‘Dancing with the Stars’ considering airing once a year; good move?

Could the lower ratings for “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” cause the ballroom competition show to scale back a little bit? Based on what we are both hearing now, it is looking like going to an “American Idol” format of airing one season a year is a definite possibility.

According to the New York Post, ABC is at least considering the possibility of making this move, which is something that host Tom Bergeron has even suggested in the past as something that could be worth exploring. What are the advantages of this? For one, airing the show only in the spring could keep judges Bruno Tonilo and Len Goodman from having to travel across the Atlantic every week for both this show and “Strictly Come Dancing.” It also would enable everyone involved in production to do other things.

The advantage for “Dancing with the Stars” airing once a year from a viewer’s point of view is merely that it would give the audience more time to actually miss the show, which is why “American Idol” was so dominant before singing shows flooded the market; by the time it came back, people were ready for it again. (This same stunt works with “Big Brother.”) The aforementioned British version of the show also airs once a year, and it remains one of the country’s most-popular shows despite being older than even the show in America.

However, here is the potential flaw in changing things up at this point. Let’s say that some of these viewers flock over to Fox and start watching “Bones” and get hooked on it. Are they going to want to come back to “Dancing with the Stars” for the next season, or enjoy life without their sequin addiction? It’s a loose comparison, but the ratings for “So You Think You Can Dance” this summer tumbled when it only aired once a week, and many viewers complained they wanted more.

At the end of the day, “Dancing with the Stars” has to be pleased with its run on television no matter how this shapes up. It remains one of the most-watched shows on TV, and its only flaw is trying to find young people who want in on the action.

If you want to see how we think that this show can return to its former glory, you can do so by reading our feature over here.

Photo: ABC