When Does ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Come Back For Season 29?

After a finale which saw Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten win out over their fellow finalists, “Dancing With the Stars” fans are wondering if and when they will get a chance to see the next batch of celebs hitting the dance floor with the hopes of winning a Mirrorball Trophy and a decent payday. However, much like this past year, they will likely be waiting until next Fall for a new season of routines.

After landing second from the bottom on the judges’ final leaderboard, Hannah and Alan, a.k.a. #TeamAlanbamaHannah, were declared the winners of Season 28 on the ABC show. However, more notable than the couple’s win (and Alan’s first-ever Mirrorball), was the fact that neither hosts Tom Bergeron nor Erin Andrews signed off with an announcement about when the series would return for Season 29.

While the show has not officially been renewed yet for another season, ABC likely won’t cancel it yet, despite another decline in ratings. The once juggernaut show slid again in Season 28, averaging 6.632 million viewers between premiere week and the semi-finals, whereas the controversial 27th season saw an average of 6.999 million viewers during those same weeks in 2018. However, despite the slide, it isn’t steep enough between seasons for ABC to likely pull the plug just yet. Still, it won’t be coming back in the Spring if it is renewed, and is likely to remain as a one season per year show going forward.

The lack of ratings isn’t the only thing keeping the show from likely returning in the Spring, however. “American Idol” will return for Season 3 on Feb. 16, 2020, and the show’s two-night schedule pushes “DWTS” off of Mondays, meaning the show won’t be back. While “Idol” is also not a huge ratings juggernaut for the network (averaging 8 million viewers per episode), it is still currently faring better than “Dancing,” which means that for the time being, ABC will be giving it the preferred treatment over the longer-running series.

However, even if ABC wanted to bring the show back in the Spring, the option wouldn’t be one they could take, as several of the show’s pro dancers will be unavailable for the first half of the year. The show is once again going on tour, kicking off on Jan. 9 in Richmond, Virginia, and won’t end until April 7, in Portland, Oregon. Of the 14 pros featured in Season 28, only Keo Motsepe, Cheryl Burke and Peta Murgatroyd are not performing in any shows. In addition, at the “Dancing With the Stars: Journey to Paradise” event taking place in the Bahamas May 29-June 1, Brandon, Lindsay, Alan, Cheryl, Val, Sasha, Jenna, Daniella, Keo, Pasha, Gleb and Emma are also all scheduled to perform.

For now, fans who want their fix can buy tickets to a show stopping at a tour location near them.