Dancing With the Stars season 35 premiere scores best ratings in six years

Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars drew a massive crowd for its return to ABC. According to Variety, the Tuesday night premiere attracted 6.7 million total viewers.

That's a significant 24% jump from the 5.4 million who tuned in for the Season 34 opener last year. The numbers make this the show's most-watched premiere in six years, since Season 29 back in 2020.

The ratings among younger audiences saw an even bigger spike. In the key adults 18-49 demographic, the premiere earned a 1.48 rating, a 40% increase over last season's start. Per the report, that's the show's best demo performance for a premiere since 2017.

The premiere easily won its night in total viewers, beating the next highest-rated show, America's Got Talent on NBC, by 51%. ABC took the overall primetime victory as a result.

The competition continues immediately, with the season's second episode airing Wednesday. That episode will see one of the women contestants sent home.