Although the ratings have dropped over time, fans shouldn’t worry too much that ABC will cancel its Dancing with the Stars TV show. It still performs well for the network, and is probably far less expensive to produce than some lower-rated scripted dramas. Still, the day may come when they decide to give the format a rest, so we’re keeping an eye on the Nielsen ratings just in case. Will Dancing with the Stars be cancelled or renewed for season 28? Stay tuned. *Status update below.

An ABC competitive reality TV series, Dancing with the Stars is hosted by Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, with Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba serve as judges. Celebrities competing in cycle 27 are Alexis Ren, Bobby Bones, Danelle Umstead, DeMarcus Ware, Evanna Lynch, Joe Amabile, ie “Grocery Store Joe,” John Schneider, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Mary Lou Retton, Milo Manheim, Nancy McKeon, Nikki Glaser, and Tinashe.  

The professional dance partners this cycle are Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Artem Chigvintsev, Lindsay Arnold, Keo Motsepe, Jenna Johnson, Emma Slater, Cheryl Burke, Sasha Farber, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Gleb Savchenko, and Brandon Armstrong.   

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s likelihood of staying on the air. The higher the ratings (particularly the 18-49 demo), the better the chances for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available — typically around 11:30am EST/8:30am PST. Refresh to see the latest.

11/20 update: You can see the latest night’s ratings in context.

Note: If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view it here.

Last year comparisons: The 25th cycle of Dancing with the Stars (Fall 2017) averaged a 1.37 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 9.334 million total viewers.

Note: These are the Live + Same Day Ratings which include “live” viewing plus delayed DVR viewing, up until 3am local time that same night. Ratings marked with an “*” are the fast affiliate ratings and will be updated with the Live+SD numbers when they are made available. Typically, networks get paid for C+3 ratings which includes DVR viewing within three days of the original airing when commercials are watched. Those numbers are rarely released to the press.

What do you think? Do you still like the Dancing with the Stars TV series on ABC? Should it be cancelled or renewed for season 28?

*11/20/18 update: Dancing with the Stars has been renewed for season 28 but it’s unlikely to return before Fall 2019. Details here.