So You Think You Can Dance will continue to remain on hiatus and it’s unclear if it will return

So You Think You Can Dance will continue to remain on hiatus … and it’s unclear if it will return amid COVID-19 pandemic

So You Think You Can Dance might not return to the air.

According to a report from TVLine Tuesday, the show will continue to remain on hiatus, as Fox and production companies 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions do not currently have any plans to bring the show back at this time.

A source at Fox told the outlet that the show could still potentially make a comeback; and that it’s chances of returning depend on the continued coronavirus pandemic.

The latest: So You Think You Can Dance might not return to the air 

‘The safety of everyone involved – contestants, studio audience, judges, host and production staff – remains our top priority,’ the source said.

The 17th season of the show, which is hosted by Cat Deeley, had been planned to commence with production last August, but Fox decided to hold back amid the ongoing pandemic.

‘Production on Season 17 of SYTYCD will not be moving forward due to health and governmental restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,’ the network said in June. ‘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.’

Prior to Fox shutting down production, the show’s executive producer Nigel Lythgoe chat with the publication Dance Spirit about the potential directions the show could go in, facing the challenges of preventing the spread of the virus.

The 17th season of the show but Fox decided to hold back amid the ongoing pandemic.

The 17th season of the show had been planned to commence with production last August, but Fox decided to hold back amid the ongoing pandemic

Ensemble: Judges Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo, host Cat Deeley, judge Maddy Ziegler and executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe celebrated the show's 250th episode in 2016

Ensemble: Judges Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo, host Cat Deeley, judge Maddy Ziegler and executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe celebrated the show’s 250th episode in 2016

‘I love audience participation and want to keep that alive, so 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,’ he said. ‘There’s a lot you can do in editing with 16 seasons worth of material.’

He had advice to dancers looking to stay at the top of their game amid the challenging times.

‘You’re athletes, so just like all the other professional athletes around the world, you have to keep training,’ Lythgoe told the outlet. ‘There’s so many more classes you can take virtually now, so make the most of that opportunity.’