Betty White on The Golden Girls Chemistry

It’s a busy spring for Betty White. Besides the impending Saturday Night Live hosting gig on May 8th, her new TV Land PRIME original series Hot in Cleveland is set to debut on June 16.

White plays one of four women living in a home along with Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves. And while that set-up might sound familiar to Betty fans, this one’s a little different than The Golden Girls. She’s the caretaker of a house and the three younger actresses suddenly decide to take up residence there. They’re L.A. transplants who get stranded in Cleveland and choose to stay when they realize the locals think they’re hot.  

We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the show (and see Betty present in person) at the TV Land Awards on Saturday night. And we have to say, Cleveland looks pretty funny. 


Admittedly, the bar is set very high for the Cleveland ladies to match the chemistry that Betty shared with her Golden Girls co-stars. But if any group of actresses can come close to that, this is it.


Betty talked about her connection with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty in an interview we edited for the Archive of American Television. See what she has to say about what made it work, why the show ended, and how she felt about it