Quick answer: ABC has no Bachelor franchise series on its fall 2026 schedule, the first time that’s happened since 2019–20. The Bachelor Season 30 is set to air in 2027, in ABC’s midseason, and Bachelor in Paradise is locked in for summer 2027. ABC hasn’t announced a new Bachelor, a premiere date, or any plans to air the shelved season of The Bachelorette (Deadline; Deadline).
For six years, autumn on ABC meant roses: The Bachelorette, The Golden Bachelor or The Golden Bachelorette opened the TV season. In 2026 none of them is on. Here’s what’s going on, show by show, using only what ABC and Disney have said on the record.
Bachelor Nation status board
| Show | Status as of Oct 18, 2026 |
|---|---|
| The Bachelor (Season 30) | Renewed; set to air in 2027 in ABC’s midseason. No lead or date announced. |
| Bachelor in Paradise | Locked in for summer 2027, per ABC. |
| The Bachelorette (Season 22) | Filmed but not aired. ABC has “no plans that I’m currently ready to share.” |
| The Golden Bachelor | Two seasons aired (2023, 2025). No Season 3 announced. |
| The Golden Bachelorette | One season aired (2024). Not renewed or cancelled. |
Sources: Deadline, Deadline, TV Insider.
Why there’s no Bachelor show this fall
When ABC announced its fall 2026 schedule in May, Deadline reported that “for the first time since 2019-20, ABC will not have a Bachelor franchise series on the fall schedule” (Deadline).
ABC’s scheduling chief, Ari Goldman, presented it as a reset rather than a retreat. “We’ve had to take a look at just managing the franchise properly,” he told Deadline. “I think that the usual cadence that we like to find ourselves in is really the flagship series in midseason and then having some summer edition, which we have already locked in on Bachelor in Paradise for next season. So this is more of a return to a steady state on the franchise.”
Before The Golden Bachelor launched in fall 2023, The Bachelor usually aired in the new year and The Bachelorette or Paradise in the summer. ABC is going back to that pattern.
The Bachelor Season 30: what’s confirmed
- It’s happening. ABC renewed The Bachelor for Season 30 in June 2025, with Bachelor in Paradise’s Scott Teti as showrunner, and Deadline reports it “is now set to air in 2027” (Deadline).
- It’s a midseason show. ABC has the flagship “on tap for midseason,” per Deadline’s schedule report. In US TV terms that means early in the calendar year, but ABC hasn’t given a date (Deadline).
- No lead yet. As of October 18, 2026, ABC hasn’t announced who the next Bachelor will be. Ignore any “next Bachelor revealed” headline that doesn’t link to ABC.
Disney’s head of unscripted, Rob Mills, was optimistic in April. “However The Bachelor comes back next year, it will be done with a lot of thoughtfulness and care. I do think better days are ahead for the franchise,” he told Deadline (Deadline).
What happened to The Bachelorette?
Season 22 of The Bachelorette was filmed with Taylor Frankie Paul, of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, as the lead. In March 2026, before it premiered, ABC shelved the season. Deadline attributes the decision to domestic assault allegations reported against Paul. Deadline later reported that the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office had declined to file charges after reviewing the evidence (Deadline).
Whether the season will ever be shown is still open:
- In April, Mills told Deadline he didn’t know whether it would air on ABC or stream on Hulu and was taking things “day by day.” He called it “a wonderful season, by Bachelor standards” and said he had no conversations with Warner Bros. Television about licensing it elsewhere.
- In May, Goldman said: “there are no plans that I’m currently ready to share” (Deadline).
We’ll keep to the official record on this one, and we’ll update when ABC or Disney says more.
Bachelor in Paradise: summer 2027
Paradise is the one franchise show ABC has publicly slotted: Goldman said it is “already locked in” for next summer (Deadline). No cast or location has been announced. Its most recent season (Season 10, 2025) mixed Golden alumni with the younger cast. For how those couples are doing, see E! News’ Bachelor Nation tracker.
The Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette
Neither Golden show has a new season announced:
- The Golden Bachelor has aired twice: Gerry Turner’s season in fall 2023, and Mel Owens’ Season 2 in fall 2025, which ended with its finale on November 12, 2025 (TV Insider).
- The Golden Bachelorette aired once, with Joan Vassos as the lead, in fall 2024. As of TV Insider’s latest reporting, it has been neither renewed nor cancelled (TV Insider).
For where Gerry, Joan and Mel are now, read our Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette leads: where are they now.
Where to watch Bachelor Nation right now
In the US, past seasons of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise and the Golden shows stream on Hulu. New seasons air on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu. See our Bachelor hub for the latest.
Missing the castle-style drama? Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei is in the announced cast of Peacock’s The Traitors Season 6, due in January 2027. Our guide: The Traitors: New Blood and Season 6.
Sources
- Deadline, “ABC Fall 2026 Schedule: No ‘Bachelor’ Franchise Series…” (May 12, 2026): deadline.com
- Deadline, “‘The Bachelor’ Will Return To ABC In 2027” (Apr 22, 2026): deadline.com
- TV Insider, Golden Bachelorette status: tvinsider.com
- TV Insider, Mel Owens and Peg Munson update (Oct 9, 2026): tvinsider.com
