[Note from Frolic: We’re so excited to welcome author Michelle Major to the site today. She’s talking all things female friendship in classic TV. Take it away, Michelle!]
One thing most of us can agree on is that we’ve watched too much television in the past year. Okay, maybe that’s just me. I don’t think it’s just me but I’ll admit that I got a little too comfy on the couch at a few points on the corona coaster ride. I’m mostly over my binge-watching tendencies now, but at times when I need a break, I’ve found myself reacquainting myself with some old favorites.
And I’ve especially enjoyed revisiting shows that feature great female friendships. I love my girlfriends and I miss seeing them in person. Things have eased a bit recently, but that also means the normal ways life pulls me in many directions has ramped up as well. The fullness is a blessing, but I sometimes get nostalgic for the days of just hanging with friends. So in honor of the good old days of girl bonding, I’d love to share some of my original favorite female friendships from television.
Oh, the 1970s and the simplicity of a phone with a cord stretched around the kitchen and down the basement stairs and having only one television in the house. The one where you had to get up and turn the dial to change the channel. Laverne and Shirley was one of my first favorite sitcoms. Two opposite personalities—an odd couple but the best of friends. Plus a bonus of one of the best TV theme songs ever written. It’s funny because when I was a kid I saw myself as a Laverne but definitely grew into a Shirley.
I won’t lie—I wanted a Mrs. Garrett in my life. Also, George Clooney. This is where I was first introduced to George and his shaggy hair—long before the ER days. But I digress. Jo, Natalie, Blaire and Trudy (and her amazing roller skates). They were all the squad goals long before Gossip Girl was even a twinkle in her mother’s eye. The girls were funny and sweet but also real—people I just knew I could be friends with in real life.
And let’s not forget that Kim Fields, the actress who played Trudy, grew up and moved onto a Brooklyn brownstone and the cast of Living Single. This was one of my favorite girlfriends shows because the ladies had so much fun. They didn’t shy away from tough subjects but handled them with a kind of spot-on emotion and humor that still resonates today. Plus Queen Latifah is just so darn amazing in every single way.
Lucy and Ethel are girlfriend perfection. They cause trouble together and support each other when they need it. The adventures never stop and the way the two of them play off each other—just thinking about the scene in the candy factory makes me crack up. If you haven’t seen that one, go watch it right now.
Enough said but I could go on for hours about the funny, feisty perfection of these four ladies. I thought they were funny when I was younger but now that I’m fast approaching (ahem) middle age and beyond, I appreciate even more the bond of friendship that held them together. Their love might not have been judgment free, which is what made it so real and relatable. Everyone should have a favorite Golden Girl (mine is Sophia).
Now maybe I’ve dated myself with this list, but trust me that if you want some no-fail fun check out any of these shows. Even my daughter has fallen for them, and you know if a teenager puts down her phone to laugh at Lucy and Ethel that all is right with the world—or at least with my little piece of it.
Michelle Major is the Publishers Weekly bestselling, RITA award winning author of over thirty sexy and sweet contemporary romances. She loves second-chances love stories, smart heroines and strong heroes. A Midwesterner at heart, she’s made the Rocky Mountains her home for nearly half her life and is thrilled to share her books with readers. For more information visit michellemajor.com.
She always followed the path of least resistance…until it leads her to a small town where she can follow her dreams.
When Emma Cantrell’s marriage imploded, she learned a fast and painful lesson about trusting her heart. Then, on a visit to Magnolia, North Carolina, to see her brother, an elegant, if dilapidated, mansion for sale presents the opportunity to start over. Risking everything on her dream of opening the Wildflower Inn, Emma buys the house…just as the storm of the century hits, severely damaging the structure. But a chance meeting with Holly, a bride-to-be in desperate need of a new venue, gives her hope…and the name of a contractor who’ll work fast and cheap, allowing Emma to repair the inn in time to host the wedding and save her investment.
A furniture builder who hasn’t picked up a tool in the five years since his wife died, Cameron Mitchell has no intention of agreeing to help this beautiful—and, he’d guess, entitled—woman insisting that he fix her inn. Until he learns that Emma was sent by Holly, the little sister of his late wife. Grudgingly, Cameron agrees to do the work, with one condition: that he be left completely alone. But the more time they spend together, the more Emma touches a part of his heart he was sure died long ago, forcing him to try making peace with his past.
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