‘Dancing with the Stars’ renewed for season 22 before season 21 finale

Just in case there was every any doubt regarding whether or not “Dancing with the Stars” would be returning for another season on ABC, the following is a reason to take a deep breath: It’s pretty much confirmed as of now that the show will be coming back.

Today, the network confirmed that the 22nd installment of the show will premiere on Monday, March 21 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, and we imagine that come late January, the casting process will probably start to ramp up in earnest. There are too many possible candidates right now to label anyone a favorite, but we anticipate the same mix: A sitcom star, a singer, a couple of reality TV figures, and a major athlete. Given the timing, we wouldn’t be too shocked if it is a current / former NFL player with the season ending in early February. It’s a great way to stay in shape!

Is the appeal still there for Stars to do this show? We would say so, given that the series really did a nice job this fall of holding a steady audience. While it’s not the #1 show on TV and probably won’t be at any point in the future, it’s still getting large viewer totals and hovering around a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic. For young people like Hayes Grier or Bethany Mota, it is a chance for them to appeal to a completely new audience. Meanwhile, for more seasoned Stars it’s a chance to break back into the business, and see if they can leverage this into other opportunities. Just ask new “America’s Funniest Home Videos” host Alfonso Ribeiro how that worked out.

One other thing we’ll say is that we have to assume that current “Bachelor” star Ben Higgins will be asked. They almost always are.

We’ll be back soon with more news on the “Dancing with the Stars” finale. For now, head over here to get some more of the latest news, and you can also sign up right now to get some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)