The Golden Bachelor has become ABC’s newest hit in what I’d be willing to bet is the week’s most wholesome hour of network television. Septuagenarian Gerry Turner has embarked on a journey to find love again, following the 2017 death of his wife Toni, and along the way we’re learning about the lives and somewhat tragic stories of the women who are dating him. In fact it seems impossible to get invested in Turner’s love story without also wanting happiness for the entire cast, and that begs the question: Will there be The Golden Bachelorette? Jesse Palmer shared his thoughts on if the franchise will add another spinoff.
Although part of me is dreading having to watch Gerry Turner’s pain as he continues to send his wonderful women home, I sincerely hope that he does end up with one person to live out the golden years of his life with. But I don’t think I’m alone in also wanting to see the continued journeys of one or more of The Golden Bachelor’s first season of contestants. When Jesse Palmer was asked if he’d be interested in hosting The Golden Bachelorette, the host told People:
Absolutely. I really hope that’s the case. I can’t speak on behalf of executives or anybody else, obviously. I’m sure everyone’s waiting to see how this one goes first. But I know there are thousands of women across America deserving of that.
I’m sure Jesse Palmer is correct that there is no shortage of senior citizens worthy of having their second chance at love documented for America, because we’ve already been introduced to about 20 of them. Of course, the host can’t say whether or not adding another Bachelor spinoff to the franchise’s slate is in the works or even possible, but the fact that he’s hoping for it is promising.
The first few episodes of The Golden Bachelor have proven to be a kinder, gentler version of the longtime ABC reality dating franchise — so much so that the Thursday night transition from Gerry Turner to the beachy hijinks of Bachelor in Paradise has been hilarious, if not a bit jarring (poop babies are not the vibe in the first hour of the three-hour block, that’s for sure). It’s refreshing to see the women bond with each other, hear them fondly recall previous marriages and have real conversations about grief.
If ABC executives are waiting to see how successful Gerry Turner’s run is before moving forward with The Golden Bachelorette, we can only hope they see the results they’re looking for, because I don’t want this wholesome journey to end here, and it sounds like Jesse Palmer is on the same page. For now, though, The Golden Bachelor continues at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC, and if you can’t wait to know how it ends, you can check out our spoilers to see which final two women Turner will allegedly be choosing from.