DWTS Returns Amid WGA Resolution, Ready to Tango Again on ABC
ABC has confirmed that the season premiere of the beloved reality competition Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) will go ahead on September 26 as originally planned. The widely revered content brings its starry spectacle back with the exciting lineup for its 32nd season. The advancing steps towards the dance floor has been given a green light following a tentative resolution between the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) and the studios on Sunday.
DWTS was caught in a limelight of uncertainty when striking picketers of the WGA targeted rehearsals, and some A-list members of the cast had made the conscious move to stand in solidarity with the Guild. Among them was the award-winning Veep star and WGA member, Matt Walsh. Last Thursday, Walsh "paused" his participation in the anticipation of a possible resolution.
As progress was observed in dialogues between WGA and the studios, a representative for Walsh confirmed the actors' return to the show. The expectation is that DWTS, with the fresh accord, would no longer be a struck one, and all members of the star-studded cast, including WGA member Walsh, would be ready to tango.
At ABC, contingency plans to postpone the return of DWTS were introduced last Thursday, following pressure from the striking WGA members exerted on its celebrity cast. Names included Alyson Hannigan and Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino. However, picketing continued up until yesterday, with around 35 writers protesting outside TV City, where producers were preparing for the live season opener set for Tuesday.
In light of the hopeful resolution, all WGA picketing ceased on Sunday night. DWTS, a WGA signatory show typically employing only one writer for the host's script, falls under the purview of the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, known more simply as Network Code. It's distinct from film and TV collective bargaining agreements negotiated unsuccessfully by SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP in the earlier part of this year, which culminated in the current actors strike. Despite this turmoil, ABC has the green light to launch DWTS, and SAG-AFTRA members are free to participate on the dance floor. As the curtain rises on the 32nd season of DWTS, the show celebrates its return to ABC, having spent the previous season on Disney+. The newest season will air live on Disney+, with next day availability on Hulu.
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If there's one thing that the entertainment industry likes more than a plot twist, it's the triumph of another show business day secured after a spat of suspense. Dancing with the Stars, which could temporarily have been renamed Picketing with the Stars, will go on as planned. It seemed for a while that our beloved hoofers might have to exchange their dance shoes for placards, but thankfully, feet are back where they belong - tapping out the paso doble.
Matt Walsh's stance was an impressive display of Hollywood solidarity. There was a genuine risk of being veep-toed right off the dance floor, but he pirouetted this into an example for us all - stand up for your peers, even when the music stops. Never easy to stick to your principles with a peachy dance number on the horizon.
This waltz through the minefield of union politics gives us an inside look at the entertainment industry's complicated dance. Hollywood is only as compelling as the stories we see on screen, but it's reassuring to remember there's a courageous cast behind the scenes, not afraid to proclaim "Action!" when the stage is set for change. This ballroom blitz has come to a close, with the dancers shimmying their way back to the spotlight, reminding us that the show, indeed, must always go on. Here's to another season of twirls, tumbles, and ten-point performances. DWTS, we’ve missed your rhythm.
