Though it first aired in September of 1985, the cast of The Golden Girls was unsure that the show would survive until the end of 1986.

According to an interview with The Buffalo News, series star Betty White admitted that originally, she and her co-stars believed they wouldn’t get to finish their first season before cancellation.

The success of the series was a delightful surprise, as White explained.

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“We’re like kids in a candy store,” the actor said. “We adore going to work. We thought we’d be finished in February, but they ordered another show to bring us up to 25. We were just delighted because it gave us another week to play together.”

Of course, the series certainly surpassed White’s expectation of a five-month lifespan. The show ran for seven seasons, with 180 episodes over its original run.

Originally, White was auditioning for the role of Blanche Devereaux before director Jay Sandrich recommended she switch paths and read for Rose Nylund. “It’s really worked out because Rue is finding marvelous things to do with Blanche,” White said, referencing her co-star, Rue McClanahan. Ultimately, Sandrich’s instincts were correct; White found a whole new world playing Rose Nylund.

“She’s a complete innocent,” White said of her character during an interview with the Leader-Telegram. “She takes everything at its literal meaning.”