‘So You Think You Can Dance’ to Miss Season 17 Premiere Due to Coronavirus Shutdown

“So You Think You Can Dance” Season 17 is not going to air this summer on Fox as planned.

A rep for the broadcast network tells Variety that production on the dance competition series cannot move forward as planned due to health and safety restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the show will miss its premiere date for the first time since it launched back in 2005.

According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the network is not ruling out the show returning once production can resume safely. However, it would likely not be until summer 2021 as Fox’s fall and midseason schedules are currently set.

“SYTYCD” is by no means the first show to be impacted by the pandemic and will likely not be the last. Virtually all television production shutdown back in March, with several shows missing their planned premiere dates as a result. Production is still not back underway on a large scale, though safety guidelines were recently issued.

“SYTYCD” features contestants who are skilled in a variety of dance styles. If they make it past the initial phase of the competition, they move on to the studio where they work with world class choreographers and compete head to head each week. The judging panel consists of Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Laurieann Gibson, and Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval. Cat Deeley serves as host.

The show is produced by Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment and dick clark productions. The series is executive-produced by series co-creator Lythgoe, Allen Shapiro, Barry Adelman, Mike Yurchuk, Jeff Thacker, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman.