As strike begins, “Dancing” returns to ABC

Let’s think of this as another quick – and unsettling – reaction to the writers’ strike:
ABC announced today (Wednesday) that “Dancing With the Stars” (shown here) will return to the network.
In fact, it will sprawl across three entities: Episodes will air live on ABC and Disney+ , then show up the next day on Hulu.
As the strike began Tuesday, some quick consequences included:
— The closing of late-night shows. All of them – Fallon, Kimmel, Colbert, Meyers – went into reruns; “Saturday Night Live” is even skipping what would have been a big night, with Pete Davidson hosting.
— The possibility of fewer new shows. Next week, the networks start announcing their fall line-ups. If the post-Covid time is any example, we’ll see an effort to cling to what’s already there. After a delay, it’s easier to re-start an old show than to launch a new one.
— And the continued rise of reality and game shows, which aren’t covered by the strike.
On Tuesday, the CW said “FBoy Island,” which had been a summer trifle on HBO Max, will be part of its regular season … followed by a spin-off, “FGirl Island.” And now we learn that “Dancing With the Stars” is back on ABC, after being streaming-only last year.
It will be the 31st season for the show, which sometimes did two seasons a year.
Julianne Hough – formerly both a dancer and a panelist on the show – will co-host with Alfonso Ribeiro. Her brother Derek Hough is on the panel, with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Len Goodman, a longtime panelist, died of cancer on April 22, just shy of his 79th birthday.