Is Hot in Cleveland the Next The Golden Girls?

A few weeks ago I published my first review of the TV Land series "Hot in Cleveland." At the time, I proclaimed it a worthy successor to "The Golden Girls," that radical feminist comedy of the 1980s and early 1990s. Having now watched almost every episode of "Hot in Cleveland" that has aired, I felt it was time to take a look back and see how true my original statement really was.

To some extent, I can still say that "Hot in Cleveland" is a new "The Golden Girls," and not just because they both happen to have Betty White in a starring role. Like its predecessor, "HiC" shows contemporary audiences that women don't necessarily have to be Botoxed and photoshopped in order to be considered attractive and to be taken seriously. Indeed, these women deliberately defy those vicious aspects of Los Angeles life that make women's lives so absolutely miserable. These are women who, for the most part, are happy that they are able to live their lives as they truly are, rather than having to constantly change their bodies to meet the crude desires of a bloated male society that really cares nothing for them.

In other ways, however, this series does not live up to the feminist model set up by "The Golden Girls." That other series frequently took on the most powerful and controversial issues of the day, ranging from gay marriage to the AIDS crisis to the plight of the elderly and homeless. For all that it shows female solidarity and older-than-average, sexual heroines, "HiC" doesn't tackle these issues. Rather, it stays focused on the tried-and-true comedy staples of romantic mix-ups and girlfriend spats that have been the hallmark of female comedy since its inception. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, I am merely revising my earlier statement to reflect the realities of the TV series that I have come to love.

Just because it is not as explicit in its politics does not make "Hot in Cleveland" unimportant, however. It still shows that women, both middle-aged and even elderly, can continue to enjoy their bodies and sexual experiences without becoming a laughing stock. There is humor, it's true, but it's the kind of ribald, risque rumor that is a perfect successor to the earlier example set up by everyone's favorite older women.

So, is "Hot in Cleveland" the new "Golden Girls?" Not quite, I'm afraid, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Rather than condemning the show for not being political enough, I like to see the series as a new kind of feminism, or perhaps it would be better to say that it reflects a seldom-appreciate brand of feminism. We can once again see that women can find a warm and loving community with one another without necessarily relying upon the men in their lives to get their lives meaning. They are not merely cougars, women who are objects of mockery because of their sexual appetites. These are women that we can like and can agree with, and that's no small accomplishment in today's television atmosphere.