Goshdarnit, 'The Golden Bachelor' is actually really good

Just call him the Golden Boy.

All eyes are happily on Gerry Turner, 72, the retired restaurateur from Hudson, Indiana, turned the very first senior citizen to anchor ABC's long-running "Bachelor" reality dating franchise, which got a mature glow up for the fall 2023 season. "The Golden Bachelor" (Thursdays, 8 EDT/PDT) may sound more like a punchline than an actual TV series, but by golly, they've somehow found, well, gold with Gerry and his 22 potential partners, all between the ages of 60 and 75.

Who knew that what reality TV really needed was emotional intelligence, life experience and maturity? Actually, wait, we all knew that. The genre, which has included "The Bachelor" and its sister series "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise" for 21 years, is not particularly known for being "grown up." Usually full of 20-somethings whose brains haven't even fully developed, these shows are known for messy, alcohol-fueled drama, catty backstabbing, sexual scandal and even violence. Often referred to as lowest common denominator programming, it's not the place viewers often turn to for feel-good or thought-provoking stories.

Meet 'The Golden Bachelor': Gerry Turner reveals what his late wife would think of reality TV stint

But what a change a generation can make. "Golden" has all the roses, ballgowns and pull-asides that have come to define the "Bachelor" franchise, but the stakes, emotions and characters are far more elevated. Turner is a widower; his wife of 43 years died in 2017. He isn't vapid or shallow like some of his "Bachelor" predecessors who can barely conceal a desire for fame and fortune. When he talks about why he joined the show, you believe he's looking for love. His voice breaks when talking about his late wife, Toni, his emotion leaping off the screen with grief relatable to so many of us.

Similarly, the female contestants are no naive ingenues looking for their first serious relationships. In their seventh and eighth decades, these women have lived and loved already. Many of them have also lost a spouse, like Turner. They know what they want, and they are surprised and grateful that they get the chance to dress up and fall in love again with such pomp and circumstance. Especially, when the pervasive cultural stereotypes about women over 40 make them appear (and even feel) dried up and unlovable.

The first episode is positively delightful to watch, as the first impressions range from a woman arriving on a motorcycle to one doing a full cheerleading routine with pom-poms. The women are drawn to each other instantly, and Turner is drawn to nearly every one of them, his eyes lighting up with each opening limo door. A second episode follows up on the promise and the deep emotional stakes. The first tears in the "Bachelor" mansion are shed not because of invented TV cataclysms, but because one of the contestants is unexpectedly reminded of her late husband.

Perhaps because ABC thinks its target audience needs to be in bed by 9 p.m. sharp, "Golden" is a tight, fast-moving hour with commercials, as opposed to interminable, sluggish two-hour installments like the other "Bachelor" series. So far, there's also minimal intrusion by host Jesse Palmer, who suavely pops up occasionally only to provide a few roses or clap Turner on the back.

As the season progresses, there are potentially devastating drawbacks for the highly emotional contestants at an advanced stage of life. Young whippersnappers with their whole lives ahead of them can be plenty crushed when love doesn't work out on reality dating shows, sure, but the "Golden" contestants simply do not have as much time or opportunity to try and try again for love.

Clips showing what's to come for the rest of the season reveal tears and anger. For these people, there's so much of this that feels like a one-time chance. It shouldn't be ? love should be accessible no matter your age or any other label society might put upon you. But we're not that evolved as a culture to make that a reality, yet.

Network TV executives shouldn't look at the success of "Golden" (both critically and in its major win in the ratings) and learn the wrong lessons. Gimmicks are just gimmicks without substance behind them. The show doesn't work because the audience is laughing at elderly people necking in a mansion, it works because the chemistry between these baby boomer contestants is often even more electric than among the usual attractive kids that populate our screens. It won't work in every show. "Octogenarian Survivor" is probably not a good idea, nor "The Voice: Baby Edition."

But "The Golden Bachelorette"? That's surely worth exploring.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Golden Bachelor' review: With age comes wisdom ... and better TV