DWTS Takes off on ABC: Stars Align Post WGA Showdown
ABC is clear for takeoff come September 26, as the premiere date for the revered reality dance competition, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS), remains unphased amidst the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and studios reaching a compromise last Sunday.
The upcoming season will be the 32nd for DWTS, with a line-up of high profile celebrities, including the notable Veep star Matt Walsh, who is concurrently a Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and WGA member. Walsh, who had initially put his participation in the show on hold, is now set to proceed following the tentative agreement between the WGA and studios.
As stated by Walsh’s representative on Monday, “With the hopeful resolution and vote with the WGA, Dancing with the Stars would no longer be a struck show therefore all cast would be able to return. This includes WGA member Matt Walsh.”
The decision comes after the network, last Thursday, made moves to delay DWTS's return amidst the pressure from striking WGA members on the celebrity ensemble, which also consisted of Alyson Hannigan and Mira Sorvino. Picketing by WGA members had even targeted multiple rehearsals for DWTS, a typical WGA signatory that hires a writer for drafting the host's talking points. The protests extended until yesterday, merely hours prior to the WGA - Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) deal announcement.
All protests were suspended late Sunday night as the studios and WGA reached a potential agreement.
It is important to note that variety shows like DWTS are shielded under the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, colloquially known as Network Code, which is separate from the collective bargaining agreement for film and TV that SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP had failed to negotiate successfully in spring and early summer, leading to the presently ongoing actors strike.
Consequently, ABC can broadcast DWTS, and SAG-AFTRA members can participate in it. As per SAG-AFTRA’s support last week, actors appearing on the show are not violating strike rules and must attend work. Notably, the show became a struck production due to employing one WGA-affiliated writer within its sizeable crew of over 500 members.
Season 32 will also signify the show's comeback to ABC after a previous season on Disney+. This latest installment will simulcast live on Disney+ and be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
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Now, on to the fun part, where we peer a bit beneath the headlines.
The ever-twirling, sequin-clad saga that is Dancing with the Stars, just like any good paso doble, never ceases to surprise us with its plot twists. And this time the drama was off the parquet and on the picket line, as the Writers Guild of America decided to crash the rehearsal party. And not just any party, but a shindig headlined by beloved Veep star and now peacemaker, Matt Walsh.
It's like an episode of a reality show within a reality show with a narrative penned by one writer out of a crew of 500. Isn’t that a plot twist worth its own samba sequence?
The dispute managed to cut in and demand a dance with some of the big-wig stars like Alyson Hannigan and Mira Sorvino too. Yet, here we are, a truce has been called under the disco ball, and Dancing with the Stars is back in the game.
And isn’t the transfer of DWTS from Disney+ back to ABC kind of like a reality show version of a homecoming dance? We'd bet our last sequin that the season opener will be covered in sparkle, nostalgia, and hopefully fewer industrial strikes.
So, keep your dancing shoes at the ready, folks. Season 32 looks set to be as spinning, and hopefully less controversial, as ever. But who knows? When it comes to Dancing with the Stars, even a seemingly straightforward cha-cha can take an unexpected turn.
