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A premise the format abandoned.
A full rebrand, a cast built entirely from kids, and ten All-Stars turned mentors make season thirteen the format's furthest departure from its original premise.
Thirteen episodes, down four from last.
Season thirteen rebrands the show entirely as The Next Generation, opening the competition to dancers aged eight to thirteen for the first time. Ten returning All-Stars each mentor a young finalist through the live rounds, and Maddie Ziegler joins the panel as a full fourth judge alongside Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, and Jason Derulo. The season's thirteen-episode order is the shortest since the show's debut.
The #15 slot.
Slot #15 of 18 in the So You Think You Can Dance Editor's Canon. Season thirteen ranks in the C-tier for a change too large to ignore: the show rebrands entirely as The Next Generation, narrowing the competition to dancers aged eight to thirteen. It's a legitimate structural experiment — ten returning All-Stars each mentor one young finalist, and Maddie Ziegler joins as a full fourth judge — but it trades away the premise the canon has valued most across twelve prior seasons: adult dancers competing on pure technique, with nothing but the audition tape and a live vote behind them. The shortened thirteen-episode order compounds the sense of a season built for a different show. Ambitious, but the furthest the format has strayed from itself.
4 moments, no spoilers.
- Ep 1 · a full rebrand
The show returns under a new title, The Next Generation, with the competition open to dancers aged eight to thirteen for the first time.
- Ep 2 · All-Stars turn mentors
Ten returning All-Star dancers each select and mentor one young finalist for the run of live shows.
- Ep 4 · a fourth chair
Maddie Ziegler joins Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, and Jason Derulo as a full judge on the panel.
- Ep 6 · a tighter season
The competition runs a shortened thirteen-episode order, condensing the format considerably.