A new animated pilot from BoJack Horseman director Mike Hollingsworth sends The Golden Girls into the future. In an interview with IndieWire, the director talks about his reimagination of Susan Harris’ fan favorite series that followed the lives of Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Rose (Betty White), and Sophia (Estelle Getty). The five-minute pilot, which Hollingsworth created by himself utilizing audio from the original series, has just dropped.

In Golden Girls 3033, it’s over 1000 years into the future and the four ladies are still sharing their Miami home after discovering the fountain of youth. Sophia, though, is now a towering yellow robot, while Stan inhabits the body of an alien-like creature. Hollingsworth said that his idea for the series came after he found himself “doing what other people wanted.”

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

If the pilot is picked up by a network or streamer, Hollingsworth would ideally create 30-minute episodes. Recognizing the love of the show from the LGBTQIA+ community, Hollingsworth is also hoping to include LGBTQIA+ voices within his team if the series takes off, which seems likely. The series is reportedly already piquing the interest of networks. Hollingsworth has his eye on two different streaming services:

“Out of frustration, I just started coming up with the craziest ideas, like the most ridiculous concepts,” Hollingsworth told IndieWire. “I was just riffing in the directors’ room at ‘BoJack,’ like, ‘Well, of course, I’m also working on a show — it’s ‘The Golden Girls,’ [but] they find the fountain of youth, and now they’re in the future.’ It made all the directors laugh, so I would return to it conversationally.”

“My dream for this is to be on Disney+ or Hulu. Even though some of the references may be dated, the comedy and the concepts that they’re dealing with seem so prescient. Young people are still talking about it and buying greeting cards of it, and books of quotes and stuff. It just holds up,” Hollingsworth said.

The Original Golden Girls

     Buena Vista Television

The Golden Girls aired for seven seasons on NBC beginning in 1985. The series followed four older women, played memorably by Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan, sharing a home in Miami. Through its run, the show garnered critical acclaim and won several awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. It is one of the few four sitcoms in history where each of the stars also received individual Emmy Awards.

The series ended in 1992 after Bea Arthur’s exit. The three remaining actresses went on to star in the continuation series The Golden Palace. Harris later created another spin-off, Empty Nest. Over 35 years since the original series, The Golden Girls remains a pop culture favorite, with t-shirts, party goods, games and more maintaining their popularity.