A new comedy series that’s being billed as a gay take on “The Golden Girls” has been given the go-ahead.
“Silver Foxes,” which follows four gay men living in Palm Springs, California, has been picked up for development by the Turner Broadcasting-owned production company Super Deluxe, Variety reports. The show has direct “Golden Girls” ties, too: Screenwriters Stan Zimmerman and James Berg were co-writers on a number of episodes of that classic sitcom, which ran from 1985 through 1992.
Though details of “Silver Foxes” are scarce, the show is believed to have been inspired by “Gen Silent,” an acclaimed 2011 documentary that explored the issues many LGBTQ seniors face in assisted-living facilities. The series will follow two older gay men and one younger man who rescue their friend from a homophobic nursing home and bring him back to their Palm Springs house.
Casting for the show has yet to be announced, but a 2016 reading featured George Takei, Leslie Jordan, Bruce Vilanch and Todd Sherry as the central foursome.
Zimmerman posted a photo of that reading to his Instagram for posterity.
Zimmerman and Berg have stressed that while “Silver Foxes” is “inspired” by “The Golden Girls,” it isn’t intended as a formal reboot. Still, it’s been reported that the pair have written a cameo for original “Golden Girls” star Betty White.
Just as “The Golden Girls” touched on hot-button topics like same-sex marriage and the AIDS crisis, “Silver Foxes” will touch on current issues in America’s political climate, Zimmerman told HuffPost in 2017. The show, he said, “has much to offer the world, especially after ... we had a president tweeting a trans ban in the Army and our own government arguing in court against basic rights for LGBTQ people in housing and employment.”
“Hollywood should give ‘Silver Foxes’ a chance because it’s important to hear the voices of older LGBTQ people, a segment of our community that is often overlooked,” Zimmerman, whose credits also include episodes of “Roseanne” and “Gilmore Girls,” said at the time. “Like ‘The Golden Girls,’ we think audiences of all ages will respond to their wit and wisdom.”
