Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
It’s one of the greatest television shows of the past 40 years, if not longer. Four single women of a certain age living in Miami, dating basically every available man over 45 in the state of Florida, sharing laughter and tears and cheesecake. The Golden Girls is one of the most fondly remembered TV shows ever, both because it’s a formula that has never really been replicated and because the comedic gifts of Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty are timeless.
Starting today, the entire run of The Golden Girls is up on Hulu — 180 episodes to keep you entertained. But where to begin? Especially if you’re already familiar with the show, watching the episodes in chronological order might not have all that much appeal. To help pick out which episodes are superior, we turned to IMDb’s episode rankings and selected the 25 highest-ranked episodes. IMDb users can be a fickle bunch, so we’re putting them to the test here: do these 25 episodes represent the best and the brightest of The Golden Girls to you?
'One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest'
Season: 7
Episode: 23
IMDb Rating: 9.3/10
The two-part series finale sees Dorothy married off to Leslie Nielson (of The Naked Gun fame), who is Blanche’s uncle, which is kind of weird, but whatever. The series ends on a very emotional note, with the lines between character and actress completely blurred for all four women.
'The Case of the Libertine Belle'
Season: 7
Episode: 2
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
The girls go to a murder-mystery weekend and, in the grand tradition of sitcoms going on murder-mystery weekend, get caught up in a murder mystery themselves. Dorothy gets to be at her utmost know-it-all, while Rose’s dunderheadedness similarly shines through.
'Old Friends'
Season: 3
Episode: 1
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
Estelle Getty won her first Emmy Award for this episode, the third season premiere, where her old friend comes to town and they all realize he’s got Alzheimer’s.
'Isn't It Romantic?'
Season: 2
Episode: 5
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
Dorothy’s friend Jean comes to Miami, reveals to Dorothy that she’s a lesbian, and develops a rather sweet crush on Rose. It’s a progressive 1980s storyline that really helps you understand why The Golden Girls became such an iconic show for gay audiences. As we mentioned in our own Today in TV History post about the episode, the standout scene is when Blanche finds out and finds herself utterly flummoxed by the word “lesbian.”
'Sister of the Bride'
Season: 6
Episode: 14
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
Another gay-themed episode, this time with Blanche’s gay brother (obviously Blanche was going to have a gay brother) visiting Miami to announce his commitment ceremony to his partner.
'Ladies of the Evening'
Season: 2
Episode: 2
IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose are on their way to a Burt Reynolds movie premiere (the height of glamour in 1986!) when they stop at a bar and end up mistakenly arrested for being prostitutes. The scenes of the ladies behind bars are a scream, leading to one of the most memorable episodes of the series.
'It's a Miserable Life'
Season: 2
Episode: 4
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
The meanest old lady in the neighborhood kicks the bucket while in an argument with Rose, so Rose tries to assuage her guilt by planning the woman’s sparsely attended funeral.
'Journey to the Center of Attention'
Season: 7
Episode: 18
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
The plot of this episode sees Blanche getting jealous when Dorothy starts to frequent Blanche’s favorite singles bar, but we suspect the reason this one is a top-10-ranked Golden Girls episode is Bea Arthur’s performance of the standard “What’ll I Do,” one of the true show-stopping moments of the series.
'The Actor'
Season: 2
Episode: 14
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
As wonderful as the great friendship between Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche is, it’s always so much fun when they’re at each other’s throats, as they are in this episode where they all end up falling for the same smooth-talking actor who three-times them all.
'There Goes the Bride, Part 2'
Season: 6
Episode: 17
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
The second part of a late-series episode where Dorothy and Stan were going to get re-married, which absolutely nobody thought was a good idea. This episode is also notable for a guest appearance by the late Debbie Reynolds.
'The Artist'
Season: 3
Episode: 13
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Another episode where a handsome gentleman ends up lavishing attention on all three women and lead to the three of them fighting amongst themselves. This time, an artist takes all three women as inspiration for his latest work of art.
'There Goes the Bride, Part 1'
Season: 6
Episode: 16
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
And this is part 1 of the Dorothy/Stan re-marriage episode.
'Mrs. George Devereaux'
Season: 6
Episode: 9
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
The later seasons of The Golden Girls did end up stretching for plot. Like this episode where Blanche’s late husband George turns up somehow alive, plunging the sitcom into uncomfortable soap opera territory, even before its dreamy conclusion. IMDb voters love it, but even with the Sonny Bono cameo (“Sonny Bono, get off my lanai!”), we’re not sure we’re onboard with what they’re thinking here.
'What a Difference a Date Makes'
Season: 6
Episode: 22
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Barney Miller‘s Hal Linden guest starred as Dorothy’s long-lost prom date who stood her up, only now we discover it was Sophia who sent him away.
'Valentine's Day'
Season: 4
Episode: 15
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
This is one of those episodes where the ladies sit around the kitchen table, eat cheesecake, and reminisce about their old experiences. In this case, it probably makes the top of the list because of one reason: “Condoms, Rose! Condoms! Condoms! Condoms!”
'Scared Straight'
Season: 4
Episode: 9
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Back to Blanche’s gay brother, this is the episode where he visits Miami, freshly divorced from his ex-wife, and tells Blanche he’s gay.
'Not Another Monday'
Season: 5
Episode: 7
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
No surprise that this rather poignant episode made the list. It’s about Sophia’s friend who wants Sophia to be there with her as she makes the choice to end her life.
'Flu Attack'
Season: 1
Episode: 21
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche all get the flu at the same time and have to be miserable around each other for the duration. If there’s a more perfect sitcom setup, we’ve yet to encounter it.
'Mother's Day'
Season: 3
Episode: 25
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Another cheesecake-in-the-kitchen, ladies-reminisce episode. This time it’s all about Mother’s Day stories. Very fitting for both a season finale and an episode airing in May.
'A Little Romance'
Season: 1
Episode: 13
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Rose springs her new boyfriend on the girls, a little person (and doctor) named Jonathan. Blanche’s reaction to Jonathan is one of her all-time great clips. Actor Brent Collins, who plays Jonathan, was a beloved soap actor at the time on NBC’s Another World
'The Way We Met'
Season: 1
Episode: 25
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
The first-season finale was also the first of the reminiscing episodes — a flashback to when the three main characters first met. And it was one for the history books, featuring the herring-circus scene, a masterpiece of in-character and out-of-character laughter that still fascinates.
'Long Day's Journey Into Marinara'
Season: 2
Episode: 19
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Sophia’s sister Angela (Nancy Walker from Rhoda) moves to Miami and immediately begins to cramp Sophia’s style.
'My Brother, My Father'
Season: 3
Episode: 17
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
This is the episode that at long last won Bea Arthur her Emmy Award, after she had to spend the day pretending to still be married to Stan Zbornak. We suppose anyone would deserve a reward for that.
'Yes, We Have No Havanas'
Season: 4
Episode: 1
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Blanche and Sophia end up dating the same man, leading to a peerless barrage of insults between them. Try out “Beat if, you 50-year-old mattress” some time.
