Dancing With the Stars is back for Season 35, opening with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16. Both premiere-night broadcasts begin at 8 p.m. ET, airing on ABC and streaming on Disney+.
After that opening event, the competition moves to its regular schedule: new episodes air live on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Viewers who do not watch live can catch each episode on Hulu the following day. The arrangement gives audiences three distinct viewing lanes—traditional ABC access, live streaming through Disney+, or next-day on-demand playback through Hulu—though the best option will depend on whether seeing the voting-window episode as it happens matters to you.
Season 35 viewing schedule at a glance
- Premiere: Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET
- Where the premiere airs: ABC and Disney+
- Regular schedule after the premiere: Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, live
- Next-day option: Hulu
The important distinction is between a live feed and next-day streaming. A live feed presents the ABC broadcast as it airs. Hulu’s listed option is on demand the following day, which is useful for viewers who cannot make the Tuesday time slot but is not a replacement for watching the broadcast in real time.
Watching without a cable subscription
ABC is the central piece of the live-viewing equation. Several internet-delivered TV bundles include local ABC stations in supported areas, meaning they can function similarly to a cable package without requiring a conventional cable subscription. However, local-station carriage is not universal: availability can vary by ZIP code. Checking a service’s local-channel listing before subscribing is the practical step that matters most.
DirecTV
DirecTV’s streaming packages carry local ABC stations in most markets, making it one route to watching the show live. The service offers a five-day free trial and currently includes ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu in its bundle. For a household that wants both the immediate broadcast and the ability to move between Disney+ and Hulu, that packaging may be particularly relevant.
A free trial is a limited promotional access period, not a guarantee of indefinite no-cost viewing. Anyone considering that route should pay attention to the length of the trial and the ongoing package terms before signing up.
Sling TV
Sling Blue starts at $45.99 per month and includes ABC only in select markets. That qualifier is vital: Sling Blue is not automatically a live-ABC solution everywhere. Prospective viewers should confirm that their location is among the markets where ABC is available before treating it as their Season 35 plan.
Fubo
Fubo carries ABC in supported areas through its live-TV packages, which start at $73.99 per month. As with the other live-TV services, the channel lineup is location-dependent. Its starting price establishes the entry point for the service, but local ABC eligibility remains the deciding factor for viewers whose goal is specifically the Tuesday broadcast.
Related coverage includes How to Watch Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Live and On Demand.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV starts at $89.99 per month. It includes ABC and more than 100 live channels, along with Hulu and Disney+. This is separate from simply waiting for the next-day Hulu episode: Hulu + Live TV is intended for live-channel access, while the standard next-day Hulu availability is the catch-up option described for episodes after they air.
How to choose the right option
The simplest decision tree is based on timing. If you only need to watch each episode after it airs, Hulu’s next-day availability is the straightforward answer. If you want the live Tuesday broadcast, Disney+ is an official streaming destination for the show, while a live-TV bundle can provide an ABC feed where local availability supports it.
For viewers comparing bundles, do not compare monthly starting prices alone. First, enter your ZIP code and verify ABC. A package is not a practical live-viewing solution if the necessary local station is unavailable in your market, regardless of its channel count or advertised starting rate. Then compare the services’ included streaming benefits, such as the Disney+ and Hulu access included with DirecTV’s current bundle or Hulu + Live TV.
Live television also carries a time-zone consideration. The published schedule is 8 p.m. ET, so viewers outside the Eastern time zone should consult the listing delivered by their own ABC station or streaming service. The key confirmed scheduling detail is that the regular live broadcast is on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET after the two-night opener.
The hosts and judges returning to the ballroom
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as Season 35’s co-hosts. At the judges’ table, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are back. That continuity means the on-air presenting and judging lineup carries forward while the celebrity field refreshes for a new competition.
For entertainment viewers following the wider TV landscape as well as the ballroom, see our coverage of the expanding cast of Heated Rivalry Season 2.
Season 35 celebrity cast
This season brings together performers, actors, reality-TV figures, athletes, a chef, a model, a comedian and a baseball entertainer. The announced celebrity cast includes:
- Julia Stiles, known for Save the Last Dance
- Tatyana Ali of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Harry Shum Jr. of Grey’s Anatomy
- Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis
- Tyler Cameron, an alum of The Bachelorette
- Ciara Miller of Summer House
- Olympian Amber Glenn
- Guillermo Rodriguez of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Paralympian Ezra Frech
- Taylor Hanson of Hanson
- Maura Higgins of Love Island U.K.
- Conner Leavitt of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
- Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas
- Model Sarah Jane Nader
- Comedian Connor Wood
The returning professional dancers named for the season are Mark Ballas, Witney Carson, Jenna Johnson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Rylee Arnold and Daniella Karagach.
What “live,” “local ABC” and “next day” mean in practice
These terms can sound interchangeable in a streaming advertisement, but they describe different ways of accessing the same program. Live means the episode is being shown at the same time as the ABC television broadcast. Local ABC means a live-TV provider carries the ABC station serving a viewer’s region; because carriage differs by market, a provider may offer ABC in one ZIP code but not another. Next day means the episode arrives for on-demand viewing after the live event has finished.
That distinction is especially useful for a weekly competition series. A viewer who avoids social-media spoilers may prioritize live access. Someone with a packed Tuesday night may prefer next-day Hulu playback. Neither approach changes the regular release rhythm: the show is live on Tuesdays following the premiere, and Hulu receives episodes the following day.
Season 35 therefore has a relatively clear viewing map: ABC and Disney+ for the two-night opening broadcasts, live Tuesday episodes thereafter, and Hulu for next-day viewing. For cable-free viewers seeking the ABC feed, DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV are potential paths—but local ABC availability should be verified before committing to any package.
