Over the past week, there has been much speculation about whether Disney would continue with its plans to launch the thirty-second season of “Dancing With The Stars” this coming Tuesday on Disney+ and ABC, following some major issues from the writer’s strike.

Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, the hit series pairs celebrities with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

The show was coming under scrutiny when it was revealed that it had previously hired a WGA writer to help prepare notes for the host, resulting in the show being considered “struck”, and a picket was quickly set up by the writers in protest over the show continuing.  Disney started to prepare if it had to delay the show, in case any contestants dropped out following the news that Matt Walsh, had to pause his work on the show, since he is also a member of WGA and was informed that he would be crossing a picket if he continued to work on the show.

But now, with the Writer’s Guild and the studios making a tentative agreement to end the strike, the picket is now no longer happening, and according to a statement to Deadline, ABC has confirmed the show will continue as planned, along with Matt Walsh.

“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”.

While the show does include many members of the Screen Actors Guild are involved in the show, because the show falls under the Network Code agreement, the actors taking part in the show are not in violation of strike rules and are required to go to work.

The new episode will be released live on ABC and Disney+ (in the US and Canada) at 8:00-10:31 p.m. EDT, with episodes available the following episode on Hulu.   The first episode features a new star-studded cast of celebrities and their pro partners hit the dance floor for the first time to perform a Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Salsa or Tango. The season premiere will also feature a dazzling opening number to “Levitating” by Dua Lipa.

Are you looking forward to the return of “Dancing With The Stars” this week?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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