Ryan Seacrest Is No. 1 on THR's Reality Power List
What's the appeal of Dancing With the Stars? It helps that it is a "melting pot" of celebrities, which naturally attracts a diverse viewership, according to Green. But it's more than that. "There's a touch of Old Hollywood glamour about the show and something reassuring about it," he says. "We know what we do is inherently silly, but we do bring a bit of joy to people." DWTS, now in its 12th cycle, has aired more than 210 episodes and continues to be a ratings grabber for ABC (it was the top-rated Monday-night show two weeks in a row following its March 21 season debut) — not to mention fodder for watercooler conversations and late-night talk show hosts. Even critics grousing that the contestants are little more than D-listers can't diminish Green's enthusiasm for DWTS. But Green, who devotes six days a week to the series and has never missed a taping — "I'm a hackneyed old pro," he says — is surprised by the show's longevity. "If you had asked me a few years ago, I probably would have said it would have been over by now," he says.
