(Photo by Dusan Vuksanovic)
Stan Zimmerman is a name synonymous with some of the most beloved television properties in history. The producer, director and screenwriter’s work has had a profound impact on the entertainment industry through series like “Gilmore Girls,” “The Golden Girls” and “Roseanne.”
This month, Zimmerman flew into Tampa to participate in Powerstories Theatre’s Celebration of the Power of the Arts, a theatrical fundraiser. He narrated his poignant play “right before i go” alongside local celebrities at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center.
Beforehand, he also released “The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore,” his book that offers a deep dive into his extensive career.
“‘The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore’ is the story of Stan Zimmerman, a gawky Jewish boy who dreamed of becoming a wildly successful actor, rich enough to build his own mansion in the Hollywood Hills,” it’s officially described. “… Accompanied by journal entries, ‘The Girls’ details Stan’s relationships with some of entertainment’s most notable women [in] a candid, funny and sometimes poignant testimony about how a young boy turned his dream into reality.”
“I wanted to answer the question I keep getting about how, as a man, I can write for women,” he says of its origins. “I also wanted to celebrate all of the wonderful women I’ve worked with during my long career. And the wonderful women in my life outside of show business. Especially my mom, who was my biggest fan.”
Zimmerman’s work on “The Golden Girls” is legendary. The show ran from 1985-1992 but has found new fans across the decades. It follows four mature women who live together in Miami, experiencing “the joys and angst of their golden years,” and starred LGBTQ+ icons Bea Arthur as Dorothy, Rue McClanahan as Blanche, Betty White as Rose and Estelle Getty as Sophia.
The series tackled numerous social issues with a blend of humor and sensitivity. When asked how he balanced these elements, Zimmerman explains, “As staff writers on season one of ‘Golden Girls,’ we were told they didn’t want the episodes to feel like the ‘Facts of Life’ issue of the week.
“They wanted us to tell important but truthful stories that would feel organic for the four female characters and their age bracket,” he adds. This approach allowed the show to address significant topics without feeling preachy, a balance that Zimmerman carried into his later work.
He credits much of his success to the lessons he learned from the experienced writers and actors he worked with.
“‘Golden Girls’ was kind of a Writing 101 class for us,” he shares. “We learned from the experienced writers we spent every day with, but I credit Rue McClanahan for teaching us about honestly exploring sitcom characters in all their complexities.”
This mentorship was pivotal in shaping his approach to character development and storytelling. Transitioning to “Gilmore Girls,” a dramedy that ran for seven seasons until 2007 the followed single mother Lorelai Gilmore and teenage daughter Rory, Zimmerman faced the challenge of writing the show’s signature fast-paced, witty dialogue.
“I found that consuming large amounts of coffee, much like the residents of Stars Hollow, helped in writing so many words for ‘Gilmore Girls,’” he says. “Hour shows usually work out to one minute per page. ‘Gilmore Girls’ scripts would sometimes reach more than 90 pages.”
Zimmerman believes that the legacy of “Gilmore Girls” lies in its complex, multi-layered storylines that resonate with audiences, particularly mothers and daughters.
“The world is starved for shows that mothers and daughters can sit down together and watch,” he says. “A true shared experience.”
One of Zimmerman’s most groundbreaking contributions was his work on the original run of “Roseanne,” particularly the episodes featuring early pro-LGBTQ+ representation like a same-sex kiss in 1994 and a gay wedding in 1995. The series aired from 1988-1997 and followed the working-class Connor family.
“Jim and I wrote the infamous lesbian kiss episode for ‘Roseanne,’” Zimmerman says. “Using what Rue McClanahan taught us, we were challenging the ‘Roseanne Conner’ character, who thought she was so cool until she was kissed by a woman.”
The network initially resisted airing these episodes, but star Roseanne Barr and her ex-husband Tom Arnold, who also appeared on the series, fought for their inclusion.
“They fought the network, who did not want us to write or film that episode,” Zimmerman says. “Tom and Roseanne threatened to buy the episode back and pay for time on HBO. Luckily, ABC agreed to air it. Shockingly, the next day, we had huge ratings, and the world didn’t explode.”
Despite these successes, Zimmerman has faced ongoing challenges in bringing LGBTQ+ stories to the mainstream market.
“I’m still facing resistance to LGBTQIA stories on television,” he says. “We wrote a pilot on spec called ‘Skirtchasers’ about the estranged relationship between a father and his lesbian daughter. Although every network loved the script, they had already bought their one gay script of the year.”
This resistance led Zimmerman to explore alternative platforms, such as web series and theatre, to tell these important stories. His play “Silver Foxes,” which had a sold-out run in Dallas, is a testament to his perseverance and dedication to LGBTQ+ representation.
Zimmerman believes that the representation in “Roseanne” paved the way for other groundbreaking shows. “I don’t believe we would have had the ‘Ellen’ sitcom or ‘Will & Grace’ without ‘Roseanne’ — and we wouldn’t have had ‘Roseanne’ without ‘Soap,’ ‘All in the Family’ or ‘Love, Sidney.’ We all stand on the shoulders of strong artists before us.”
After “Gilmore Girls,” Zimmerman transitioned to directing and writing for theater.
“I first started directing theatre right after our stint on ‘Gilmore Girls,’” he says. “I loved directing published plays because no re-writing was involved. That is until Broadway producer Larry Hirschhorn urged me to start writing for theatre. Now I can’t stop!”
Zimmerman’s play “right before I go” was inspired by the tragic suicide of his close friend, Kevin Gill.
“With the death of my very close friend … I saw there was so much shame around the topic. But I first thought ‘I’m a comedy writer; how can I tackle a subject as serious as this?’ And then I thought, ‘no, my perspective is an important one,’” he shares.
He began searching online for suicide notes to try to understand why his friend took his life. He could not access the note Gill had sent to an ex-boyfriend, and in his search, he discovered the notes of Kurt Cobain, Virginia Woolf, war veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community and more. He copied and pasted and saved them into a folder.
“All of a sudden, I thought this was a play like ‘Vagina Monologues’ or ‘Love Letters’ with four actors on stools with music stands.”
Since its acclaimed first performance at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015, the play has traveled across the country, with Zimmerman often at the helm as narrator, raising awareness and offering hope for suicide prevention. He aims to open conversations about mental health and suicide, particularly among older generations.
“I found out more people our age have a problem talking about suicide,” he notes. “Young people are used to dealing with stuff like this because they’re out there communicating, reading, seeing everything, going to school and not knowing if they’ll come home alive.
“They would keep me out on the street, talking about the play for an hour,” he continues. “They just wanted to talk about it — and that’s when I knew that I had something.”
Zimmerman’s goal is to bring “right before i go” to Off-Broadway. The play is one of his latest efforts to inspire and challenge audiences, reminding everyone of the importance of telling diverse stories that create conversation and the positive impact they can have on society.
His career is a testament to his talent, resilience and commitment to LGBTQ+ representation — and in all of it, he hopes people will take away an important message.
“I hope people come away … seeing how, through perseverance and hard work, you can get past the tough times of constant ‘no’s’ and rejection,” Zimmerman says. “I also want the readers to know how important it is to celebrate your uniqueness, no matter what field of work you go into. Really, just in life.”
“The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore” is available wherever books are sold. Learn more about Stan Zimmerman and his work at ZimmermanStan.com.
