How to watch Dancing With the Stars - ready for the new season

There's a lot to say about season 31 of Dancing with the Stars, which is officially set to premiere on September 19. 

In fact, despite Dancing with the Stars fans outrage over season 30 changes, viewers should brace for a whole lot of updates to the show moving forward.

First of all, after 18 years of calling ABC home, the show has officially become the first live series to stream on Disney+. 

Another major development involves the judges: Tyra Banks will make her return and she will be joined by Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor Alfonso Ribeiro, who actually won the coveted Mirrorball Trophy back in 2014 alongside his partner Witney Carson.

"I'm super excited," Alfonso said to PEOPLE about his new gig. "For me to be asked now to co-host with Tyra, and be part of the great crew and dancers and friends [...] to be able to be on stage with them and to be part of that family again, is quite special for me."

How to watch Dancing with the Stars season 31 in the U.S.

The only way to catch new episodes of Dancing with the Stars in the United States is through Disney+. The show will, in fact, exclusively be available on the platform in the U.S. and Canada. 

The bad news: ABC will not even air re-runs of the show. The good news: given the fact that it will now be on Disney+, Dancing with the Stars will have no commercial breaks.

After streaming live on Monday nights, the episodes will be available on the platform on demand as well.

Disney+ is currently offering a special price on subscriptions: $1.99 for a month of access, after which the price will go up to $7.99 per month.

How to watch Dancing with the Stars season 31 in the U.K. and the rest of the world

No announcement has yet been made about if and when Dancing with the Stars season 31 will be available to stream on Disney+ or other platforms outside of the U.S. However, luckily there’s an easy solution and you can use a VPN to continue watching this hit drama. This is a handy bit of software that changes your IP address so that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home. 

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Who are the judges on Dancing with the Stars season 31?

To the delight of fans everywhere, during the Television Critics Association's 2022 press tour, it was confirmed that beloved judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will return on the show for the new season.

Who is in the cast of Dancing with the Stars season 31?

Of course, the most exciting portion of Dancing with the Stars involves the actual celebrities who sign on to dance in front of the world. This year's official cast was announced earlier this month during a Good Morning America segment and it includes Joseph Baena, Selma Blair, Wayne Brady, Sam Champion, Jessie James Decker, Trevor Donovan, Daniel Durant, Teresa Giudice, Vinny Guadagnino, Cheryl Ladd, Jason Lewis, Shangela, Jordin Sparks and Gabby Windey, Charli D'Amelio and Heidi D'Amelio. Aren't you so excited to see them all dance to the rhythm of the music?

Who are the pros joining Dancing with the Stars season 31?

Although the entire roster of pros involved in season 31 has yet to be announced, the following dancers have been confirmed: Mark Ballas, Alan Bersten, Cheryl Burke, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Artem Chigvintsev, Sasha Farber, Peta Murgatroyd and Emma Slater.