‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 31 Rolls out Major Change Viewers Will Either Love or Hate
Dancing with the Stars will significantly change as the series heads to Disney+. The competition series where celebs vie for a mirrorball trophy will look different from its previous 30 seasons. However, will viewers be on board with yet another significant alteration to the beloved series after its jump from network television to a paid streaming service?
Season 31 of ‘DWTS’ will make its debut on Disney+ in September
On Friday, Apr. 8, Dancing with the Stars announced it would, after 30 seasons, leave the ABC Network and move to Disney+ for season 31.
While this ended speculation as to whether or not the series would return this Fall, it added another layer of confusion for its steadfast and loyal viewers, many of who admitted they do not subscribe to the paid streaming service.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed Dancing with the Stars was renewed for two cycles on Disney+, ensuring it will be on the air until its 32nd season.
NFL Football will subsequently occupy the Monday 8-10 PM slot on the fall schedule that Dancing with the Stars has occupied for the past 15 years.
‘DWTS’ will roll out one significant change that viewers will either love or hate
#DWTS is dancing over to #DisneyPlus! ?
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) August 11, 2022
The new season is streaming LIVE on September 19. pic.twitter.com/qfGwDhXsdz
With the switch to streaming, Dancing with the Stars will roll out another significant change that viewers will either love or hate. TV Line reported that season 31 of the reality competition would feature no commercials for the entirety of its run.
Therefore, fans who have subscribed to Disney+ to watch the competition series will see it in its entirety without commercial breaks.
The news of this significant change to the series came one day after the service announced its tiered subscription prices. These won’t go into effect until Dec. 8, reported TV Line, after season 30 ends.
How will going commercial-free further change ‘Dancing with the Stars’?
During Dancing with the Stars commercial breaks, the stage crew cleaned up if a performance included confetti and moved sets accordingly.
However, without those 4-minute breaks, there may be even more backstage hustle. Commercial breaks also included costume changes for the celebrities and pros as well.
Therefore, hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro have more pressure to keep the show running smoothly. The two are tasked with diverting attention away from what is going on in the background. They also must keep the show on a schedule.
Fans may look forward to more post-performance interviews as when Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews hosted. The show utilized a separate area of the set to chat with performers.
Dancing with the Stars debuts on Disney+ beginning Monday, Sept. 19.
