Season 1 Plot
The Golden Palace begins where The Golden Girls had ended, in the quartet's now-sold Miami house. With Dorothy Zbornak having married and left in the previous series finale, the three remaining cast members (Dorothy's mother, Sophia Petrillo, Rose Nylund, and Blanche Devereaux) decide to invest in a Miami hotel that is up for sale. The hotel, however, is revealed to have been stripped of all of its personnel in an effort to appear more profitable, leaving only two employees: Roland Wilson, the hotel's manager, and Chuy Castillos, the hotel's chef. This requires the women to perform all the tasks of the hotel's staff.
The Golden Palace Season 1 aired on September 18th, 1992.
Season 1 Episodes
1. Pilot
After their ex-roommate Dorothy moves away to Atlanta with her new husband, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia sell their house and decide to purchase a dilapidated hotel near the beach.
2. Promotional Considerations
Blanche and Roland clash over who is the boss of the hotel, meanwhile Rose unknowingly opens up the hotel to a serial killer.
3. Miles, We Hardly Knew Ye
Rose suspects Miles has been unfaithful to her when his name is found in the hotel registry dating back several years.
4. One Old Lady to Go
Rose adopts a delusional elderly woman who thinks she's her daughter; Sophia and Chuy decide to go into the Chinese takeout business.
5. Ebbtide for the Defense
Chuy meets an old friend with a grudge against him; the staff try to make it through the weekend incident free when they realize they don't have any insurance coverage.
6. Can't Stand Losing You
Blanche and Rose are concerned that Roland overworks himself and decide to compete to find him a new girlfriend. Rose finds a beautiful young girl and Blanche tracks down Roland's southern ex-girlfriend Tricia. Only when Tricia is already on the plane to Miami does Blanche find out that Roland hates her. Sophia is jealous of Chuy because he was chosen over her to represent the hotel at a television show.
7. Seems Like Old Times (1)
Dorothy visits her ex-roommates at the Golden Palace, hoping to convince Sophia to come and live with her and her husband in Atlanta.
8. Seems Like Old Times (2)
Sophia runs away to her old rest home. When the other girls try to get her, they find that it is no longer anywhere near as bad as she said it was.
9. Just a Gigolo
Nick De Carlo, a handsome patron says he cannot pay the bill and wants to work in the kitchen. The girls want to find something more appropriate for him to do and ask him about his trade. Nick says he is a gigolo. Shocked, the girls hire him anyway to wash the dishes.
10. Marriage on the Rocks, With a Twist
Roland's parents call to visit. He thinks they are flying over to tell him his dog died. It turns out they have decided to get a divorce. A comic duo is coming for a radio show live from The Golden Palace. Sophia advises the duo to use Rose for the show where they need a stupid person to make fun of.
11. Camp Town Races Aren't Nearly as Much Fun as They Used to Be
When The Daughters of the Traditional South are set to arrive at the hotel, Blanche hangs a Confederate flag on the front counter, though this doesn't bode well with Roland. Meanwhile, Rose is outraged when a married man whom she knows checks in with his mistress.
12. It's Beginning to Look a Lot (Less) Like Christmas
Chuy does not like Christmas because of bad memories in his childhood. Roland accepts to be Santa at the children's hospital. Rose wants him to be a perfect Santa so she puts him through a training with Sophia.
13. Rose and Fern
Miles contacts Rose again and wants them back together. Blanche advises Rose to date other people to get over him. Roland tells Blanche something is wrong in the books and he suspects someone may be stealing money from the hotel.
14. Runaways
Sophia and Oliver joy ride in a guest's car and wind up in police custody.
15. Heartbreak Hotel
Rose organizes a romantic getaway night at the hotel with Dr. Ursula as a guest to give a lecture. Blanche is excited because Taylor Michaels is coming to town. She once lost this man to another woman but Rose is the one Taylor is interested in when he arrives.
16. Señor Stinky Learns Absolutely Nothing About Life
The Golden Palace is being sued by the owner of another hotel: he says part of the girls' parking lot is on his property.
17. Say Goodbye, Rose
Rose is enamored with a hotel guest who looks exactly like Charlie; Blanche is horrified to discover her visiting son Matthew wants to pursue a career as a comedian.
18. You've Lost That Livin' Feeling
A dead body, a news crew and a health inspector all descend upon the hotel during its weekend-long re-opening celebrations leaving the staff scrambling.
19. A New Leash on Life
Blanche's relationship with a greyhound breeder becomes strained when Rose finds out what will happen if his dog doesn't win the next race.
20. Pros and Concierge
Chuy's big mouth results in Roland losing his job after it's revealed he met with the owners of a rival hotel.
21. Tad
It is revealed that Blanche has another brother - a mentally handicapped man who has been living in an institution.
22. One Angry Stan
The girls learn that Dorothy's ex-husband Stan has died, but Sophia eventually finds out the truth when Stan shows up: he faked death and left the country to avoid paying back taxes.
23. Sex, Lies and Tortillas
Spring Break finds a horde of college kids descending upon the hotel; Rose receives a visit from her granddaughter Charlene who is contemplating sex with her boyfriend.
24. The Chicken and the Egg
Blanche turns to her daughter Rebecca when her latest beau wants Blanche to bear his children.