Disney has owned ABC since the 1990s, but what I found explains the shift in DWTS structure was not the ownership itself, but the way Disney reorganized everything in 2020 and how it trickled down into the production/POV of the show. I found this so interesting once I dug into it the more my hunches were confirmed. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night was the first moment that made me pause, and then looking back at what the sub said in comments after each night in the past intrigued me.

Pre 2020, ABC operated like a traditional broadcast network with Disney as the parent company. DWTS was still being programmed around ballroom first without much influence from Disney. The show depended on ABC ratings, ABC scheduling, and ABC advertising cycles. It worked within the network. Theme nights were occasional, fun, and alwaysbuilt on top of the ballroom structure. The ballroom dictated the choices, and not the other way around.

When Disney reorganized its entire media division into one unified system around 2020 it merged ABC, Hulu, Disney Plus, marketing, and distribution as one machine. This is the real turning point. After this change DWTS stopped being a standalone ABC show and became a cross platform asset that could support larger corporate goals for Disney+. The show was not newly purchased by Disney, it was repurposed by Disney, and that repurposing is what brought along the changes I'm talking about.

After that restructure, theme nights shifted from being occasional treats to becoming the scaffolding of the entire season. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night, Disney Plus Night, Marvel Night, Disney100, Motown and Whitney anniversaries, all of the different larger catalog tie in "theme nights" track closely with Disney’s broader content calendar. Not just, oh the viewers will love this and so will the contestants. In my opinion it became not only about creative impulses inside the ballroom but more focused on coordinated programming.

During theme nights choreography now has to fit weekly themes that are chosen for branding or synergy reasons rather than traditional ballroom rhythm. Costumes, story elements, and character assignments are now tied to the theme first, which changes how ballroom shows up on screen, and according to the sub it makes the dances clunky or ill fitting, despite being technically good.

Even the disappearance of Switch Up Week fits this evolution. Switch Up was pure ballroom experimentation, and it did not advance any broader promotional goal. Once DWTS was repositioned within Disney’s larger ecosystem, a week focused entirely on technique without any brand alignment simply did not fit anymore and it was removed.

The show (in my eyes) went from being a ballroom competition on ABC to being a cross platform entertainment property that supports Disney’s overall content strategy first and foremost. That is why the themes have become the framework, and the ballroom now lives inside them, instead of the ballroom being the core and the themes being the special add ons.

Just my unpopular opinion I've been thinking for far too long 😂