As ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Celebrates 500 Episodes With Record-Breaking Numbers, Producers Break Down How Casting Has Changed and the Return of ‘Appointment TV’

variety.com:

Emily Longeretta Breaking records 33 seasons into a series isn’t an easy task. But it’s one “Dancing With the Stars” has done three times this season.

And on Nov. 12, the reality competition series will hit 500 episodes. Since its 2005 debut, the series has featured 51 professional dancers and 394 stars and taken home 21 Emmys.

Still, it’s hitting new milestones. During Season 33, the show has broken voting records three times, with the latest episode seeing more than 19 million votes.

It’s the No. 1 entertainment program on broadcast in adults 18-49 with a 0.69 rating in Live+Same Day. The show has grown significantly in Live+35, with this season’s premiere currently at 8.1 million viewers and a 1.54 rating, up over 60% in total viewers and over 100% in the key demo compared to its Live+Same Day performance. “What was magic about the show in its heyday is back,” says Rob Mills, executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television. “The lesson we learned this season is the same one we learned the first season, which is what the magic in the show is: the cast.