The countdown is officially on.
To history.
On Tuesday morning, ABC announced the premiere dates for a number of returning shows... including The Bachelor.
The upcoming season, of course, will feature Matt James as the first-ever Black lead, giving fans an extra special reason to look forward to fresh episodes of this franchise.
As for then these will debut?
On Monday, January 4, 2021 at 8/7c.
Yes, despite The Bachelorette currently airing on Tuesday nights, The Bachelor will shift back to its traditional Monday evening timeslot when it comes back to the air in about two months.
What else do we know about Season 25?
Filming began in September at a resort in Pennsylvania rented out by ABC; much the same way this network rented out a resort in California for its ongoing Bachelorette seasoon.
In a June interview with Good Morning America, James explained what it means for him to be an African-American in this role.
“It’s an honor,” he said at the time.
“I’m just going to lean into myself and how my mom raised me and hopefully when people invite me into their homes on Monday night they’re going to see that I’m not much different from them and they see that diverse love stories are beautiful.”
James, of course, was originally selected as a suitor for Clare Crawley.
With pressure mounting on producers to select a Black Bachelor, however, executives eventually settled on James for this platform.
He's a close friend of Tyler Cameron's and says he can't wait to tell diverse stories on The Bachelor in 2021.
Part of the official description for season 25 reads as follows:
Matt is the total package. He has strong family values, a great career and has used his growing platform for good.
His emerging legion of fans can't wait to follow the 28-year-old real estate broker, entrepreneur and community organization founder on his journey to find love for the first time during this historic season.
Last month, meanwhiile, Cameron made some headlines when he said James "dodged a bullet" by staying clear of Clare's season, while also joking about Matt's ability to find romantic success.
"Knowing Matt, he could still come out single, who knows," Tyler said.
"But I think he'll have a fiancé.
"I think this will be everything that we want and hope and haven't gotten in a while in this franchise, it seems like. You know?"
Cameron continued:
"From what I've seen and what I've read up on, he's got an amazing cast of women and so it'll be very hard for him to leave, you know, without one.
"I think he's gonna be all goo-goo gaga in love when he's back and I'm gonna have to shake him a little bit, like, ‘Hey, where's Matt at?' You know?
"But we'll see what happens."
Earlier this fall, ABC unveiled all 43 women who may be competing for James' heart on the show's official Facebook page.
The group of potential contestants includes women mostly in their 20s, with only four out of the 43 hopefuls in their 30s.
The youngest contestant is 21 years old.
And... HERE THEY ARE!