A 'Bachelor' for seniors is in the works from ABC. Here's why that's a fantastic idea
During this week's episode of "The Bachelor," you might have noticed a casting call for a new dating show. Something about it was different, though – it called for senior citizens. And we could not be more ecstatic.
Details about the new show are scarce, though we know by "senior citizens" we are talking age 65 and older. A notice on ABC's casting site reads: "Are you entering your golden years and looking for romance? The producers of The Bachelor are looking for active and outgoing single men and women in their golden years for a new exciting dating show!" A link to a sign-up form clarifies it is looking for people interested in "a committed relationship."
The obvious question comes to mind: Do we really need another dating show? "The Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" franchise is alive and well – new spinoff "The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart" is set to air in April and "Bachelor in Paradise" returns this summer – and Netflix's maddening (but entertaining) "Love Is Blind" is a viral social-media smash, just to name a few.
But hear us out. A dating show about senior citizens looking for love would be far more interesting and thought-provoking than the usual trashy, trivial fair we have on television.
If you need some convincing, take Netflix's "Dating Around" as an example. Each of its first six episodes, which debuted last year, followed a single person on first dates. Contestants then picked one person to go out with on a second date. The conversations felt real and authentic, unlike the heavily produced and edited drivel given to viewers each week on "The Bachelor" and "Love Is Blind." One featured senior widower Leonard and reminded us that it's not just hot, young people who can charm us.
Of course, we don't know exactly what this show will look like, or when it will air. Assuming producers from "The Bachelor" are involved, we could face the same amount of manufactured drama we're used to every Monday night.
Something tells us that people over the age of 65, who have that much more life experience and are down to appear on a reality show at this point in their lives, are doing it for fun. A huge part of what "The Bachelor" franchise is about right now is creating a platform for its attractive, 20-something contestants to launch Instagram influencer careers. That's far less likely (though not impossible) with a more mature crop of contestants.
Also, imagine the conversations on a senior citizen version of "The Bachelor." These people could talk about everything from decades-long careers to how proud they are of their children and grandchildren to what exciting adventures they're looking forward to in the second acts of their lives, and with whom they'll want to share them. This beats the hollow "I love that" and people unsure about what they are actually looking for because they're too immature to get engaged in the first place.
Drama is inevitable, but at least it would be coming from a more grounded, seasoned place.
It will also be refreshing to watch a different demographic fall in love on television. The norm on reality TV is to watch young, straight and cisgender white people, so any variation is welcome.
Take Rachel Lindsay's turn as the first black "Bachelorette" in that ABC show's history only a few years ago (and there has still been no black "Bachelor.") MTV's "Are You the One?" was reinvigorated by devoting a season to queer people, and even "Bachelor in Paradise" had a queer storyline featuring contestant Demi this past summer. "Dating Around" included people of many different ethnic groups, ages and sexualities. A senior "Bachelor" provides another reminder of how different groups could (and should) be represented on television.
We know we could be wrong. This show could turn into a disaster and make us beg for the return of the wannabe Instagram celebrities.
But we're hopeful that some older-age wisdom will inject deeper meaning into an otherwise trite genre.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Bachelor' for seniors is the best idea; ABC casting show
