Photo credit: Greg Gayne/FOX.
It's hard when a show ages because a network will always look for ways to cut the budget. Fans have seen it happen over the years with Dancing With the Stars and it really started to hit So You Think You Can Dance in Season 13.
The days of Top 20 are over and the results shows are long gone — we lost that in Season 9. Season 16 is seeing some major changes that affect everyone from the contestants to the fans. Yes, the Top 10 format is still the same, but the live element has disappeared. Season 16 is now live-to-tape, except for the finale on Monday, Sept. 16.
We are also getting shorter shows for the first two weeks on the SYTYCD stage. Weeks 1 and 2 with the Top 10 will only be 60 minutes. The show will then increase to two hours for the final four weeks of the season.
What TV viewers need to realize is that live shows are very expensive to mount. It's why World of Dance has stayed with their taped format over the first three seasons. With a large cast and multiple rounds, this is what works best for NBC's budget.
When shows lose big elements, like DWTS and SYTYCD have, it is solely due to a business decision. Executives found a way a more affordable way to keep the show on the air.
SYTYCD has been a bubble show for several years now and it's better to have a season with some changes than no season at all. Change is hard and it can make us wistful for the seasons gone by, but the talent is still there. They still need us to root for their success, cheer them up when they are down and vote to keep them there week after week.
If you want to voice your complaints, tag FOX on social media. Don't bug Nigel Lythgoe about it. He misses the Top 20 as much as you do and if he had his way, there would be 20 dancers on that stage.
So let's rally for the Season 16 Top 10 because they are going to dance their hearts out to win your votes to become America's Favorite Dancer.
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