34 Years Later, This TV Series Finale Remains the Most Emotionally Devastating of all Time

The Golden Girls is a revelation today as much as it was in the 1980s. Featuring the talents of four legendary TV actresses in the roles of a lifetime, this NBC sitcom tackled topics that most writers wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.

From gay marriage to menopause, the series navigated uncomfortable truths about society and the human condition, yet it never lost its comedic touch or lightheartedness. The comedy was always true to itself and to the ideals of friendship on which the episodes were based.

34 years ago this month, the series aired its final episode. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" ended the series on one of the most emotionally devastating notes in the history of the medium. Imagining our favorite girls having to go their separate ways is just too much to handle thinking about, even all these decades later, but that's exactly what the plot of the episode is.

Dorothy finally overcomes years of loneliness in her romantic life when she finds a man who truly loves her for who she is. She decides to get married and move away from her friends, a plot device that had to be put in place because Bea Arthur no longer wanted to appear in the series or its eventual spinoff, The Golden Palace.

The final scene of the episode shows Dorothy going back into the house several times to hug her best friends goodbye before leaving. When the rest of the girls finally realize the last hug and goodbye have been had, they crash together in a poignant embrace that still gets every fan of the show misty-eyed all these years later.

For most fans, it's a series finale that encapsulated everything great about these characters, but it's too hard to ever watch a second time. We're all better off just repeating the happier episodes of the show, while appreciating the melancholy finale the writers perfectly captured.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 3:54 AM.