When Dancing with the Stars returns to the airwaves in March, viewers will have to get used to watching on a new night. The show, which was originally slated to go head-to-head with American Idol, has been moved to Mondays at 8pm EST with the results show airing on Tuesday evenings at 9pm EST.
Stephen McPherson, the president of ABC Entertainment admitted that the move was Idol-related, stating that “we didn't want people to have to choose between the two reality hits this spring.”
Dancing with the Stars 4 will premiere on March 19 at 8pm EST with a 2-hour episode. The following week, they’ll air another two-hour performance show and a results show. This change will help the viewers “see the performers in action before voting.”
DWTS 3 was the second most-watched show on TV when it aired last fall. Season 4 cast announcements will be made on Good Morning America prior to the March 19th premiere of the show. Despite rumors that Joey Fatone of ‘NSync, Jennifer Aniston and Fergie, the Duchess of York have expressed interest in starring on the series, ABC remained tight-lipped, saying only that “the network is just halfway through the selection process.”