Bob Thompson: Black 'Bachelor,' 'Better Late Than Never'

Television expert Bob Thompson spoke with Boston Public Radio on Monday about the new 'Bachelor' selected to be the lead on ABC's reality dating show, "The Bachelor."

Matt James was announced to be the upcoming 'Bachelor' last Friday, the first black 'Bachelor' in the show's 18 years on air.

"A lot of people say, 'Oh well it took George Floyd for this happen?' and people have been complaining about diversity issues on "The Bachelor" for a long, long time," Thompson said. "But I guess better late than never, and I think this is an important step within a silly franchise."

Bob Thompson is a founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Cultureand a trustee professor of television and popular culture at Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.