The Golden Girls in the Time of COVID-19: Finding Solace, Connection, and Meaning in Isolation.
When the world shut down in 2020, grief became universal. Loss was everywhere. Some of it obvious, like the staggering death tolls, the funerals that couldn’t be held, and the families torn apart, but there was also another kind of grief, the quieter kind. The loss of routine, of touch, of spontaneity. The loss of simply being with others.
For many, including myself, the COVID-19 pandemic unearthed long-buried emotions tied to past losses and memories long-buried and habits long-disgarded. Isolation has a way of forcing reflection, of resurfacing memories that had once been held at bay by daily distractions. As someone who has studied PTSD, complicated grief, and existential psychology, I recognized what was happening. But that didn’t mean it was any easier. Considering that I was stuck in a holding pattern of school coming up in my Clinical Psychology & Mental Health studies while the word needed every single compassionate active listener available was anxiety inducing all by itself.
In the middle of it all though, I found myself returning to The Golden Girls. Not just for nostalgia or comfort, but because it provided a blueprint for what was missing: close human connection. The show wasn’t just about aging or humor as it’s presented across it’s pastel and coffee colored veneer, it was about how people find each other in the midst of loneliness. And in a time when the world felt unbearably distant, that message became more relevant than ever.
With ‘Isolation and the Need for Connection’ COVID-19 didn’t just force people into physical isolation, it severed many of the emotional lifelines people relied on. Those who lived alone went weeks or months without meaningful interaction. Those in high-risk groups, particularly older adults, were suddenly cut off from loved ones, left to navigate fear and uncertainty in solitude.
Watching The Golden Girls during this time was a reminder of how necessary companionship is. The show is built on the idea that people need each other and that relationships, even the imperfect and frustrating ones, are what had been keeping us sane. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia weren’t just housemates, they were lifelines for each other. They fought, they annoyed one another, but at the end of the day, they were there.
This resonated in a way it hadn’t before. The idea of having a core group, a chosen family, suddenly felt less like a sitcom premise and more like a survival strategy. When so many traditional support systems were collapsing, the concept of found family became even more critical.
“Old Friends” (Season 3, Episode 1):
One of the episodes that hit differently during the pandemic was “Old Friends.” The episode begins with Sophia meeting Alvin, a man who becomes a close companion to her. They bond over shared experiences, finding in each other a sense of comfort that feels effortless. But as the episode progresses, Sophia learns that Alvin has Alzheimer’s, and his memory is slipping away. The friendship that had been so meaningful to her is suddenly fragile, its future uncertain.
During COVID-19, this episode took on new weight. The fear of losing someone — not just to death, but to time, distance, or illness — was omnipresent. People who had been a central part of one’s daily life could suddenly vanish, either temporarily or permanently. The unpredictability of connection, the realization that any moment with someone could be the last, became part of the collective experience.
What struck me most about “Old Friends” wasn’t just the grief, but the way Sophia handled it. She didn’t pretend it didn’t hurt. She allowed herself to feel the loss. But she also didn’t shut down. She let herself appreciate the friendship for what it had been, even as it changed. In a time when so much felt temporary and uncertain, this was a necessary lesson: we don’t control how long things last, but we can control how present we are while they do.
The Existential Toll of the Pandemic:
One of the central tenets of existential psychology is that people must confront isolation, meaninglessness, and mortality in order to live authentically. COVID-19 forced that confrontation on a massive scale. Suddenly, people who had never thought about mortality before were faced with it daily. The illusion of permanence shattered.
Watching The Golden Girls during this time was, in some ways, an act of defiance. The show rejected the idea that aging was something to be feared. It presented later life not as a slow decline, but as a time for reinvention, humor, and deep connection. At a time when older adults were being portrayed as helpless, as victims of the virus, The Golden Girls offered an alternative narrative. A narrative where they were vibrant, active, and full of life.
“Sick and Tired” (Season 5, Episodes 1 & 2):
Another episode that took on new meaning was “Sick and Tired,” in which Dorothy experiences mysterious, chronic fatigue. She goes from doctor to doctor, trying to get answers, only to be dismissed repeatedly. Eventually, she is told that her symptoms are real, but the dismissal she faced along the way leaves her exhausted and defeated.
This episode was actually pointed out to me by a close friend who had mentioned the “Sick and Tired” episode when I had started rewatching the series from the beginning. She had told me how difficult it was being taken seriously in healthcare even in 2019 and that her fears for others during Covid, either being trapped on ventilators in hospitals alone, or being victimized on a whole new level because of the exhaustive nature of the pandemic was at a depressive fever pitch. Everything becomes timely again as the saying goes.
So obviously, during COVID-19, as reports of long-haul symptoms emerged, this episode felt eerily prescient. The experience of being unwell but not being believed, of feeling abandoned by the medical system, was something many people were experiencing in real time. Dorothy’s frustration, her anger, her desperate need for validation was no longer just a TV moment. It was a shared reality.
What made “Sick and Tired” so impactful wasn’t just the plot, but the way her friends responded. And that was what made it really golden. They didn’t always know the right thing to say, but they stayed. They listened. They supported her. This, too, was a lesson from the pandemic: no one had all the answers, but presence mattered. Simply being there, even if only through a phone call, a message, a shared TV show was sometimes enough.
Finding Meaning in a Time of Uncertainty:
Meaning-making is a crucial part of psychological resilience. When life feels chaotic, people look for narratives that provide structure, purpose, or at the very least, a sense of continuity.
The Golden Girls offered that. It was a reminder that people had lived through grief and isolation before and had found ways to move forward. It was proof that even in uncertainty, laughter was still possible.
For many, including myself, watching it during COVID-19 wasn’t just escapism — it was a kind of quiet reassurance. The world had changed, but the core truths remained. Connection mattered. Humor helped. And even in the worst moments, people could still find ways to show up for each other.
What The Golden Girls Taught Me About Surviving Isolation:
The pandemic changed the way people think about relationships, loss, and resilience. For me, revisiting The Golden Girls during that time wasn’t just a nostalgic indulgence. It became a reminder of what had always been true.
The show was never really about aging or comedy. It was about survival. About how people get through loss. About how they rebuild after everything has changed.
COVID-19 exposed how fragile life is, but The Golden Girls provided a counterpoint: fragility doesn’t mean weakness. Life is delicate, but it is also persistent. Relationships can be tested, but they can also endure. And even when the world feels unrecognizable, even when grief is everywhere, people will always find ways to reach for each other.
Sometimes, that looks like a hug. Sometimes, that looks like a late-night phone call. And sometimes, that looks like four women sitting around a kitchen table, sharing cheesecake, finding solace in laughter, and reminding each other that they are not alone. That is something we can all take solace from and relate to.
. . .
This is the fifth of seven essays on The Golden Girls. The others are as follows:
1. Lessons in Aging: How The Golden Girls Shaped My Perspective on Growing Older with Purpose
2. The Golden Girls and the Psychology of Found Family: A Model for Overcoming Abandonment
3. Grief, Loss, and Moving Forward: The Golden Girls as a Blueprint for Navigating Life’s Goodbyes
5. The Golden Girls in the Time of COVID-19: Finding Solace, Connection, and Meaning in Isolation.
