The Golden Girls: Season 05 (1989)

The Golden Girls begins its fifth season minus several of its longtime writers, but with the basic cast intact: Bea Arthur as Dorothy, Betty White as Rose, Rue McClanahan as Blanche, and Estelle Getty as Dorothy's mom, Sophia, four very mature ladies living under the same roof in a small Miami neighborhood. The season opens with the two-part "Sick and Tired," another crossover episode featuring characters from the Golden Girls spin-off series Empty Nest, in this case Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston and Park Overall as Laverne Todd. The later episode "Not Another Monday" marks the second appearance of Blanche's daughter Rebecca, here played by Debra Engle, replacing the previous season's Shawn Schepps. "Dancing in the Dark" introduces Harold Gould in the recurring role of Rose's boyfriend Miles Webber, a shy, retiring type who will later turn out to have a most turbulent "secret life." In "Ebb Tide," Sheree North makes the second of two appearances as Blanche's spoiled younger sister Virginia. And in the two-part finale, the girls somewhat incredibly prepare for a visit from the first President George Bush -- who, of course, does not appear on-camera, but is represented by an offscreen voice provided by master mimic Harry Shearer. As in its fourth season, Golden Girls ranked as America's sixth most popular series throughout its fifth year on the air. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi