“The Golden Bachelor” will close its first season with a live wedding special Thursday night, capping a renewed surge of interest for the long-running “Bachelor” franchise that ABC hopes to harness — carefully — moving forward.
Nurtured in development for four years, the spin-off became a rare juggernaut on broadcast television, drawing both loyal “Bachelor” Nation fans and new audiences young and old with 72-year-old Gerry Turner’s journey to find the second love of his life. After losing his wife of 43 years to a battle with cancer, the Midwestern grandfather immediately won over the hearts of fans alongside the 22 women in their 60s and 70s he courted.