It’s not false to say that The Golden Girls is an iconic sitcom, perhaps the most iconic. Everyone loved the stars’ chemistry on-screen, and people were devastated that the TV show was canceled, according to Country Living. But in the 29 years since the show’s ending, fans are getting the real story behind the sitcom’s cancellation.
According to Fox News, a tell-all book titled, Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind The Lanai by James Colucci, reveals how Bea Arthur, the actress who played Dorothy Zbornak, was ready to leave The Golden Girls on more than one occasion. Colucci said Arthur was upset about the show’s bashing of her character, Fox News reports. “Bea was offended,” he said to FOX411 (via Fox News). “The things that were said about Dorothy were that she was big and ugly. And that wears on an actress after a while.”
Additionally, Colucci said that Arthur wanted to leave the show after the seventh season because of the deterioration in the show’s quality, per Fox News. “She thought the quality was starting to slip,” Colucci said. “She wanted to go out while it was still a good show and she felt she was done with it” (via Fox News).
The feud between Betty White and Bea Arthur may have contributed to the show's cancellation
Per Country Living, a feud between Betty White and Arthur could have contributed to the end of The Golden Girls. Colucci said the differences in the two actresses’ experiences contributed to their feud, noting how Arthur’s work in “old school” television clashed with Betty’s more modern approach, Closer reports. “[Bea] came from the old school of [television writer] Norman Lear where sitcoms were filmed like stage plays and done with up-close reactions,” Colucci said in an interview with Closer. “[Betty, on the other hand], was from the Mary Tyler Moore school where everything is a very subtle character moment. The jokes are more gentle.”
Many believe Arthur’s feud with White was simply a jealousy issue over White’s Emmy win. However, Arthur’s son, Matthew Saks, said White’s approach to work, along with Arthur’s character bashing, made his mom unhappy, Closer reports. “It would make my mom unhappy that in-between takes Betty would go and talk to the audience,” he said to Closer. “It wasn’t jealousy. It was a focus thing.”
While we might never know the true story behind the sitcom’s cancellation, no one can deny that The Golden Girls brought so many iconic moments to Hollywood. So, despite whatever feud, remember that.
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