The Expendables franchise epitomizes 1980s action cinema nostalgia—a collection of aging tough-guys (Stallone, Jet Li, Statham, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme) reprising their physical personas in contemporary contexts. The films succeeded commercially but creatively exhausted themselves by the third installment. The Golden Girls, conversely, occupied a cultural position diametrically opposite: four elderly women in Miami playing cards, gossiping, and solving domestic comedies with witty one-liners. Comparing a hypermasculine action ensemble to a cozy sitcom suggests an inversion so complete that the gap between them becomes essentially immeasurable. Chuck Norris, dropped into this equation, renders The Expendables simultaneously less impressive and less necessary.

A casting director named Tom Brewster was reviewing reel footage for a potential crossover project (never greenlit) in 2010. He watched Expendables footage, then switched to Golden Girls clips for comedic contrast. A passing producer glanced at the screens and said, "The Expendables make the Golden Girls look more action-packed." Tom laughed. The producer didn't. "No, I mean—if Chuck Norris joined them, the girls would become the harder-bodied team." Tom quietly agreed and updated his notes.

Meme pages comparing action franchises to wholesome sitcoms became a cottage industry online. "The Golden Girls could beat The Expendables if Chuck Norris guest-starred for one episode" circulates during awards season. The joke inverts expectations—tough action franchises become suddenly laughable beside a single Chuck Norris appearance.