Sometimes, the best praise an actor can receive is from a fan who has spent years waiting to see themselves represented on screen. When audiences were introduced to Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, and Rose, they were able to see strong, older women living full and exciting lives.

Rue McClanahan, who played Blanche Devereaux, understood how important The Golden Girls was to television.

“I’ve got fanmail saying 'Thank you for allowing me to act and dress as I feel,’” said McClanahan during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “Because in those days, when you were over 50, you were supposed to be wearing certain types of clothes and behaving a certain way. And women were writing saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you for the freedom, for the release, for the permission."

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Believe it or not, there was a bit of reluctance to air The Golden Girls, as many producers argued there wasn’t an audience for the show. They were very quickly proven wrong.

“As it turned out, people did respond well, didn’t they?” asked McClanhan during an interview with The Tribune. “They didn’t find it so shocking after all that ladies who are a bit mature could live full lives…I think one reason the show has become so popular is the writing; it’s honest and brilliant and funny. You know, even when it deals with a serious subject, it does so without losing its primary goal - to entertain the audience.”