Fox scraps plan to air So You Think You Can Dance in 2020

Fox is calling off So You Think You Can Dance.

The broadcaster has decided not to make the reality series for this summer after all.

The 17th season of the dance competition series was supposed to being taping in August.

"So You Think You Can Dance will not be moving forward due to health and governmental restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," Fox said in a statement. "As a result, while we were looking forward to its return this summer, we cannot meet the standards we’ve set for viewers and contestants in light of the show’s unique format, intricate production schedule and limited time."

Previously, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe was optimistic about the show's chances of resuming production.

"We're scheduled to start shooting the live tapings of season 17 of SYTYCD in August, but we don't know how many people will be allowed in the studio, and how many live shows we can do, if any at all," Lythgoe told Dance Spirit. "It's difficult to project what's going to happen in August, but we can keep preparing for it now ... if we can't have our normal competition, another option is to put our past seasons in competition with each other, and have viewers vote on their all-time favorite dancers and dances. There's a lot you can do in editing with 16 seasons worth of material."

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