After one season away, Dancing with the Stars is returning to ABC for its 32nd season along with continuing to premiere live on Disney+.
(ABC/Eric McCandless)
What’s Happening:
- Dancing with the Stars fans won’t need their Disney+ subscription this season, with the show returning to ABC after one season exclusively on Disney’s streaming platform, according to Vulture.
- Season 32 will be broadcast on ABC, as the show has been since its inception, in addition to being available live to Disney+ subscribers. Episodes will be available to stream the day after air on Hulu.
- When Disney made the move, Dancing with the Stars became the first live-streaming reality show in the U.S.
- Season 32 will find Julianne Hough (a two-time Mirrorball champion and former judge) joining Alfonso Ribeiro as co-host, with Tyra Banks stepping away from the show. Hough will interview dancers as they await their scores while Ribeiro will serve as master of ceremonies.
- Judges this season will include Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough.
- Len Goodman announced his retirement at the end of season 31 and sadly passed away last month at the age of 78. As of now, Disney has yet to announce if the show will replace him with a fourth judge this season.
- Deadline has speculated that this move back to ABC may have been to appease ABC affiliates, who lost out on lucrative ad sales when the live spectacle switched to streaming.
- It’s unclear if the Disney+ simulcast will include ads now that the streamer has an ad-based tier, or if Disney+ subscribers will see extra behind-the-scenes footage during the broadcast commercial breaks.
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