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The Golden Girls set the standard for aging on television. But since that blip from 1985 to 1992, the medium has largely ignored anyone above the age of 50—unless they were playing the parent or grandparent of a young, attractive lead.
Lately, though, that has started to change. Netflix’s Grace and Frankie led the way in more recent years, centering octogenarians Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as friends and entrepreneurs who invent products like lube for post-menopausal women and a toilet that lifts up to meet users with aging joints and backs. The Sex and the City reboot … And Just Like That explicitly says its main characters are in their 50s. (It was trapped by the known age of its characters, but still!) Menopause is trending, becoming a topic on series such as Better Things and Bad Sisters. Some of TV’s hottest recent leading ladies have included Jean Smart (currently 73) on Hacks and Jennifer Coolidge (currently 63) on White Lotus. And while aging on television has traditionally been a bit easier for men, recent shows such as Only Murders in the Building, Man on the Inside, and Shrinking have highlighted the advanced age of their male leads—and the difficulties that come with it.
Here, a few of the best recent shows to tackle the difficulties and joys of old age, plus one for the ages.
‘Hacks’
With three seasons down and more to go, Hacks has not shied away from the indignities of aging, particularly as a woman, and particularly in showbusiness. When the series begins, legendary comedian Deborah Vance (played by Smart), appears to be all but wrapping up her career, whether she likes it or not. She’s playing Vegas regularly, traditionally a sign of sunsetting a career, and even that is coming to an end as the site of her residency seeks to go in a new direction. Instead of going quietly, Deborah decides to reinvent her act by hiring a young writer, Ava (Hannah Einbinder). The two clash over everything from fashion and sexuality to comedy itself, but they make each other better by bridging their multi-generation divide. Along the way, we get a full portrait of a woman who intends to fight aging at every step, whether that means spending regular weekends at an eyelift-aftercare spa or taking cutthroat measures to secure and keep a new late-night hosting gig.
Where to Watch: Max
‘A Man on the Inside’
This soft-and-sweet 2024 Netflix series from multiple Peabody winner Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place) might be the closest spiritual heir to The Golden Girls. Its setup is classic sitcom: Ted Danson, as classic a sitcom star as they come, plays Charles, a retired engineering professor and widower who takes a job going undercover at a retirement home to find a missing ruby necklace. There, he finds the community and purpose he’d been lacking as he gets himself involved in a love triangle (with fellow former sitcom star Sally Struthers) and makes unexpectedly deep connections while trying to solve the mystery. Although his boss at the private detective firm and his daughter play significant roles, the emphasis isn’t on the intergenerational differences like it is in Hacks or Only Murders in the Building. Here, Gen Z-ers and Millennials are incidental; the story mainly focuses on retired folks and the ways they’re still very much living their lives, but doesn’t ignore very real concerns like illness and mortality.
Where to Watch: Netflix
‘Shrinking’
Created by Peabody-winning producer Bill Lawrence, along with actors Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein, Shrinking grapples with mental health, intergenerational relationships, and grief. Starring Segel as Jimmy, a therapist struggling in the wake of his wife’s sudden death in a drunk driving accident, the series delves into many different relationships, but none more striking than that between Jimmy and his mentor, Paul, played with magnificently cranky humor by Harrison Ford. What’s extraordinary is the way that the 82-year-old actor, an icon of old-school masculinity, dispenses wisdom, but also learns from his younger colleagues, atones for his shortcomings as a father earlier in his life, and grapples with the effects of Parkinson’s Disease while dating his neurologist, played by Wendie Malick. It might seem like a throwaway joke, but it’s significant that characters routinely talk about how hot both Ford and Malick are; they’re still considered sexy here, even by the younger folks. Ford, incidentally, is leading the way as an octogenarian TV star, also starring on the Yellowstone sequel 1923 with Helen Mirren.
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
‘The Golden Girls’
This classic holds up on rewatch. It became a hit in its time partly because of its unique concept—four old ladies living together in Florida! Flighty Rose (Betty White), sarcastic Dorothy (Bea Arthur), and southern belle Blanche (Rue McClanahan) move in together after being widowed or divorced, navigating aging and relationships together while eating a lot of cheesecake. It’s a little shocking, especially for those of us who grew up watching it, to revisit it and realize that three of the four main characters are said to be in their early 50s as the show begins, which is, kids, not that old. (Today, they could be played by Renée Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, and Regina Hall, for instance.) Sophia, Dorothy’s mother, was in her 70s (but, oddly, played by Estelle Getty, who was 62 when the show began). Nonetheless, the series allowed the women to be funny, sexy, full characters with vibrant lives, and to become aging role models for generations to come.
Where to Watch: Hulu