‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35 Premiere Hits 6.7 Million Viewers, Best Opener in Six Years — SkimNews
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- Dancing With the Stars Season 35 premiere drew 6.7 million viewers on ABC Tuesday night, a 24% increase over the Season 34 premiere, which hit 5.4 million viewers in 2025.
- The episode marks the show's best season opener in six years, per the ratings report.
- Deadline's coverage spotlights that "ladies' first routines" are still to come, flagging a structural format element the ratings-only framing doesn't address.
- Rolling Stone centered its coverage on contestant Taylor Hanson, who called the experience "very personal" — an emotional, human-angle story absent from the headline ratings narrative.
Why it matters: A 24% year-over-year jump to a six-year premiere high gives ABC a rare ratings win for a long-running franchise in an era of shrinking linear-TV audiences. With more episodes ahead — including the "ladies' first routines" Deadline flags as upcoming — the show has runway to build on early-season momentum.
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