Do you think GG would have carried on for a few more seasons if they just did 'The Golden Girls' in miami in the house without Bea rather than do 'GP'?

I think there was a better chance of it working if they had stayed in the house although if ratings had not increased for a potential 8th season, it wouldn't have continued given the shows age.

On the flipside, it might have been harder to maintain it in the same area without Bea as there would have always been the feeling that she would come in at any moment and give a reaction/make a retort. I would have rather watched it in the house than the hotel but ultimately I don't think the story of Blanche, Rose, and Sophia would have continued beyond one more season.

Two Season 7 episodes had Bea playing small roles; Dateline: Miami and Ro$e Love$ Mile and although one was a flashback, they showed that The Golden Girls without Bea wouldn't be the right balance. It would have been like Coco staying on the show instead of being written out.

Yes I get what you mean because shows try to carry on when a important character leaves, I could imagine it now rose starting a st olaf story and we'd be waiting for Bea to say something

Yeah, that's what I was imagining. Dorothy's reaction would always be so dry that it would be hysterical everytime. Alot of shows try to infuse new life by adding characters when they run out of steam and that's why spinoffs so often fail. However, when a show drops a big character and adds a new one before it hits its peak, the show can sometimes strive. My point is that 7 years was too late in the game to try a different angle.

I've always thought that it is such a shame The Golden Girls only lasted for seven seasons which, in modern times, is not a long run for a show by any means. In fact, of all TV shows which I collect on DVD, The Golden Girls is the second shortest (behind 3rd Rock from the Sun). I would have loved it if there had been a Season 8. For me, Seasons 6 and 7 were the best years of the show. Another year in the same style would have been fantastic, regardless of ratings. Many people say the show slipped a bit in terms of quality but I think it is the exact opposite. Anything those actresses did was marvellous. I'm sure there were plenty more storylines the producers could have thought up to fill at least another season. It's a pity Bea felt so strongly about leaving as the others have always said they would have carried on.

Part of me feels it could have gone on with the 4 of them for a bit longer but I like to look at this way: We can always look back on the show and say "That was a brilliant piece of television" in stead of "That used to be good but the killed it by sticking around well past its sell-by date". It's nearly 15 years after the end and I never think it was a mistake to end after 7 seasons. I agree that it wasn't an incredibly long run for a sitcom but if Bea's heart wasn't in her performance (as she has said would have been the case), I don't think it would have been as enjoyable.