The announcement comes courtesy of Deadline, which wrote that DWTS had been picked up for both seasons 31 and 32. However, the series will also be moving from broadcast to streaming, going to Disney+ moving forward. “After over 30 seasons of the program on ABC, including two spin-offs,” said the network in a statement, “Dancing with the Stars will move off of ABC this fall in order for the Network to showcase several Monday Night Football games as well as develop and invest in new and future programming.” DWTS will officially premiere season 31 this fall on Disney+ in the U.S. and Canada. It will still retain the live functions of the show, including elimination votes, making it the first Disney+ series to air live. This also makes it the first live streaming reality series, a large step for unscripted television and live events in the world of streaming. “The fact that our iconic global format Dancing with the Stars will now set the record as the first live series on Disney+ represents a major growth opportunity and a bold next step forward in the evolution of the franchise,” said Valerie Bruce, General Manager of BBC Studios, Los Angeles Productions. “This unprecedented move, combined with our two season pick-up, is a testament to the proven power of Dancing with the Stars and a resounding vote of confidence from our great, supportive partners at Disney, showing how much they value and believe in the brand.” The series becomes the latest to make the jump from network to streaming. CBS started the trend with moving shows like SEAL Team and Evil online to Paramount+. NBC took its near-cancelled show AP Bio and put it on its then-new streaming service Peacock. And there’s a small history of unscripted series doing the same, like the reboot of Queer Eye going to Netflix or even Love Island going from CBS to Peacock. But DWTS is far and away the most high-profile series to jump to streaming, and could signal a larger shift in the consideration of those services when it comes to programming. This move also raises a large question as to how different Dancing with the Stars will look on Disney+. After bringing in series-low ratings in season 30, the show parted ways with Executive Producer Andrew Llinares, who many hold responsible for polarizing choices like the increased use of screens and the hiring of Tyra Banks as host. We shall see what the makeup of the group both in front of and behind the camera is when Dancing with the Stars season 31 premieres this fall on Disney+. Next, Executive Producer Andrew Llinares Fired from Dancing with the Stars (See Tom Bergeron’s Response!)
