After years in development, the senior citizen spinoff of “The Bachelor” is coming — and its leading man is about to be revealed.
ABC will unveil the identity of the star of “The Golden Bachelor” on Monday morning. But for now, we have the first glimpse at the first-ever mature star of “The Bachelor” franchise in its two decades on the air.
From the looks of the key art for “The Golden Bachelor,” the leading man does indeed appear to be more senior than the typical cast on the franchise. The marketing materials for the upcoming season, which debuts this fall, show the back of the mystery man’s head — and we can see some salt-and-pepper in his hair and beard, as well as a hearing aid.
ABC
When “The Golden Bachelor” was announced, social media wondered just how senior this man would be: Would he only be slightly older than the 20-something or 30-somethings that are historically on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” — or would Bachelor Nation actually get a season of television centering around senior citizens?
The network describes the spinoff as showcasing a “whole new kind of love story — one for the golden years.” ABC’s synopsis says a “hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.”
Casting calls for a senior citizen “Bachelor” had been airing during “The Bachelor” shows for years, keeping viewers wondering when, or if, the show would ever happen.
Disney’s top unscripted TV exec, Rob Mills, previously spoke to Variety about the excitement behind the series.
“It’s such a different way of doing ‘The Bachelor’ because these people are just at a totally different place in their lives,” Mills had said. “There is an interesting thing about people who have hit the other end of the spectrum, who’ve lived their lives, they’ve raised their kids, some have been widowed or divorced and maybe some have never been in love. We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the ‘Bachelor’ prism.”
“The Golden Bachelor” marks the latest expansion in “The Bachelor” franchise, which has aired 60 seasons since premiering in 2002, including the flagship series “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor In Paradise.” Ratings for the franchise have been decreasing over the years — as is the case with many other legacy network shows — but “The Golden Bachelor” has generated much discussion and has sparked new interest with many fans expressing excitement over the new twist on the long-running show.
“The Golden Bachelor” will air Mondays this fall at 10 p.m.