The Golden Girls voted #1 female friendship on TV

Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan of The Golden Girls Launch of The Golden Girls Season 3 DVD at Barnes and Noble Bookstore Nov 22, 2005
March 8 was International Women’s Day. It was also the beginning of Daylight Savings Time in America, which means that because we moved the clocks forward and lost an hour, International Women’s Day was actually only 23 hours long this year. The universe certainly has a sense of humor sometimes. Just in time for IWD, Roku released a bunch of female-based entertainment data. The findings that are getting the most attention right now are from a survey that ranked viewers’ favorite female television friendships. Coming in at number one was the four way friendship of The Golden Girls. Dare I say they… won the gold?

According to Roku’s survey, the No. 1 female friendship on television belongs to Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia from The Golden Girls.

The iconic foursome—played by Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty—anchored the NBC sitcom from 1985 to 1992. The series followed four older women sharing a house in Miami while navigating relationships, careers and life together, often gathering around the kitchen table for late-night conversations and cheesecake.

More than three decades after the show ended, their friendship remains one of the most beloved in television history. During its seven-season run, The Golden Girls was both a critical and ratings success. The sitcom earned multiple Emmy Awards, including wins for each of its four leading actresses—a rare achievement in television.

Roku’s survey identified the following TV friendships as viewers’ favorites:

1. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche & Sophia — The Golden Girls
The four Miami roommates whose witty banter and unwavering support for one another made them one of TV’s most iconic friend groups.
2. Monica, Rachel & Phoebe — Friends
The trio at the heart of the long-running New York sitcom that became one of the defining shows of the 1990s.
3. Max & Eleven — Stranger Things
The unlikely friendship between two teenage girls navigating supernatural chaos in Hawkins.
4. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte & Samantha — Sex and the City
The four Manhattan friends whose candid conversations about relationships and life helped define the HBO series.
5. Meredith & Cristina — Grey’s Anatomy
The fiercely loyal “person” friendship between two surgeons that became one of the emotional anchors of the medical drama.

[From Parade]

Well, thank YOU for being a friend. I think the viewers choose wisely here. I wanna be besties with Dorothy, Rose, Blanch, and Sophia! They’re strong, funny women who supported and cared deeply for one another. They showed women that we can have amazing female friendships, no matter what age we are. As for the rest of Roku’s list, I was pleased to see Max and Eleven get recognition, but I suspect it could be due to recency bias. The other results are not surprising. If we were playing Family Feud, I would have guessed all three of those. Just off the top of my head, I’d also like to nominate a couple of favorite female TV friendships of my own: Leslie and Ann Perkins (Parks & Rec), Rebecca and Keeley (Ted Lasso), and Amy and Dina (Superstore). I’m sure I’m leaving off so many more.

The other data that Roku released alongside the poll results was some of their viewers’ favorite portrayals of female historical figures, like Angela Bassett as Tina Turner, Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth, and Jennifer Lopez as Selena. No arguments there from me. They also revealed a list of the most-searched for actresses on their platform last year, which included Ariana Grande, Jenna Ortega, Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, and Margot Robbie. Jenna’s inclusion just reminded me of how much I also love Wednesday and Enid’s friendship. TV really does have so many great portrayals of female friendships, but the Golden Girls will always reign supreme.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: WENN/Wenn/Avalon, Getty Images, Netflix, Frank Ross/Look Press/Avalon

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7 Responses to “The Golden Girls voted #1 female friendship on TV”

  1. Jais says:

    Aw okay. This is a cute ranking. My favorites from that list are GG and Meredith and Christina, mostly bc Christina Yang remains one of my favorite actors ever. I don’t know that I can pick a favorite out of the GG bc I love them all so much.

  2. SIde Eye says:

    I miss the Golden Girls! My favourite was Dorothy delivering those zingers in those shoulder pads. Such a great show.

  3. Jan says:

    YES! I recently re-watched the series – it’s still LOL funny. I was also impressed with all the issues they tackled.

    Golden Girls is right – they shine on!

  4. Jegede says:

    Absolutely agree.🥰🥰

    I badly need a Dorothy in my life!!

  5. Gabby says:

    I love the GGs and they are rightly in first place, but I have a real problem with Mary and Rhoda from the Mary Tyler Moore show not being in the top 5. Maybe because it was a Roku survey, it skews toward the more recent.

  6. Kiki says:

    GG for life 💛💛

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