartwarming moments follow soon after. In general, most of the episodes roughly follow the same storyline. Usually one of the girls faces some sort of obstacle or dilemma.

The other roommates will then join her for a problem-solving girl talk. This problem-solving 'meeting' usually takes place in the kitchen and plenty of dessert is involved. One of the girls will share a story from her past in order to try and help the roommate with the dilemma. This is where the comedy comes in. Rose will sometimes tell an eccentric story that has little to do with the problem.

Sophia on the other hand is fond of telling elaborate tales that are often exaggerated. Many of these stories are accompanied with flashbacks from previous seasons or one of the women's past experiences. During the show, the women continually share their advice, dessert, and life experiences in the kitchen with each other.

The show was a hit with audience members from the start and received high ratings throughout all the seasons. The first six seasons were in the Top ten while the seventh (final) season reached number thirty. Many people believe this was as a result of the show's new time slot.

The final season moved from its usual nine pm slot to an earlier eight pm slot. Consequently, the ratings dropped. The last season, however, was by no means an unpopular show. The final episode recorded twenty-seven million viewers - a figure which at the time made it one of the top ten most watched series finales.

The story ended because actress Bea Arthur felt it was time to move on. Arthur played the role of Dorothy. The hour-long final episode shows Dorothy getting married to Blanche's uncle Lucas. Uncle Lucas was played by a much younger looking Leslie Nielsen. Dorothy was raised in Brooklyn New York by mom Sophia and dad Sal. She and Stan marry when she falls pregnant after prom night. He eventually trades her in for a much younger flight attendant though.

Fortunately, their relationship stays amicable, and Stan can be seen in twenty-six episodes. In the final episode, he poses as a limo driver and gives Dorothy his blessing for the new marriage with Lucas. Rose (played by Betty White) is the other roommate who moves in and is from a small family town. Rose usually cracks her roommates up with the strange childhood tales she tells. Rose is portrayed as a naive, sometimes stupid, but very sweet lady.

However, she never ceases to shock the other girls with some extremely knowledgeable information on random subjects. During the series, Rose suffers from quite a few health problems as well. At one stage, she has to get tested for HIV after a blood transfusion drama. This storyline was quite controversial at the time but in the end, Rose tested negative.

Blanche, the initial owner of the home, grew up as a Southern belle. She is portrayed as real daddy's girl that grows up to be a bit vain. Although she acts and dresses younger than she really is, Blanche remains a likable character throughout the show. Blanche is played by actress Rue McClanahan who was initially cast as Rose.

Both White and McClanahan expressed concern because they did not want to be typecast as they played similar roles in previous sitcoms. Therefore, McClanahan and White switched roles at the last minute. Sophia, Dorothy's mother, is the fourth main character and brings real color to the story. Interestingly, Sophia is played by actress Estelle Getty who is younger than both Arthur and White.

Getty had to undergo a three-hour make-up and costume session before each episode was shot. Her wardrobe included a white wig and thick glasses. The character of Sophia is quite eccentric and lovable. She is very frank which is said to be as a result of an earlier stroke. Together with sweet but naive Rose, Southern belle Blanche and lovable Dorothy, she makes The Golden Girls Seasons 1-7 a memorable experience.