Disney Plus
“Dancing With the Stars” season 31 premieres on Monday, September 19 at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific time on Disney Plus. Here’s what you need to know about the schedule for the full season and the finale date:
The Finale is Monday, November 21
Fall seasons of “Dancing With the Stars” typically end with a finale on the Monday before Thanksgiving, which puts the “Dancing With the Stars” season 31 finale on Monday, November 21. The show announced via press release that the premiere episode will feature an elimination and with 16 couples total this season, that means there will be two double elimination weeks before the finale if the show has four couples in the finals.
The press release reads:
The season premiere will feature a dazzling opening number to “I’m Coming Out / About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)” by Diana Ross & Lizzo. For their first performance, the celebrity and pro duos will perform dances that include the Jive, Tango, Quickstep, Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Salsa or Viennese Waltz. One couple will be eliminated at the end of the premiere episode.
Fans will be able to vote during the live stream of the show in the U.S. and Canada via disneyplus.com/vote. U.S. fans can also vote via SMS/text. This season, live online voting will be available in Canada. With each subsequent episode, the live viewer votes will be combined with the judges’ scores to determine which couples may be in jeopardy of elimination.
The press release also revealed that the episode can be replayed on Disney Plus “within the hour following the live stream.”
We also know at least two themed episodes of the show so far — Michael Buble night on October 24 was announced by the singer himself on “Good Morning America,” and Halloween night on October 31 was announced in a “Hallowstream” press release that reads, “Every week, look forward to themed episodes with spectacular new costumes and dances culminating in the ultimate haunted ballroom on October 31.”
The Show Won’t Always Be 2 Hours Long
The show will always air on Monday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific, but it won’t always be two hours long like it always was during its ABC broadcast days.
Returning showrunner Conrad Green told “Entertainment Weekly” in an interview that being on a streaming service is going to let the show “breathe a little bit more.”
“[I]n the past, you always had to hit exactly two hours for the show. You don’t have to anymore now that we’re on the streamer,” said Green. “There’s not another show immediately following us. It’s not like there’s dead air if we’re a little bit under. The show can run at a slightly more natural pace. The first show is going to be busy. It’s going to be two hours absolutely packed full of people and stories and amazing performances. When we get into the later shows, we can let it breathe a little bit more, and we can bring back some of the elements that people have really liked, like group dances, team dances, or a dance marathon. Things like that, which are fun ways of seeing how the cast all get to know each other and work with each other and compete in different ways.”
Green also said he doesn’t know “quite what to expect” now that the show is airing live nationwide.
“People used to be able to vote on the West Coast when we would do the reveal the next day. But when it dropped down to one reveal that night, people on the West Coast didn’t vote. I’m very glad that it is now fully inclusive. It’s live live live across the whole country. You can tune in at five o’clock in LA, you can tune in at 8 o’clock in New York. People in Canada are able to vote now as well. It’s a much broader base. And I think it will help audiences feel engaged with the show,” said Green.
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 31st season on Monday, September 19, on Disney Plus.