ABC has announced Dancing with the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition have both been given early renewals for the 2008-2009 television season. 

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Dancing with the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition also received early renewals for the 2007-2008 television season, and neither shows' early pick-up is much of a surprise.

Last fall's Monday and Tuesday night broadcasts of Dancing with the Stars' fifth season currently rank third and fourth in the 2007-2008 season's viewership rankings, trailing only Fox's Tuesday and Wednesday American Idol broadcasts.  Monday night's performance shows averaged 21.67 million overall viewers, while Tuesday night's results shows averaged 19.56 million overall viewers.

Dancing with the Stars' sixth edition will premiere Monday, March 17 at 8PM ET/PT.

While it's not a Dancing with the Stars-like mega-hit, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has also performed very well in the ratings for ABC.  In addition to ranking first in its Sundays at 8PM time period among the Adults 18-49 demographic for the last five seasons, the show has also averaged 13.47 million overall viewers this season -- a performance that ranks it 20th in the season's viewership rankings.

In addition to Dancing with the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC also gave America's Funniest Home Videos, Supernanny and Wife Swap early renewals for the 2008-2009 television season.  All three shows also received early renewals for the 2007-2008 television season.

The early renewals mean that Supernanny and Wife Swap will each return for a fifth season and America's Funniest Home Videos will be back for a whopping nineteenth season.

Noticeably absent from ABC's early renewal announcement is The Bachelor, however the show's renewal is merely a formality, Daily Variety reported Thursday.  The Bachelor normally isn't renewed until ABC has identified a star for the reality dating series and the network is currently casting for the Fall 2008 installment, Variety reported.

ABC's recently concluded Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann reality series was also absent from the early renewal announcement, as were new upcoming series Oprah's Big Give and Here Come the Newlyweds.  All three shows are "still up in the air," according to Variety.


 
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
Christopher Rocchio is an entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and has covered the reality TV genre for several years.