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TV This Week

For Fox’s ‘Dance,’ less is more

Long-running reality show has revived after going to one night

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

June 27, 2012

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For Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," this may be the rare case where less actually is more.

The long-running reality show, now in its ninth season, was clipped from two nights to one this season after ratings declines.

This year, running only on Wednesday at 8 p.m., the show seems to be regaining its buzz, becoming more focused and less bloated with just the two-hour episode per week.

Tonight "Dance" celebrates the show's 200^th episode by unveiling this season's 20 finalists.

"Dance" averaged a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating last week, according to Nielsen, up 9 percent over the same night last year, when it averaged a 2.2.

Despite its age, the show remains Fox's No. 2 summer program, finishing behind "Hell's Kitchen" last week.

That "Dance" has rebounded from last season's declines indicates that cutting back to once a week was a good move.

It was a risky strategy that worked, and it could inspire some copycatting in the coming year, what with top reality shows "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol" seeing steep declines last year.

Eliminating a low-rated results show could prove to be a smart way to revive ratings.

A look at this week's top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	"So You Think You Can Dance" (R)	The season's top 20 dancers are revealed.
8 p.m.	ESPN	"Major League Baseball" (S)	American League matchup between the Tigers and Rangers.
9 p.m.	NBC	"America's Got Talent" (R)	The top 48 performers move on to the next round.
9 p.m.	Investigation Discovery	"I (Almost) Got Away With It" (N)	Season finale. A killer tries to make a getaway in New York.
10 p.m.	ABC	"Final Witness" (N)	Series premiere. Examining murder cases from the perspective of the victim.
10 p.m.	MTV	"The Real World" (R)	Season premiere. The long-running reality show's 27th season takes place on the island of St. Thomas.
THURSDAY, JUNE 28
Time	Network	Program	Description
7:30 p.m.	ESPN	"NBA Draft" (S)	The 2012 event, live from Newark, N.J.
8 p.m.	ABC	"Duets" (R)	The duos sing songs from the 2000s.
9 p.m.	FX	"Anger Management" (C)	Series premiere. For the curiosity factor alone the new Charlie Sheen show should draw a good amount of viewers.
9 p.m.	Travel Channel	"Trip Flip" (R)	Series premiere. An adventurer spices up trips for unsuspecting vacationers.
9 p.m.	ABC	"Wipeout" (R)	Season premiere. The show returns with a "Hotties Versus Nerds" edition.
10 p.m.	Food Network	"Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell" (R)	Series premiere. Helping restaurant owners find new chefs for their businesses.
FRIDAY, JUNE 29
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	"My Babysitter's a Vampire" (C)	Season premiere. Second season kicks off with an episode called "Welcome Back Dusker."
9 p.m.	NBC	"Gymnastics" (S)	First-day coverage of the U.S. Olympics trials.
9 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	"Chasing UFOs" (N)	Series premiere. One skeptic, one believer and one person with neutral feelings look into UFO cases.
9 p.m.	ESPN	"X Games" (C)	Day two coverage includes the skateboarding Big Air final.
10 p.m.	USA	"Common Law" (D)	Travis and Wes try to understand each other better by trading places.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Real Time with Bill Maher" (C)	Season premiere. The liberal comedian makes his return just as the presidential race begins to heat up.
SATURDAY, JUNE 30
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	CBS	"PGA Golf" (S)	Third-round coverage of the AT&T National.
7 p.m.	Fox	"Major League Baseball" (S)	Regional matchups include Detroit versus Tampa.
7:30 p.m.	TNT	"NASCAR Racing" (S)	The Quaker State 400 from Kentucky Speedway.
8 p.m.	Lifetime	"Fugitive at 17" (M)	A young computer hacker tries to clear her name of murder.
9 p.m.	Syfy	"Bigfoot" (M)	A small town feels the wrath of Bigfoot.
10 p.m.	ESPN2	"Major League Soccer" (S)	West Coast matchup between San Jose and Los Angeles.
SUNDAY, JULY 1
Time	Network	Program	Description
2:30 p.m.	ESPN	"Soccer" (S)	The UEFA Euro 2012 final from Kiev, Ukraine.
8 p.m.	PBS	"Queen & Country" (N)	The first of a four-parter looking at the traditions of the British monarchy.
8 p.m.	BET	"BET Awards" (A)	The 12th annual event, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson.
9 p.m.	Fox	"Gymnastics" (S)	The final day of the women's U.S. Olympic trials.
10 p.m.	Showtime	"Weeds" (C)	Season premiere. The comedy kicks off its eighth and final season.
10 p.m.	TNT	"The Great Escape" (R)	Three teams try to escape from a U.S. battleship.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.