No Indication To Believe Dancing With The Stars Won’t Be On Fall Schedule As Well As Spring
We touched a little on this subject the other day when Executive Producer Conrad Green talked about the dip in TV ratings and changing up Dancing With The Stars. Now the NY Post is reporting that producers are “talking” about only doing one show a year which would take place in the Spring. Though, the key word here is “TALKING”. This is not a done deal yet and I hope it’s not because, no matter what nay sayers and the media keep reporting with sensationalized headlining, etc., remember (as we have stressed to you over and over), Dancing With The Stars is still a Top 10 rated tv show. Also, all tv shows are down in numbers as Heidi has reported for several seasons now. Also note, that according to TV By The Numbers, the Dancing With The Stars All Stars was “Monday’s Most-Watched TV Program for 7 straight weeks in a row”. See,…it’s not all gloomy and doomy as many might think. Though that doesn’t mean there aren’t some changes needed….but, in my opinion, cutting the show to only one season a year isn’t the answer….not yet, anyway. Why not get to the root of the issues instead like crazy storyboarding, axing theme weeks, improving judging, etc.? It might help to get bigger names to sing and perform on the results shows too? Look for Heidi’s thoughts below as well….
ABC may be passing on the paso doble for a while.
“Dancing With the Stars” is talking about airing just once each year, in the spring, a production source tells The Post.
“They have to figure something out,” the insider says. “Maybe change the judges. The show needs a total makeover.”
After 15 editions since 2005, the once-top-rated talent show took a beating in the ratings during its “All-Star” season, which ended last month.
The finale drew 16.7 million viewers — a huge audience by most TV standards, but down almost three million from a year ago.
Total viewership for the past season was off by 20 percent.
Bringing back past champs Shawn Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Drew Lachey and the like seemed like “a great idea,” Disney CFO Jay Rasulo admitted this week at a financial conference in New York.
“Turns out people didn’t want to see people who could dance. They wanted people who couldn’t dance,” Rasulo said.
”We haven’t made a decision about fall yet,” an ABC spokeswoman said last night, “but we have no indication that it won’t be on the schedule.
You can read more at the NY Post.
Heidi: Answer me this…how is it that The Amazing Race and Survivor BOTH have two seasons a year (and are possibly more expensive to produce) and have the same or lower ratings than DWTS?? Both shows do about the same in the key demo as DWTS and they are about ten spots BELOW DWTS in total viewers?? For that matter, there are scripted dramas which are MUCH more expensive to produce that aren’t doing as well in total viewers OR the Key demo (namely Hawaii 5-0) – they’re doing 24 episodes a season; four more than DWTS does in a year. Frankly, I think it’s possible that some media (including other websites) read things around the internet and start to internalize it as fact. Then get hysterical. If DWTS goes to one season a year, it will be because the producers choose to as a means of creating more excitement for the show when it IS on. But I don’t see that happening just yet. I could be wrong. But, by all means – make some changes. Like, in terms of editing and judging. And “stars”.
Totally agree, right now I don’t see why cut to one season a years, every single show in tv is pretty much down. Dwts is pretty high if you consider how things are right now, ABC would be stupid to change things when they still are the most watched show.
I really don’t know what this would solve really… I know SCD does their show once a year in the fall, but… We’ve clearly seperated ourself from the “mother show” have been for quite some time.
I can’t say I’d be too thrilled about having one show a year. And really, the only people this benefits are the professionals i.e. more time than just 3 months between shows.
Media is “story boarding” the fate of DWTS – funny really, let’s see how it will work for them.
Tony, I wouldn’t be thrilled about waiting a year for DWTS either. I’d be in complete agony. lol
GOOD question!!
LOL Irina, so true! It’s all a game really.
If it’s true… and that’s a big if… talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water. Hopefully TPTB will put their heads together and just make some adjustments, like pretty much what’s been suggested above. Start with judging, no stupid dance mixes which only serve to stress the pros out and cause injuries, no dance duel, etc.I also look forward to watching twice a year.
Interestingly, Amazing Race has had some years when it’s only done 1 season in that year. In fact, it’s amazing that it’s still around. Although, I’m glad it is since it is probably my favorite reality TV show of all of them. It’s just not as fun to write about on a blog.
I don’t see them moving to one show a year yet. They may at some point, but ratings are too good and there are enough stars out there that haven’t been on the show for them to need to go to once a year.
I think shows biggest problem is not ratings, per se, but the competition, it seems that it looks (note: I am not saying it is, it just seems that way) vulnerable now that it goes against the Voice, but the big question is – what does ABC have that they can put on the schedule so hastily and against Voice?
I do not see DWTS going anywhere yet, but I find it fun to see their own dirty games to come back and bite them in the proverbial behind. I call it “payback for Shawn and Apolo”, LOL.
“Heidi: Answer me this…how is it that The Amazing Race and Survivor BOTH have two seasons a year (and are possibly more expensive to produce) and have the same or lower ratings than DWTS??”
Yeah, but their CFO doesn’t blame network ratings on Surviror or the Amazing Race. What Disney CFO said was head-scratching.
NO THEY CAN’T DO ME LIKE THAT!The people who don’t watch are really missing out on such a great program!It’s more than just some ballroom competition!
IMO, they need to change some of the dancers w newer, younger, fresher pros. As much as I love some of the pros, a lot of them seems burned out and quite repetitive. Some of them just don’t have same excitement anymore, and it does reflect w their performances and outputs. A lot of the pros aren’t motivated anymore and seemed complacent. Sometimes, I feel like I’m watching the same season over and over due to lack of fresh materials by some of the pros. I tune in to get entertained and get excited and be surprised, but often I find myself getting bored seeing the same stuff all over again.
And then they throw in so many dances and themes that aren’t familiar for the dancers. It just makes it harder for the pros to enjoy anymore and come up w high quality entertainment and routines. Too much work and pressure for the pros, and i can’t blame them all feeling worn out and stressed out.
It’s no fun anymore, and I can see why some of them just want to move on and get out!
Here’s another link with the tv ratings listed from Nov. 16th until Dec. 2nd. Why would they mess with a show that is 4th and 5th in rankings? And in the Bay area, it was 2nd and 3rd.
http://www.mercurynews.com/tv/ci_22139625/television-ratings
While DWTS always had more viewers than The Voice, I think what matters here is the 18-48 demographic rating. The Voice would be around 4.0 while DWTS was around 2.7 – big difference. I was so hoping the ratings of The Voice would go down after they start the live shows (cuz then it turns into any normal singing show), but they didn’t. So maybe ABC feels threatened?
I actually think the main problem is always casting. I know it’s hard to get those big-name, young celebrities, but if they did, I don’t think there would be a problem getting that demographic.