Running Dancing With the Stars is no easy feat. From preseason casting to the figurative curtain rise, there are many elements to consider: Costumes! Set design! Music! Add to that the reality show format where cameras capture the star-and-pro couples’ daily rehearsals, when tensions sometimes erupt and injuries can happen. Still, all the parts ultimately come together like a perfectly performed — yes — dance. How does it happen? According to showrunner Conrad Green, the secret to the show’s success is simple: chemistry.

“From my point of view, dance has always been a core entertainment staple,” says Green, who was with DWTS through Season 18 and recently returned for the premiere of Season 33. “But we were the first dance show on TV in the reality era. The chemistry between people, the ability for a pro to be able to help someone through a routine because they’re in a pair, not [dancing] solo, is huge. The format really helps you understand the stories behind people.”

When Dancing began, “Reality shows weren’t feel-good,” adds co-executive producer Deena Katz, citing early-2000s “gotcha” programming like Fear Factor and Joe Millionaire. “When people started watching DWTS and fell in love with it, we became that show you could sit with your family and watch.”

All the glitz, glam, and sequins don’t hurt either, Green notes. “It recalls a time that people look back on fondly — the golden era of Hollywood — with performances and entertainment that’s a little bit classy.”

The idea of ballroom dancing may conjure images of stuffy cummerbund-wearers, but the beauty of Dancing is in the variety of styles performed. And you don’t really need to know the steps to figure it out. “It’s pretty clear if someone is doing a foxtrot and they’re off time and stomping all over the place,” Green says with a laugh.

But over the years, casting those stomping hoofers has been a big point of contention for producers and viewers alike. “I remember [Season 11 star] Bristol Palin being on the show at a time when we were a huge touchstone,” recalls Green. “That got to the real mania point where people were calling in death threats. It was just insane, the reaction to that.”

Bringing in sports stars — like Super Bowl winners Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith — has been pivotal to the fabric of the show as well and helped to broaden the audience base. It’s all about expecting the unexpected. “[TV host] Jerry Springer was really important too,” says Green. “You think you know someone, but you see him on our show and you get to know him differently.”

Adam Larkey / Disney General Entertainment Content / Getty Images

Katz agrees: “They’re learning how to do a cha-cha, but it’s really this journey and you’re finding out about these people in their most vulnerable state as they’re learning to dance live on television, which is so out of their comfort zones.”

And yes, producers got a lot of flak for bringing in “stars” like Palin or Season 28’s former White House press secretary Sean Spicer (including from ex-host Tom Bergeron). But Katz, who primarily handles the casting, says, “We’re not trying to change the world. Sean’s just a really nice guy coming on to do a Viennese waltz.”

“The celebrity landscape has changed enormously,” Green notes. “When we launched in 2005, there was no Twitter, there was no social media, there was no iPhone. Television has changed. But the core concepts of what makes a good contestant and what makes someone relatable are the same now as they were 20 years ago.”

And after two decades on the air, Dancing still has legs. “We were this little show — six one-hours in the summer [when it started]. And if you’d told any of us that we’d be talking about 20 years and going into 34 seasons, we’d think you were crazy,” says Katz. “I pinch myself every day that we’re lucky enough to be able to work on this and that we’re going stronger than ever.”

Dancing With the Stars, Season 34 Premiere, Tuesday, September 16, 8/7c, ABC

For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands now.