Uh oh, here comes The Golden Bachelorette

No one will ever be free of The Bachelor franchise, because torture comes in various forms. The long-running dating reality series got a first-of-its-kind spin-off last year in The Golden Bachelor. It featured 72-year-old widower and retired restaurateur Gerry Turner’s hunt for a bride. After some explosive reveals and much drama, he got married in January 2024 to his chosen one, Theresa Nist, during The Golden Wedding.

Now, ABC has decided to give it yet another spin-off with The Golden Bachelorette. The network announced at the 2024 Television Critics Association’s (TCA) winter press tour that “an all-new iteration will highlight one radiant woman’s second chance at love in her golden years.” We don’t know yet who the lucky lady is, but we’re keeping her in our thoughts and prayers. It’s also TBD if Jesse Palmer will resume his hosting duties for this.

Funnily enough, Abbott Elementary (which was just renewed, as also revealed at TCA) had a perfect The Golden Bachelorette joke in its third season premiere, which aired a few days ago on February 7. Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) casually tells Ava (Janelle James) to stop getting her to audition for the reality show because her husband is very much alive. The question is: What did the Abbott writers know, and when did they know it?

Meanwhile, ABC revealed that The Golden Bachelor, which The A.V. Club’s Emma Keates’ accurately described as a “morally corrupt nightmare,” was their number one unscripted series premiere ever on Hulu. Okay. The show garnered 43.4 million viewers after 35 days across linear and streaming platforms.

While we wait with bated breath to find out if The Golden Bachelor will return for season two (it probably will), ABC confirmed The Golden Bachelorette premieres in the fall, while season 21 of the regular Bachelorette arrives this summer.