Picture it: It’s a Saturday night in 1985. Forget staying up late for Saturday Night Live—you're already glued to the TV because The Golden Girls is on. The four gals gracing your television screen with their swishy clothes, slices of cheesecake, and perfectly Floridian vibes bring all the humor and heart you could need. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia, thank you for being our friends. You’ve been with us for 40 years and counting. How about celebrating them with an audiobook? I recommend listening on the lanai.
The show is a classic for a reason. This group of four women sets up a similar dynamic to the quartet in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Dorothy is the clever and feisty Jo; Rose is the somewhat naive but sneakily wise Beth; Sophia is the maternal Meg; and Blanche is the boy-crazy Amy. It works pretty well, right? These archetypes are made to bounce off each other in delightful and hilarious ways.
For a show about women in their so-called "golden years, "The Golden Girls never shied away from tackling the issues of the day. The characters were never too old for anything: new relationships, career changes, hijinks, and adventures. The show was audacious then, and it remains audacious today. While The Golden Girls ran only for a finite 180 episodes—and three spin-off shows!—the fun does not stop there. Some of the titles in this collection of audiobooks will give you deeper insight into the beloved show. Others capture similar magic with new characters and settings while still touching on themes found in The Golden Girls.
Audiobooks about The Golden Girls
This memoir by the late Betty White, who played Rose on The Golden Girls, is narrated by the author herself. And having started her career in radio in the 1930s, you know she can handle the microphone. With witty stories from across the decades, unique insights on life, and heartfelt tales from her tireless advocacy for animals, this book will inspire a love for Betty White deeper than you thought possible.
Okay, so this one is not a book exactly, but if you are ready for a rewatch of The Golden Girls and want a companion podcast, look no further. Hilarious hosts Patrick Hinds and Jennifer Simard trade great banter while analyzing each episode and unearthing new trivia along the way. Once you start listening, you too will fast become a “Cheesecake,” as devoted fans of the podcast are called.
Betty White’s life is an inspiration for many people, author Paula Bernstein included. If you want to take cues from Betty White, this delightful audiobook will guide you through poignant moments in her life story. Whether you’re wondering how to approach your feelings about family, friendship, love, work, or aging, you will find that Betty has choice words for you. Narrator Jodi Carlisle quizzes listeners at the ends of the chapters, a fun, interactive element that lets you prove your fan status definitively.
The Golden Girls were simply meant to be amateur detectives. And now they are! This cozy mystery uses the original characters from the show, imagining them in a new predicament. Rose is hosting a St. Olaf-themed wedding at a Miami hotel, where Dorothy’s date is found dead in the freezer. The Golden Girls must clear their names, solve the crime, and still host a spectacular wedding. Listeners agree that narrator Yvonne Newman perfectly captures the humor and individual voices of the original show’s beloved characters.
The Golden Girls isn't merely a beloved, eminently quotable sitcom that stands the test of time. It's also among the most influential shows to ever be broadcast. Tales from the Lanai reflects on the show's lasting cultural and historical impact, collecting the voices of audiences and academics. Media scholars Taylor Cole Miller and Alfred L. Martin, Jr. edit this accessible volume, which pays mind to how the unexpected hit resonated with Black, queer, and female viewers. The result is a fascinating examination of art, comedy, and community.
Audiobooks for fans of The Golden Girls
If you’re looking for a lighthearted tale of adventures undertaken by older protagonists, Chasing the Sun is a great pick. Molly is turning 70 and wondering where the years went. Meanwhile, her sister Nell has been left by her husband for a younger woman. They need a change of scenery and, by golly, they get one. The sun and sea in Spain provide some solace, but Molly isn’t satisfied. Taking off on her own, she continues to chase happiness. Excellent narration by Phyllida Nash brings the sisters’ adventures to life.
The Palm Meridian is a retirement resort for women in Florida. Sounds like The Golden Girls, right? But there are a couple of twists. All of the women at the Palm Meridian are queer, and the year is 2067, when part of Florida is underwater. Hannah, recipient of a terminal cancer diagnosis, is planning an end-of-life celebration, hoping her long-lost love Sophie will show up. This might all sound heavy, but like The Golden Girls, this story balances the devastating facts of life with an indomitable and life-affirming spirit. Narration by Janet Metzger makes this an irresistible listen.
A friendship among aging women is at the center of Our Gen. The Gen is the nickname for a retirement community in a posh Philadelphia suburb. There, protagonist Cynthia befriends Bloc, Tish, and Lavia, and the four of them get up to all sorts of trouble. Eventually, mysteries about each character begin to unravel. Lively narration by Janina Edwards traces the characters' journeys from their enigmatic pasts to their present time at the Gen.
Something The Golden Girls excelled at was demonstrating that aging women can still be sexual beings. This story further explores that idea by following twentysomething Nikki, a law school dropout, who begins teaching creative writing to older Punjabi women in London. When one woman finds an English-language book of erotic stories, the class is inspired to write their own. Nikki aims to help these women express themselves without bringing scandal to their community. Narrator Meera Syal deftly differentiates the colorful cast of characters in this lively novel.
What would The Golden Girls be like if, instead of commiserating over cheesecake, they opened up a cheesecake shop? That’s the vibe in Pieces of Happiness. Five Norwegian women, all lifelong friends, embark on a new adventure in Fiji. There, they’ve decided to live on a cacao farm and open a chocolate business. Such big upheaval in life isn’t easy, though, and it does affect the characters’ health, finances, and sense of self. The storytelling in this audiobook, narrated by Jilly Bond, is rich, like perfectly bittersweet chocolate.
Isabelle Popp, lifelong fan of The Golden Girls, recently visited Estelle Getty’s grave in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Her debut romance, Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About, is now available on Audible.
