‘Dancing With the Stars’ Renewed by ABC for Season 28

Dancing With the Stars is returning to ABC for season 28. The popular competition series was renewed on Friday, according to TVLine.

The network opted not to air a Spring 2019 season of Dancing With the Stars, which left fans uncertain if there was a future for the show. According to TVLine, it’s long been tradition for two seasons of the show to air each year. The decision to renew comes after a highly contested season 27 outcome, which saw Bobby Bones walk away with the mirrorball trophy when all was said and done.

Bones consistently scored low throughout the show, and many fans felt he didn’t deserve to win. He and partner Sharna Burgess pulled off a near-perfect final performance, at least in the eyes of the judges, and were awarded accordingly. They beat out fellow finalists Milo Manheim, Evanna Lynch and Alexis Ren — All of whom consistently performed better than Bones and Burgess throughout season 27 of Dancing With the Stars.

During the Television Critics Association winter press tour in February, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke was adamant that the show would “definitely be returning in the fall.” He added that the network was “in conversations” about bringing back the two-cycle system. Burke didn’t say whether they were discussing making changes to the judging system, but fans would like to see that after the way the last season played out.

It hasn’t yet been announced who will serve as judges on this season of Dancing With the Stars. Len Goodman, Bruno Tanioli and Carrie Ann Inaba have been judging the competition series since it first premiered, with Goodman taking some time off in season 21 and returning the following one. Julianne Hough decided to give up her spot on the judging panel in 2017, according to Entertainment Tonight. She had been a fixture on the show, which brother Derek Hough also appeared on as a pro for a time. A source told the outlet her exit was surprising.

The network also hasn’t yet announced which dancers will return to the show as pros, or which celebrities will be cast. That information typically comes ahead of the premiere of a new season. A date hasn’t yet been set for a return. ABC will surely announce that information as it draws nearer. Fans will have to keep an eye out for more information from ABC in the months ahead.

The cast had not reacted to the renewal as of the writing of this article.