How ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Balances Its Legacy with Today’s Television Landscape

The sight of a bedazzled ankle monitor on-screen during the Season 33 premiere of Dancing with the Stars perfectly encapsulated the series for me: flashy, innovative and compellingly self-aware. In today’s on-demand and streaming-dominated world, the live competitive reality show Dancing with the Stars has impressively managed to remain culturally relevant while maintaining its core identity. The show’s celebration of its 500th episode last week, complete with nostalgic reinventions of past show dances and appearances by former cast members, demonstrated its enduring appeal. However, controversial moves like casting con artist Anna Delvey, the aforementioned ankle monitor wearer, as a “star” make me question how far the series will go to captivate viewers. 

In my early days of watching Dancing with the Stars, I was completely captivated by the performances. I loved the spectacle of celebrities competing with their professional dance partners for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, and the stars’ backstories and the show’s strategies were far from my priorities.

Dancing with the Stars Premieres 32nd Season

For the next few months, our television screens are going to be filled with reality shows, as the Writers Guild of America has just announced that they will authorize members to return to work. The premiere of Dancing with the Stars’ 32nd season is just the start of the sea of reality television that will be coming to cable and streaming services this fall.  

The show has a long history, and the many changes that have occurred since the last season make this premiere highly anticipated. Tyra Banks, who has hosted the last three seasons of the show, did not return this season. Audiences were very critical of Banks’ hosting abilities and many were happy to see her gone. She was replaced by Julianne Hough, a long time member of the Dancing with the Stars family.