[SO SAD] Golden Girls Season 8 Almost Happened, but a MAJOR ACTOR decided that she would NOT BE RETURNING to the show

Golden Girls Season 8 Almost Happened, But One Cast Member Said “No F*cking Way” To New Contract

Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak looking disgusted in The Golden Girls

The Golden Girls was nearly renewed for season 8, but a major actor decided that she would not be returning to the show. Though rumors of a Golden Girls reboot continue to this day, the original series ran from 1985 through 1992, and there have not been any major rebooting efforts. Aside from a few spinoffs, the show’s legacy remains strictly tied to the legacy of its four major actors: Betty White (Rose Nylund), Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), and Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo).

The season 7 cancellation cemented the show’s fate, but it was not always going to end with its seventh season. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-producer Marsha Posner Williams admitted that one star made the executive decision to end the series. While White, Getty, and McClanahan were all interested in continuing with Golden Girls, Arthur had no interest in another season, as her disdain for White made her want to exit the show. Check out her quote below:

The show would have continued after seven years. Their contracts were up and … the executives went to the ladies, and Estelle said, “Yes, let’s keep going,” and Rue said, “Yes let’s keep going,” and Betty said, “Yes, let’s keep going.” And Bea said “no f*cking way,” and that’s why that show didn’t continue. … And Betty would break character in the middle of the show [and talk to the live audience], and Bea hated that.

What This Means For The Golden Girls

The Show Could Have Gone On Longer

If not for Arthur’s decision to leave Golden Girls, the show certainly could have run for many more years. While Golden Girls ended in 1992, the stars would all continue to be active through the 2000s. Arthur would remain active on TV, appearing in Futurama, talk shows, and various documentaries. Betty White would continue starring in movies and shows through 2019, though she mostly preferred vocal work. McClanahan would continue working until 2009 in a variety of TV movies, and Getty’s career would end in 2001, due to dementia-related complications.

Given its initial high ratings, a show that still enjoyed Arthur’s involvement potentially could have enjoyed a much longer run.

The show could have run longer, and it even managed to, thanks to the spinoff The Golden Palace, which saw the entire cast return, save for Arthur. It ran for one season from 1992 to 1993, before being abruptly canceled after CBS changed its mind about renewing the series. Viewership had declined, as the loss of Arthur proved to be devastating for the group’s dynamic. Given its initial high ratings, a show that still enjoyed Arthur’s involvement potentially could have enjoyed a much longer run.

Our Take On The Golden Girls’ Ending

It Was Likely A Smart Decision

The cast of Golden Girls gather on the couch and look upset

The Golden Girls‘ ending was fairly abrupt, as viewers would not have expected that Arthur would lose interest in the series. Yet, as disappointing as the news was, it made sense. Arthur was a decade older than her character, having been 63 years old when the show started and around 70 years old when it ended. In her own golden years, Arthur had the right to decide what to do with the rest of her life. Instead of spending years surrounded by an actor she was feuding with, she elected to leave the show and enjoy her life.

Source: THR