With constant social media trends and conversations that illuminate the pop culture zeitgeist, “The Bachelor” remains a phenomenon, despite the low audience this season.
While the 25th season of ABC’s dating show is leading Monday nights, beating other networks in the 18-49 main demo, fewer viewers are tuning in this season than ever, with an evening audience of less than 5 million on the past two weeks, although those numbers are likely to grow on the delayed display.
“In fact, I think you’re going to see the ratings increase more exponentially than during previous seasons, because people are going to start talking about it and word of mouth is going to start,” said Rob Mills, ABC executive, noting that star Matt James is a newcomer to the world of “The Bachelor”. (Usually, the show’s protagonists come from previous seasons, while James was handpicked through the cast, but never appeared in any season connected to the franchise.)
“We’re kind of starting with a blank page, which I think is good,” adds Mills, senior vice president of alternative, special series and evening programming for the chain, which oversees the “The Bachelor” franchise. “It’s definitely great to have connective tissue over the course of several seasons, but I think it’s good to start a new chapter.”
James is the first black bachelor. In 2017, the franchise had its first black protagonist when Rachel Lindsay became “The Bachelorette” and, since then, the show has pledged to continue to diversify the show, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. In recent years, the cast of contestants has become more inclusive, and the most recent “Bachelorette” was Tayshia Adams, a black and Latin biracial woman.
This season brought together the most diverse group of candidates during the casting process, reveals Mills, who he hopes to indicate that the franchise is successfully spreading the message that “The Bachelor” is for everyone.
“We have publicly publicized our shortcomings and how we really need to do better, and we are certainly trying,” says Mills. “Starting with Rachel as our first diverse protagonist, I hope that now we are really showing a person of color that, ‘This is a show for me’, where, God, I hate to say that even five years ago, it probably wasn’t the feeling . “
When Lindsay was “The Bachelorette” three years ago, “The Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss said he was concerned about the drop in audience, indicating that the audience trend was linked to race. “I found it incredibly disturbing in a Trumpish way,” Fleiss told the New York Times in 2018. “How else are you going to explain the fact that she is down in the ranks, when – black or white – she was unbelievable Single? It revealed something about our fans ”.
Although James’ season started with the lowest ratings for a debut in “Bachelor” history, Mills believes that there are many reasons at stake in analyzing the numbers – primarily, James being new to Bachelor Nation – and the executive expects the viewers continue to fall in love with James as the season progresses, which will be reflected in the numbers. In fact, this week’s episode saw a significant increase in the demo, compared to last week’s episode, obtaining an increase of 11.11% among adult viewers 18-49 and 1.03% in the total of overnight viewers.
“I just don’t know, but I think it’s a quick rejection, if you say that,” said Mills when asked if race could be a factor in the audience.
“Obviously, we could look at everything and do studies, but I don’t think anyone is going to say, ‘I’m not watching’ The Bachelor ‘because leadership is different’ – and if that’s someone’s reason, then you’re missing out and it’s yours loss, ”Mills says bluntly. “We have a lot more diversity, not just now with the main ones, but with the cast in a holistic way. Look, we went up some seasons and went down others. “
The commitment to diversity is unquestionable, confirms Mills, regardless of the performance of the ratings from season to season.
“We are expanding our audience and this is for the better,” he says. “The only thing I will say is where ‘The Bachelor’ is dominant above all else, I would almost argue on all of TV, it’s in younger demos, certainly between 18-34, and if you look at that generation, they are much more enlightened. You are seeing many stories of younger people being told that are relevant. So, if we happen to be aging because people don’t want to see more diversity, well then, they are missing out and are going to leave the demo soon, and this will certainly allow the franchise to have a much longer lifespan. “
For a franchise that has been on the air for almost two decades, with more than 50 combined seasons of the main show, “The Bachelorette” and other derivatives, the power of “The Bachelor” is undeniable – especially when the numbers fall on open television with a endless stream of new streaming platforms, not to mention during a cycle of political news that has drawn viewers’ attention to cable news more than ever.
“We accept the franchise ‘The Bachelor’ as a job 365 days a year and we always want to be a great pop culture sensation, which it clearly is. It would be difficult to find someone who doesn’t know at least something about ‘The Bachelor’ and is aware that it’s on the air right now, ”says Mills. “But when the numbers are low, we look at all the reasons, but I certainly think it’s more because people are just getting to know Matt. It is the first time in a long time that we have someone who has no connection to the franchise, and when you have a bachelor who goes through this season, everyone knows who that person is and what their story is and wants to see it come to turn, after watching them heartbroken on TV. “
James was originally introduced to “The Bachelor” executives during the casting for Clare Crawley’s season. When the production of his season was driven by the pandemic, the entire franchise was postponed and the planning for “The Bachelor” had to be accelerated, so James was selected as the next star of the show, despite not appearing in a previous season of “The Bachelorette. “
Mills says that at the start of the season, viewers only knew James’ surface – they didn’t know his backstory, like other ex-contestants who took on leading roles.
“All they knew about Matt’s arrival is that he is an incredibly handsome man, who has a great career, is charitable and is looking for love,” says Mills. “Now, with the dates, we are learning a lot more about him. You learn more about your history during meetings. You are not only listening to women, but also what Matt says, because viewers don’t really know you. ”
Mills praises James, who he believes to be one of the strongest singles of all time, in addition to the cast of competitors, who the executive describes as some of the most dynamic women they have ever had on the series.
But when it comes to casting the new “The Bachelorette” star, the new protagonist is likely to be a familiar face.
“I would say with 99.9% certainty, ‘The Bachelorette’ will be someone who comes from one of our previous seasons,” Mills shares, adding, “Probably Matt’s, but at least someone who is familiar with Bachelor Nation.”