Emmy-winning comedy director Terry Hughes knew a thing or two about being funny. Not only had he won awards for his work, but he had also directed acclaimed comedy projects such Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, The Two Ronnies, Square Pegs and more.

Originally from England, Hughes made the transition to American television with the help of The Golden Girls. According to a 1987 interview with The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Hughes said the humor that worked in England would also provoke laughter here.

If The Golden Girls were any indication, he was right.

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"Humor is universal," Hughes said. "I didn't find much change in comedy when I came here eight years ago."

He said The Golden Girls came closer to English humor than anything else on American television. The comedy on The Golden Girls had a cutting edge. It could be nasty, biting and, at the end of it all, just the right amount of "smart" comedy.

And The Golden Girls wasn't just popular in Miami. According to Hughes, the series was widely popular in England, too.

Hughes had not directed comedy for several years when he was asked to direct several episodes of The Golden Girls in 1985. But he knew a good series when he saw one.

"I saw The Golden Girls and loved it," Hughes said. "It had that English edge to it and I responded to that. I directed two shows in the middle of the first season. Then they asked me to direct the rest of the season. It doesn't get much better than this."

So, move over Miami, The Golden Girls humor crossed the pond.