You can now check in at The Golden Palace on Hulu

The shortly-lived The Golden Girls spinoff, The Golden Palace has a new home on Hulu.  If you want more adventures of the cheesecake eating, dirty talking, and hilarious moments of the girls, then you got to check out The Golden Palace.

The show opens with the same theme song, ‘Thank You For Being A Friend‘ but sung by the song’s original artist, Andrew Gold.

Following The Golden Girls finale, Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White), and Sophia (Estelle Getty) sold their Miami home and invested in a beachfront hotel that was named The Golden Palace.  Although Dorothy (Bea Arthur) ‘moved on and got married,’ the three remaining women continue their friendship, and joining them is Mexican-American actor Cheech Marin as hotel chef Chuy Castillos and African-American actor Don Cheadle as the hotel manager Roland Wilson.  The show was a first for both actors to have spotlight roles.

Despite that, the series was aired in the early 1990s, having people of color in starring roles that had no resemblance to stereotyped characters was a rarity.  It has been said that it was the late Betty White who helped Don Cheadle’s career take off.  More so, the actress made sure that her costar was comfortable on set and just being herself.

Although The Golden Palace ran for twenty-four episodes and one season on CBS (it moved from NBC as a result of a deal war) from 1992-1993, it shone with its special humor.  For instance, Sophia bonds with Chuy, which delivered plenty of laughs even though he was not her sarcastic and sharp-witted daughter.  The latter did guest-starred in two episodes for one more encore as Dorothy Zbornak and reuniting the ‘golden gang’ for one last time.

Just like its successful processor, The Golden Palace touched upon difficult themes of the day.  Disability, animal advocacy, parental custody, elderly care, and racism were shown in strong storylines and gave the audience a deeper understanding of each.  In one episode, titled Tad, the hotel staff discovers that Blanche has an intellectually-disabled brother and the truth hits hard.  Rose had to point out to her friend that it’s wrong to be ashamed and that disabled people can lead full lives.

In another episode, Roland makes it very clear of his honest and personal opinions about the Confederate flag to Blanche.  The flag represents a ‘blockage’ to African American individuals, which causes a rift between the two.  In the end, both agreed to have more understanding and obtain positive outlooks on Black and white people.  Don Cheadle’s performance was inspiring that it even cultivated existence in the online world to emphasize why People of Color must have equality, not just in media, but in all walks of life.  The scene was especially emphasized following the death of George Floyd and the BLM movement.

Notable guest stars popped in from time to time, to give the series more flare and were often the love interests of the women.  Carlo Montalban, George Burns, Ned Beatty, and Margaret Cho, just to name a few, all made memorable appearances.

If you are a fan of The Golden Girls, Sophia’s senile outtakes, and wanting to see even more Betty White, visit The Golden Palace.  All twenty-four and unedited episodes are available to watch on Hulu.