Lifetime has renewed its hit docu-series Dance Moms for a second season, ordering 13 new episodes featuring infamous dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, her world-class students, their mothers and all of the sequins, costumes and fiery catfights among themselves as they begin a new season of frenetic dance competitions. The announcement was made today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager of Lifetime Networks.
“From Abby Lee Miller’s intensity and her students’ incredible performances to their devoted moms and its high drama, Dance Moms has become one of the most compelling shows on television. It has struck a clear chord, hooking in die-hard fans clamoring for more, and we’re excited to bring Dance Moms back for them.”
The most talked-about series this summer and Lifetime’s fastest-growing show, Dance Moms will air its season finale on Wednesday, October 5, at 10:00pm (ET/PT). Over the past four weeks, Dance Moms has averaged 1.6 million Total Viewers (up +62% vs. its debut week), 766,000 Adults 25-54 (+34%), 889,000 Adults 18-49 (+68%), 708,000 Women 18-49 (+71%) and 604,000 Women 25-54 (+38%). With a median age of 38, Dance Moms is Lifetime’s youngest skewing original program. Season-to-date, the show has averaged 1.3 million Total Viewers, a 114% jump above the 2011-to-date time period norm; 657,000 Adults 18-49 (+153%), 614,000 Adults 25-54 (+110%), 524,000 Women 18-49 (+208%) and 483,000 Women 25-54 (+158%) according to Nielsen research. Online, the Dance Moms site on myLifetime.com has attracted 1.1 million unique visitors, 2 million visits, 7.3 million page views and 6.8 million video views season-to-date, according to Omniture. Since its July 13th premiere, Dance Moms has been viewed by 60 million viewers across all platforms, including linear, online and VOD.
Set in Pittsburgh’s renowned Abby Lee Dance Company, owned and operated by notoriously demanding and passionate instructor Miller, Dance Moms follows children’s early steps on the road to stardom and their doting mothers who are there for every rehearsal, performance and bow…all under Miller’s discerning eyes. Presenting a powerful cast of characters that has inspired water-cooler talk across the country this summer, the show has immersed itself in the highs and lows surrounding dance competition season and delivers an intriguing and dramatic look at the cast’s frantic pursuit of National Dance titles. Centered on the devoted Miller, who runs her school with an iron tap shoe as she instructs her young, talented students while also dealing with impassioned mothers who go to great lengths to help their children’s dreams come true, Dance Moms will continue to pose the tough questions many people have been asking about what really goes on behind-the-scenes in the fast-growing and controversial sport of competitive dance.
Dance Moms uniquely captures the outrageous and dynamic interplay among teacher, student and parent as Miller commits herself to bring out the best in those students – and mothers – willing to dedicate themselves to be part of one of the best dance team in the nation. Constantly on edge from Miller’s strict discipline and at times harsh ‘my way or the highway’ style of teaching, her students and their mothers are pushed to the limit emotionally, physically, socially and, in some cases, financially as they tirelessly rehearse every day and travel for weekly dance competitions throughout the U.S. Some students and mothers in Miller’s universe buy into her methods, while others crack under the pressure and battle each other for her attention.
Dance Moms is produced by Collins Avenue, with Jeff Collins (Fly Girls, Outrageous Kids Parties), Bryan Stinson (High Society) and John R. Corella (Dance Flick) executive producing, along with Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and Kimberly Chessler of Lifetime Television.
Source: Lifetime
