This was not your average, cookie cutter American sitcom. You had four older women sharing a house in Miami. One was a smart and sarcastic teacher. One was a sexual and promiscuous vixen. One was the "dumb blonde." And one was the mother figure to them all, hurling insults every few seconds. The issues brought up in The Golden Girls were not standard. They were raw, they were shocking, and they brought harsh doses of reality to the American audience that watched religiously every week beginning in 1985. No one talked about AIDS candidly, no one talked about homosexuality candidly. Drug addiction was shied away from on national TV, let alone loudly acknowledged. Biracial couples can still turn heads today, but in the 1980s? Being a single parent was rarer than not, let alone a single parent that was artificially inseminated.
1. "72 Hours" - AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Disorder) was the controversial hot topic of this episode. Keep in mind, it bravely aired during the crux of the AIDS epidemic that was running rampant in the LGBT community. After having received a blood transfusion several years prior, Rose (played by THE queen Betty White), finds out she may have contracted AIDS from it. She is in total shock that someone like her, a heterosexual and sexually healthy woman, could have contracted AIDS. She then goes on to stress that she's a good person and doesn't deserve to go through this, after which Blanche (Rue McLanahan) reprimands her, stating that AIDS doesn't make you a bad person.
2. "Isn't It Romantic?" - LGBT Issues
This episode sees Dorothy (Bea Arthur) welcome her friend Jean to Miami. It is mentioned that Jean was recently widowed when her spouse, Pat, died. However, it was unconfirmed until later that Pat was a woman. Throughout her visit, Jean falls in love with Rose and tells Dorothy. This obviously causes some tension in the household because Rose is unsure how to handle it when she finds out, but eventually, they clear the air and Jean wraps up her visit. Exemplifying homosexuality was not uncommon in The Golden Girls. In a later episode, Blanche's brother comes out to her as gay.
3. "The Accurate Conception" - Artificial Insemination & Single Parenting
Artificial insemination isn't something widely discussed even today, let alone in 1989. When Blanche's daughter Rebecca admits she wants to have a child as a single mother and get impregnated from a sperm bank, Blanche is disgusted but eventually comes around. The themes of being a single parent and artificial insemination were doubly presented in this episode. The best part? When the girls hesitantly go with Rebecca to visit an actual sperm bank.
4. "Mixed Blessings" - Biracial Relationship
Dorothy's son Michael pays the girls a visit and has some bombshell news: he's getting married. But that's not all. He awkwardly tells his mother, "Lorraine's... kinda... black." Dorothy is shocked and a bit unsettled at the news. KEEP IN MIND: 1980s television! When Lorraine and her family visit, they are just as angry that their daughter is marrying a (in their own words) "skinny white boy." On top of racial differences, it is also confirmed Lorraine is twice Michael's age. The two families struggle while Michael and Lorraine ignore the issues and later elope. At the end of the episode, both sides reconcile at the news Lorraine is pregnant.
5. "High Anxiety" - Drug Addiction
Rose reveals an addiction to painkillers 30 years after she was first prescribed them for an injury. Dorothy and Blanche stay up with her through the night to successfully go 24 hours without taking them, but she relapses a couple days later when she still wants to take more. She eventually makes a call to an addiction center to get professional help.
