DANCING WITH THE STARS to Premiere As Scheduled After WGA Deal

The Dancing With the Stars season 32 premiere will go on as planned after a tentative deal was made with the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

Deadline reports that the show will go on with its full cast, including Matt Walsh who had "paused" his participation in the show as he is a member of both WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

The season launches on Tuesday, September 26 and is the first series to simulcast across both ABC and Disney+ for its upcoming season, and will be available the next day on Hulu.

It was reported last week that ABC had been considering postponing the premiere due to the WGA strike. While the show is unscripted, it is a signatory to the Writers Guild of America's minimum basic agreement and has employed a WGA script writer in the past to write comments for the hosts.

The show is covered under the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, which is the same rule that applies to daytime soap operas and morning shows. Since it is separate from the film and TV collective bargaining agreement that SAG-AFTRA members are currently striking for, actors are allowed to participate. 

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 new season will feature Jason Mraz, Tyson Beckford, Xochitl Gomez, Alyson Hannigan, Harry Jowsey, Adrian Peterson, Lele Pons, Mira Sorvino, Mauricio Umansky, and Barry Williams, who will join previously announced Charity Lawson, Ariana Madix and Jamie Lynn Spears.

Previously paused shows like Saturday Night Live are also planning to return next month, with non-SAG-AFTRA members hosting. With the WGA voting on the new deal as early as tomorrow, more news regarding returns of shows is expected soon.

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