Dance Moms

Dance Moms is an American reality television series that ran on Lifetime for 8 seasons from July 13, 2011, to September 10, 2019.

Plot
The series follows the training and careers of young girls in dance and show business under the tutelage of Abby Lee Miller, an extremely strict dance instructor at ALDC, and the relationships between Abby and their overbearing and bickering mothers.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) One of the show's main criticisms is Abby Lee Miller herself.
 * 2) * She is incredibly unlikable, as she is unreasonably strict and harsh with the girls, always yelling at and belittling them whenever they make mistakes. To make matters worse, she often favors Maddie over the other girls.
 * 3) * She is also extremely short-tempered and can't seem to go for one episode without having an outburst. In one episode, she throws a chair at Paige.
 * 4) * She always gets into stupid fights with the girls' mothers, who often accuse her of not treating them fairly.
 * 5) Relies way too much on drama, fighting, and emotional manipulation to get the viewer's attention, which will get on your last nerves fast.
 * 6) * Season 4 introduces some dancers, causing the new moms not to get along with the original moms.
 * 7) * Season 6 is when both cast members and audiences find out about Abby's bankruptcy fraud and there is also a lot of tension before the Zieglers make their departure.
 * 8) Some of the costume choices for the dances are inappropriate for the girls' ages.
 * 9) The girls' mothers are no better than Abby. They're annoying, selfish, constantly fight with one another over whose daughter is best, and are one of the main causes of the drama.
 * 10) * In the first episode, Melissa forces Maddie to dance when she isn't feeling well and when Maddie looks like she is on the verge of throwing up, Melissa tells the other moms that if she throws up, she won't clean it up. Also, even when Maddie has had enough and starts crying, Melissa still pushes her to dance. Talk about bad parenting!
 * 11) * Oftentimes, the other moms bully Melissa for Abby favoring Maddie over their girls.
 * 12) * In "Big Trouble in the Big Apple", when Abby threatens to replace Brooke with Kalani, Kelly completely loses it and gets into a physical altercation with Abby. Afterward, Kelly, Paige, and Brooke leave the series altogether.
 * 13) JoJo Siwa was part of the cast during Seasons 5 and 6. In the show, both she and her mom are loud and opinionated.
 * 14) There is an infamous scene where the girls are forced to dance provocatively and wear tan bikinis to give the illusion that they're naked. This is the scene that got the show in a crossfire with several people.
 * 15) There have been rumors that the series is staged, but it's hard to tell since none of the former dancers speak to Abby or even credit her for their careers nowadays.

Good Qualities

 * 1) There are some iconic, funny, heartwarming and emotional moments from time to time.
 * 2) The dancing is entertaining.
 * 3) It jumpstarted the careers of Maddie Ziegler and Jojo Siwa.
 * 4) Sometimes Abby can be nice. Speaking of which, she is a bit less mean to the girls in Season 1.
 * 5) Christi Lukasiak and Holly Frazier are considered the be the least bad of the moms.
 * 6) Despite its flaws, it actually has a huge fanbase.

Reception
TBA

Trivia
In 2020, Lifetime severed ties with Abby Lee Miller after racism accusations.

Around Seasons 4-6, the series saw the departure of several original cast members.


 * Christi and Chloe Lukasiak left after Season 4. They temporarily returned in Season 7. But left again afterward.
 * Kelly and Brooke Hyland left during Season 4 due to Kelly getting into a physical altercation with Miller (See BQ#4).
 * Malissa, Maddie, and Mackenzie Ziegler left during Season 6.