“It sounded like a marvelous idea,” Betty White said of the spinoff in a 1997 interview, per Archive of American Television. CBS ultimately canceled the spinoff after a 24-episode single season. With such a solid cast, the potential for The Golden Palace to do well seemed like it was there, but fans found that it just wasn't the same in a new location without the constant presence of Dorothy Zbornak (though Bea Arthur did make a special appearance). With Arther out of the picture, Don Cheadle was brought in to play hotel manager Roland Wilson with Cheech Marin also co-starring as co-chef Chuy Castillos. In the spinoff, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia move out of their shared Miami home and into the Art Deco hotel in South Beach, which they plan to manage. Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty all returned to their respective roles as Rose Nylund, Blanche Devereaux, and Sophia Petrillo. When the series ended, The Golden Girls was one of television's most popular programs, and the hope was to keep fans watching by bringing back the rest of the remaining cast.
The Golden Palace picks up directly after the series finale of The Golden Girls, which saw Bea Arthur getting married and moving away from her mother and best pals.
