The Golden Girls: A Cultural History

Giacomazzo (In Living Color) takes a rewarding deep dive into the titular 1980s comedy series. Besides tackling taboo social and political issues, the show was the first to depict “sexagenarians—and one feisty octogenarian—leading active, vital lives as complete, full women,” Giacomazzo writes. In doing so, it pushed past reductive TV depictions of women as either young college graduates or homemakers tending to husbands and children. Instead, the four women—Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White), Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur), and Sophia (Estelle Getty)—lived together in Miami to save money due to skimpy pensions, and forged a new definition of what family could look like. According to the author, the show confronted controversial Reagan administration issues such as poverty, immigration, and homelessness; challenged rhetoric about AIDS patients (in one episode, Blanche takes direct aim at pastor Jerry Falwell’s claim that the disease was a “punishment for the world’s sins”); and featured interracial relationships at a time when they were rarely seen in TV or films. Giacomazzo also devotes sections to each character and their best episodes, and ranks the show’s top 10 story lines. There’s a wealth of fun, up-close celebrity detail to satisfy fans, and it’s well-balanced with Giacomazzo’s careful cultural analysis—much of which touches on issues that are still salient today, from addiction to doctors gaslighting women’s health concerns. Pop culture fans will rejoice. (Aug.)