‘Dancing With the Stars’ knows what works

“Dancing With The Stars” (ABC, Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET) is probably the only reality show where you’re supposed to laugh at the casting, and at the way the show keeps topping its own past stunts.

You thought George Hamilton was a mugging caricature of himself? Meet Jerry Springer! You thought ESPN’s Kenny Mayne was an awkward broadcaster crammed into a pair of dancing shoes? Here’s Tucker Carlson!

Did you like the part where contestant Lisa Rinna was sweetly supported by spouse Harry Hamlin? How about contestant Harry Hamlin being sweetly supported by spouse Lisa Rinna! Say what you will about this extravagantly goofy production; the producers know how to stick to the plan.

It’s a plan that worked perfectly last season on “Dancing,” which starts its third season on Sept. 12. The highly rated show was last seen closing with a satisfying victory for the enormously likable Drew Lachey over the able but less likable Stacy Keibler. It's no surprise that this season offers apparent doppelgangers for both. Where there once was former boy-band sensation Lachey, there's now Joey “Call Me Joe” Lawrence. Grab a stopwatch, and clock the first time either Lawrence or the show uses his catch phrase: “Whoa.”

Keibler’s apparent heir is Shanna Moakler: model, beauty queen, and Playboy centerfold. She seems like Stacy II, not so much because they have things in common as because the show would never not cast a young, conventionally pretty blonde, and singer Willa Ford — who will be more famous for doing this than for anything else if she lasts a week — doesn’t seem to be the pinup girl, given what ABC calls her reputation as the “bad girl of pop.”

Who else is on the slate? Well, representing those who once seemed to be legitimate actors is Vivica A. Fox, who showed promise in “Kill Bill” and “Soul Food,” but who now apparently is embracing her opportunity to learn the cha-cha in public. Mario Lopez is the first of what appears to be a series of appearances by the entire cast of “Saved By The Bell,” all of whom proved their mettle during the show’s randomly inserted dance/cheerleading numbers, and all of whom, frankly, have the time.

NBC VIDEO 'Dancing' puts spring in Springer's step Sept. 12:  Talk show host and 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant Jerry Springer talks to MSNBC-TV's Rita Cosby. MSNBC

Most likely to inspire power-voting: Monique Coleman, who appeared in “High School Musical,” the Disney Channel’s earth-rattlingly popular TV movie. Last season’s finalists’ professional dance partners are back, as well: country singer Sara Evans is hooked up with Keibler’s partner, Tony, while Emmitt Smith — this year’s allegedly heavy-footed professional athlete — is paired with Lachey’s partner, Cheryl.

Can 'Dancing' tango over competition?
Reliance on formula isn’t an airtight strategy, of course. “Dancing” has emerged from its origins as a campy 2005 summer romp to the point where it is now expected to compete with stiff, regular-season competition, as it did in the spring. Now on Tuesday nights, the primary competition show each week will face CBS’s popular “NCIS,” Fox’s Emmy-nominated cult favorite “House,” NBC’s well-reviewed new drama “Friday Night Lights,” and the CW’s limping but much-loved “Gilmore Girls.”

The field is crowded in that time period, to say the least — not as crowded as it will be in the spring, when “Dancing” is not scheduled, and will be spared a showdown with a little Simon Cowell show you might have heard of — but crowded nevertheless.

“Dancing” seems resilient, given the fact that it did not suffer against

FREE VIDEO George Hamilton: "Do it for the homies" Sept. 12: Former "Dancing with the Star" contestant George Hamilton gives advice to Tucker Carlson about his debut on "Dancing with the Stars"—like downing Red Bull. Situation

“Survivor” on Thursday nights in the spring, but that's still a lot of firepower to throw at any show in a new time slot. Like “Idol,” the show hasn’t rushed to jam more than one season together, waiting after the Lachey/Keibler finale back in February until now to come back. Still, reality shows have a strange way of going south with remarkable speed, so this one, like all others, will have to put its faith in the strength of the casting.

“Dancing” generally needs a good mix of three kinds of contestants. First, there are the train wrecks. Everyone knows by now about Master P in season two, and how the judges mocked him and lamented his presence and his inappropriate shoes until his overdue booting finally came. Most also remember George Hamilton, who stood around and mugged, and who still got remarkably high scores, apparently for being himself better than anyone else ever could hope to be.

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