Top 10 Times The Golden Girls Tackled Serious Issues

"The Golden Girls" tackled a lot of serious issues. For this list, we’ll be looking at times the ladies from this ‘80s sitcom switched out cheesecake on the lanai for a slice of humble pie or just desserts and got real. Our countdown includes grief, unhoused people, the cost of aging, and more! Which serious issues were YOU most surprised “The Golden Girls” tackled? Let us know in the comments!

Watch more great serious issue videos here:

Challenge friends and family on our multiplayer Trivia!

Have Your Idea Become A Video!

Subscribe for more great content!

MsMojo is a leading producer of reference online video content of Top 10 Lists, Origins, Biographies, Commentary and more on Pop Culture, Celebrity, Movies, Music, TV, Film, Video Games, Politics, News, Comics, Superheroes. Your trusted authority on ranking Pop Culture.

#TheGoldenGirls #SeriousIssues #Sitcom #GoldenGirls #VerySpecialEpisode

[trinaq]

I love that Blanche rightfully called out Rose on referring to AIDS as a "Bad Person's Disease" when Rose is questioning why she's more at risk for contacting the condition than Blanche, who's had multiple romantic partners. Bonus points for this episode originally aired in 1990, which makes it even further ahead of its time.

[andieallison]

We need to mention what a great woman Estelle Getty is. In the episode "Ebbtide's Revenge", the writers originally wanted Sophia to make jokes about cross-dressing during her son's funeral while standing at his casket, and she called the showrunners and refused to do the scene that way; she insisted that a mother would NEVER make jokes at her own child's funeral.

[trinaq]

I liked that they addressed that anyone can end up homeless, no matter your circumstances. For instance, the young man whom Blanche befriended in the homeless shelter had a PHD, yet he was still forced onto the streets.

[nujeru]

One of the reasons Golden Girls is rightly held aloft as one of the best shows ever, is because the writing was so phenomenal. The topics they tackled like Senior suicide, Houselessness happening to ANYONE (from a PhD student to the elderly), etc are topics STILL NOT discussed in broadcast tv today. Such a wonderfully written show

[ibtiago]

''72 hours'' was very difficult for Estelle Getty. At that time she had already lost several close friends to AIDS and was taking care of one nephew who also contracted it. So imagine how it was for her to play Sophia being prejudiced against AIDS.

[andieallison]

"I'll remember him."

That line hits so hard knowing that Estelle Getty was beginning to have trouble remembering her lines near the end of the show and died from dementia with Lewy bodies.

[McPebbles]

The episodes of Dorothy battling to get a diagnosis for her CFS hits hard for me. I battled for 5 years to be taken seriously by someone, ANYONE in the medical field and was always treated like I was attention seeking before I was listened to and steps were taken to get me on the right track for diagnosis. Sadly, even though I now have a diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) most doctors/nurses and other medical ‘professionals’ treat me worse off than before because they don’t believe it’s real. There’s nothing worse than being made to feel like you’re going insane just because they don’t have an answer

[kadajsnightqueen]

The one about Dorothy’s sickness resonated the most with me. I also have a condition that causes me intense problems, albeit in regards to my digestive tract’s inability to function properly, and it’s an issue that typically leaves no obvious physical trace. My own mother was a nurse, and at times she didn’t believe I had a problem, but still took me to see my GP at the time. After a few years, one test determined that my gall bladder wasn’t working, and everybody was convinced its removal would solve my issues. There was a lot of skepticism when nothing changed, and ultimately I had to see a specialist and have a very specific test before they realized what was actually going on, then further tests and invasive procedures to rule out anything else. Years later, I still have the issue but have learned to live with it and what it’s done to my body. Heck, I was reminded how unusual my case was when I was hospitalized for COVID, when one of my doctors asked me why I wasn’t eating some of the foods on my tray every meal. In most cases, my condition goes away after awhile—not that many people have it chronically, and he’d never heard of a long-term case before. In fact, he told me there was “no such thing, ” practically calling me a liar while I’m just concentrating on trying to breathe, and remained skeptical when I explained how I’d been diagnosed in that same hospital years before. Dorothy spoke for all of us with outwardly invisible medical problems in that episode, especially when she told off that pompous jerk of a doctor!

[amandaredd]

My favorite show of all time, truly. It's such a gem that was way ahead of it's time.

[waynephillips]

You can't overstate how progressive this show was, and the appreciation of this fact continues to grow since, as is pointed out, many of the issues it tackled still plague us today. I think it's important to acknowledge that for the show to have been so ahead of its time meant that every actor, writer, producer and director of the show had to embrace this mindset fully, and we continue to discover the ways that those involved with making the show were progressive in their own lives. We will be watching this beautiful show for generations to come.

[celticpoet]

Great List! Both Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty were raised in Jewish households, so the episode "Dorothy's new friend" must have struck home for them.

[angelaholmes]

Thanks msmojo for doing this the golden girls is a show that deserves to be remembered 😊

[h.a.]

The best sitcom ever. Nothing comes close.

[SotheBee]

It's amazing how well The Golden Girls holds up in its portrayal of issues that are still problems to this day.

And it's sad that these are still issues to this days. So many of these have solutions

[amandaredd]

"Condoms, Rose! Condoms! Condoms! Condoms!"
"Calm down lady! You just get out of prison?"
😂😂😂😂😂😂

[amandaredd]

The episode when Phil dies still guys me like no other. The entirety of it is painful but at the very end when Sophia asks what she did wrong as a parent to "make him the way that he was" and Angela responds "what he was, Sophia, was a good man" - oh man, then Sophia wails "my baby is gone". I cry every single time and I've seen it a thousand times! 💔

[iluuvtacotrucks]

The episode where Dorothy was trying to get a diagnosis made me feel less alone. I lived with hypothyroidism undiagnosed for over ten years. I felt crazy every time I'd go to a doctor to get my many symptoms treated and be given much of the same advice. Such a powerful episode. There is a reason why this show still holds up in 2024.

[MetalMama-Mimi]

My early 20s were shaped and very much formed by The Golden Girls & Designing Women. Pretty much the same show but they tackled the battles of their respective age groups. They also tackled many of the same very taboo topics (for that time era) and both did so with such grace, intellect & always a dash or two of humor. I am now a Golden Girl myself and I find myself reflecting & quoting these 2 shows still to this day.

[jofez]

This brought me to tears. I was still a baby when Golden Girls came out and loved it when I got older. I myself have face a few of these issues and now some of my family are facing things like the nursing home issue. I thank the Golden Girls cast and crew for being crusaders and really making a difference in people's lives even though all of the cast have passed on. Their legacies continue to live on in today's world.

[pimps]

I love this show. I watch this show all the time on Hulu and sometimes here on YouTube. "The Golden Girls" were way ahead of their time in so many ways. At 5:16, I love how Dorothy says to her former friend to 'go to Hell.' It was well deserved and she was not afraid to say it to her! Also, at 6:56, they did a great job of dealing with the topic of unhoused people in the season 4 episode "Brother, Can You Spare The Jacket." That's one of my favorite episodes right there. Another moment at 11:15 is when Blanche tells Rose that "AIDS is not a bad person's disease, it is not God punishing people for their sins!" She is absolutely right on that. This show was awesome. Thank you for sharing and have a nice day.