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This post contains spoilers for The Bachelorette.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n What a difference a season makes. Around six months ago, The Bachelor<\/em> was in creative freefall<\/a> following Zach Shallcross<\/strong>\u2019s season, which contained yet<\/a> another<\/a> racist scandal<\/a> within its supposedly vetted cast and failed to connect with viewers<\/a> on a larger scale. But there were slivers of hope, like the appointment of Charity Lawson<\/strong> as Bachelorette<\/em> and ABC\u2019s cutting of ties with controversial figurehead<\/a> Mike Fleiss<\/strong> after more than two decades.<\/p>\n As Lawson\u2019s journey to find love concluded on Monday night, three more installments of the franchise were confirmed for the coming months. But instead of dread, those announcements sparked a strange feeling of excitement\u2014anticipation, even.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like Oprah<\/strong> tonight,\u201d said Jesse Palmer<\/strong>, hitting his stride as host after Chris Harrison\u2019s exit<\/a>, during the live finale. As The Bachelorette<\/em> concluded, viewers were treated to new footage and official release dates for The Golden Bachelor<\/em><\/a>, a senior spin on the show to be led by 71-year-old widower Gerry Turner<\/strong>, and the next season of Bachelor in Paradise<\/em>, which will feature four former leads. Both will premiere on Thursday, September 28. That was all before Lawson learned that she\u2019ll be competing on next season of Dancing with the Stars<\/em>, which airs this fall, and a new Bachelor<\/em> was tapped for 2024.<\/p>\n For the first time in a long time, there was palpable, only slightly manufactured energy during the finale and \u201cAfter the Final Rose\u201d special. This was, in part, thanks to an impressive rallying of the troops. The studio audience included three former leads (including Gabby Windey<\/strong> and her new girlfriend<\/a>, Robby Hoffman<\/strong>); the season\u2019s biggest pot-stirring contestant, Brayden;<\/strong> Neil Lane<\/strong> (who was MIA from Shallcross\u2019s season); and\u2014for some reason\u2014past Bachelor Peter Weber<\/strong>\u2019s parents. Was there an explanation for their presence, other than throwing fans off about a Pilot Pete 2.0 season? No! But if you\u2019ve got a deep bench of chaotic characters to trot out for events such as these, why not extend the invite?<\/p>\n Lawson\u2019s love story also had a feel-good ending. Her Bachelorette<\/em> season had fewer episodes, less international travel, and a later time slot that switched partway through the season. But none of that seemed to matter when it came time for Lawson\u2019s eventual engagement to fan-favorite Dotun Olubeko<\/strong>, an outcome that felt earned, but not entirely predictable. Her 10-episode tenure served as a reminder of what the show does best\u2014and a reset button before the franchise\u2019s next chapter.<\/p>\n After the intriguing one-two punch of The Golden Bachelor<\/em> and Paradise<\/em> comes a new season of The Bachelor<\/em>. Lawson\u2019s runner-up Joey Graziadei<\/strong>, a 28-year-old from Pennsylvania now living in Hawaii, will lead that season, and he has all the trappings of a compelling Bachelor\u2014a punchy job title (the tennis pro\u2019s tagline will absolutely be \u201cGame, set, he\u2019s looking for his match\u201d), unchartered family backstory (his parents split after his father revealed he\u2019s gay), and\u2014for the first time in recent memory\u2014Graziadei feels like he was actually the audience\u2019s first choice for the role.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise that ABC is tripling down on all things Bachelor,<\/em> given the Hollywood strikes that have stripped scripted programs<\/a> from fall schedules everywhere. But amid a deluge of newer, perhaps shinier dating shows\u2014from new seasons of Netflix\u2019s The Ultimatum<\/em><\/a> to CW\u2019s FBOY Island<\/em><\/a>\u2014The Bachelor<\/em> franchise has made clear that it won\u2019t go down without a fight. In the words of Dotun, maybe \u201ca good thing really can be just a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n