I watched a new reality show last week that featured the same cast of characters and set-ups as every other non-competitive reality show. There’s the requisite bawdy woman, talking about nothing but finding a man. There’s the sheltered woman breaking out of her shell by sky diving. A guy puts his heart on the line convinced he’s found “the one,” but she doesn’t share his feelings.

So what’s different about this show compared to all the others? About 40 years.

The cast of WeTV’s new half-hour reality show, “Sunset Daze” are all senior citizens living in Sun City Grand, a retirement community outside Phoenix. Between attending singles mixers, heading to the firing range, talking about their libidos, and going out on blind dates, these people find time to remind viewers how very much alive they still are. “The golden years just got more golden” goes the show’s tagline.

My own grandmother moved to self-imposed geriatric exile in Sun City, Arizona (a separate, older development east of Sun City Grand) when I was a teenager. She and her second husband played some golf occasionally, but mostly seemed to watch it on TV at a very high volume. When the TV wasn’t on, their house was very quiet, much like the entire neighborhood. It was as though no one lived in any of the neat, one-story desert landscaped homes. No activity. No people. The whole community seemed more like something out of a creepy “Twilight Zone” episode rather than the kickin’ party place where “Sunset Daze” is set.

The show’s characters appear to be stereotypes at first glance (Jewish mother from New York, hot-to-trot widow hunting for a man), but they’re actually a little more complex than that. Sure, it’s no surprise that one character, Ann, embraces life’s experiences given that she was a nun for 21 years (watch as she jumps from an airplane!). But part of her urgency to try new things is driven by her husband’s failing eyesight and the uncertainty of how long his vision will hold out.

So “Sunset Daze” isn’t all that different from other reality shows. That’s pretty clear. But who is it marketed to? Women? Seniors? WeTV (that’s Women’s Entertainment) is better known for trading in weddings and babies. But the network also airs “Golden Girls” reruns, so apparently women are still interested in watching sassy old broads. But while “Sunset Daze” may be about old people, I don’t know that the show’s quick editing, misspelling of the title, and the bratty, generic punk music that plays in between every scene would be appealing to older viewers. Heck, those things are unappealing even to me.

What “Sunset Daze” has going for it is the potential to rise above reality mediocrity and deal with the deeper issues affecting seniors. It’s fine to boast about living life to its fullest, but how do you do that in the face of declining health, or the loss of a spouse? While these things have been referred to in passing on the first two episodes, they could be catalysts for significant action. I just hope if “Sunset Daze” does address this in more detail, it does so with dignity and not simply for entertainment value and manufactured drama.

In the end, “Sunset Daze” depicts seniors in a light not often cast on them by society and television. And heck, people over 60 are hardly ever seen in any light on T.V. so the very fact that show exists is probably a good thing.

Watch “Sunset Daze” on WeTV Wednesday’s at 9 p.m.