Empty Nest is a TV series that aired on NBC from October 8, 1988 to April 29, 1995 for seven seasons. It is a spinoff of The Golden Girls.

Cast & Character Origins

Characters	From	Date	Episode
Sophia Petrillo	The Golden Girls	September 14, 1985	S01E01: “The Engagement”
Harry Weston, Carol Weston	The Golden Girls	May 16, 1987	S02E26: “Empty Nests”

(Note: The Golden Girls episode “Empty Nests” is a backdoor pilot for Empty Nest but very little was carried over. The character names, actors, and situation were changed for this show. The characters George Corliss and Jenny Corliss from “Empty Nests” are vaguely similar to Harry Weston and Carol Weston in relationship but otherwise the final show was fully retooled. Actor David Leisure was the only actor from the “Empty Nests” episode who ended up in the final show as an altogether different character.)

Guest Characters

Characters	From	Date	Episode	Crossover Type
Blanche Devereaux	The Golden Girls	November 5, 1988	S01E04: “Fatal Attraction”	A
Sophia Petrillo	The Golden Girls	December 17, 1988	S01E10: “Libby's Gift”	A
Rose Nylund	The Golden Girls	February 4, 1989	S01E14: “Strange Bedfellows”	A
Dorothy Zbornak	The Golden Girls	February 18, 1989	S01E17: “Dumped”	A
Rose Nylund	The Golden Girls	November 11, 1989	S02E06: “Rambo of Neiman Marcus”	A
Sophia Petrillo	The Golden Girls	November 9, 1991	S04E08: “Windy”	A
Rose Nylund	The Golden Girls	February 29, 1992	S04E20: “Dr. Weston and Mr. Hyde”	A
Jack Trenton	Nurses	February 27, 1993	S05E20: "Love and Marriage"	A
Casey MacAfee	Nurses	October 2, 1993	S06E02: "Bye-Bye Baby...Hello (Part 1)"	A
Casey MacAfee	Nurses	October 16, 1993	S06E04: "Mama Todd, the Sequel"	A
Casey MacAfee	Nurses	November 6, 1993	S06E07: "Mother Dearest"	A

(Note: The two Sophia Petrillo guest spots on Empty Nest listed here predate her becoming a regular.)

Outgoing Crossovers

Characters	Guest On	Date	Episode	Crossover Type
Dr. Harry Weston, Dreyfuss	The Golden Girls	November 5, 1988	S04E04: “Yokel Hero”	A
Dreyfuss	The Golden Girls	November 12, 1988	S04E05: “Bang the Drum, Stanley”	A
Dreyfuss	The Golden Girls	April 1, 1989	S04E21: “Little Sister”	A
Dr. Harry Weston, Laverne Todd	The Golden Girls	September 30, 1989	S05E02: “Sick and Tired: Part 2”	A
Dr. Harry Weston	The Golden Girls	November 11, 1989	S05E07: “Not Another Monday”	A
Dreyfuss	The Golden Girls	December 1, 1990	S06E11: “Stand by Your Man”	A
Barbara Weston	The Golden Girls	March 9, 1991	S06E21: “Witness”	A
Laverne Todd	Nurses	September 21, 1991	S01E02: "A Lesson in Life"	A
Dr. Harry Weston	Nurses	October 19, 1991	S01E06: "Mother, Jugs, and Zach"	A
Carol Weston	The Golden Girls	November 9, 1991	S07E08: “The Monkey Show”	A
Laverne Todd	Nurses	November 9, 1991	S01E09: "Begone with the Wind"	A
Charley Dietz	The Golden Girls	February 8, 1992	S07E16: “Questions and Answers”	A
Carol Weston, Barbara Weston, Dreyfuss	The Golden Girls	February 29, 1992	S07E19: “A Midwinter Night’s Dream”	A
Charley Dietz	Nurses	February 29, 1992	S01E20: “Moon Over Miami”	A
Laverne Todd	Nurses	September 26, 1992	S02E02: "In My New Country"	A
Carol Weston, Dreyfuss	Nurses	October 31, 1992	S02E07: "Playing Doctor"	A
Dr. Harry Weston	Nurses	September 25, 1993	S03E01: "The Eagle Has Landed"	A
Charley Dietz	Nurses	October 16, 1993	S03E04: "Jack's Indecent Proposal"	A
Dr. Harry Weston	Nurses	November 6, 1993	S03E07: "The Bridges of Dade Country"	A
Carol Weston, Sophia Petrillo	Nurses	November 20, 1993	S03E09: "Temporary Setbacks"	A
Dr. Harry Weston	Nurses	November 27, 1993	S03E10: "The Birth of a Marriage"	A

(Note: The Golden Girls Episode “The Monkey Show”, the Empty Nest episode “Windy”, and the Nurses episode “Begone with the Wind” were part of a crossover event called “Hurricane Saturday”.

The Golden Girls episode “A Midwinter Night’s Dream” and the Nurses episode “Moon Over Miami” were part of a crossover event called “Full Moon Over Miami” which included the Empty Nest episode “Dr. Weston and Mr. Hyde”.)

Spinoffs & Outgoing Cast

Characters	New Show	Date	Episode
N/A	Nurses	September 14, 1991	S01E01: “Son of a Pilot”

(Note: Nurses did not have a traditional backdoor pilot but it does take place in the same Grant Memorial Hospital that Empty Nest takes place in.)