The Golden Girls premiered in 1985, following the comedic escapades of four mature women living as housemates in Miami, Florida. The Golden foursome includes headstrong Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak (Bea Arthur, known for her lead role in the 1970s sitcom Maude), her spunky and sharp-tongued mother Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty), naïve Rose Nylund (Betty White of The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and sexually liberated Blanche Devereaux (Maude co-star Rue McClanahan). The four leads are a distinctive group of women who drive each other crazy on a daily basis. They're plagued by Dorothy's scheming ex-husband Stanley Zbornak (Herb Edelman) and are sometimes visited by -- to Blanche's delight -- eligible neighbor Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan of Empty Nest). But while arguments and insults form a large part of the women's relationship with each other, they're truly committed to each other as loving, loyal friends who support one another even through the most difficult times.
