It’s probably an understatement to say that fans were outraged when they found out that there wasn’t going to be a spring season of Dancing With the Stars, but they may like to know that they’re certainly not alone in that feeling: “That decision was made before I got here,” commented ABC president Karey Burke at the annual Television Critics Association gathering in Pasadena, California this week. “I’ve only been here two months, but I actually was not a part of that decision.” What Burke is a part of, though, is the fact that the show is far from canceled, as some people have feared. “I can confirm that it will definitely be returning in the fall [with Season 28],” she revealed.

Sighs of relief, everyone.

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba, in an interview with Huffington Post prior to Burke’s new comments, already seemed pretty confident that the show would be back. “It’s going to be a good season when it returns,” she offered, adding that she thinks the reason that the series connects with viewers in the way that it does has a lot to do with the fact that the three original judges — herself along with Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman — aren’t going anywhere.

dancing-with-the-stars-judges

(Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

“I feel like people don’t know how much we care about the dancers,” Carrie explained. “We love them all. We all love each other. We have the same original judging panel. I think we’re familiar with people, and that in this day and age, when there’s so much turmoil in the world, people want something that makes them feel comfortable and familiar and safe.”

Dancing With the Stars first premiered on ABC back on June 1, 2005, and has enjoyed a total of 27 seasons to date. That first year featured six couples who competed for six weeks/episodes. Flash forward to Season 27, which began on September 24, 2018, and you’re talking about 13 couples competing over a nine-week period. All these years, and all those dancers, later, and the excitement remains high.

The Fall, and Season 28 of Dancing With the Stars, can’t come fast enough!