‘Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro’ Dazzles As ABC’s Best Summer Series Premiere In 6 Years

EXCLUSIVE: Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro is proving to be a fierce new addition to the summer television lineup. The new series, which chronicles the search for the franchise’s next professional ballroom dancer ahead of Dancing with the Stars Season 35, debuted to a total audience of 5.33M after three days of viewing across ABC, Disney+, Hulu and digital platforms, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. The episode also scored a 0.86 rating among adults 18-49. For context, the premiere audience for Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars last fall was 5.5M live + same-day viewers, and the series approached 10M L+SD viewers by the finale. It was the highest-rated and most-watched DWTS finale in nine years, thanks to the franchise’s stunning resurgence over the last two years. The launch of The Next Pro is the first major expansion of the DWTS since it premiered in 2005. Over the years, the series has gone through dozens of pro dancers, many of whom returned for last season’s 20th anniversary celebration. The early success of The Next Pro bodes quite well for the upcoming season of the flagship series, indicating that its latest cultural resonance is poised to continue. Watch on Deadline Per Nielsen, The Next Pro, hosted by DWTS Season 34 champ Robert Irwin, is ABC’s strongest summer series debut across all genres since July 2020. On linear alone, the episode was the top program of the night both in total viewers with 4.42M and in the 18-49 demo with a 0.47 rating. Currently, it stands as the best alternative series premiere this television season across broadcast and cable excluding those lucky enough to get NFL lead-ins. Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro is produced by BBC Studios. The series airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC and streaming next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Next week, the remaining dancers face one of the toughest Dancing with the Stars challenges: a group performance. Mentored by Britt Stewart, they must master a high-intensity routine in just hours, putting teamwork, timing and resilience to the test.