- Netflix will air a new version of the talent show Star Search. The original was hosted by Ed McMahon, but the streaming service has not announced a new host for the show yet, nor a premier date.
Netflix’s latest choice to lean into live programming is a bit of a head scratcher.
The streaming service has announced it is bringing back popular talent competition from the 1980s and early 1990s Star Search, after a 20-year hiatus.
The original show, which was hosted by Ed McMahon, ran from 1983 through 1995. Netflix says it plans to air the successor live and, like the original, will be interactive. (In the McMahon version of the show, viewers would call in to vote for their favorite acts. Netflix, presumably, will update that voting technique.)
The variety of acts on Star Search spanned a wide spectrum. The show is often remembered as a place where groups of children would clog or sing, but it also was a launching pad for some of the biggest names in entertainment today. Among the show’s famous alum are Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Adam Sandler, Dave Chappelle, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.
Netflix has not announced who will take over hosting duties for the show. (McMahon died in 2009.) Nor did it announce who would serve as judges, or when the show would premier.
People hoping to be on the show can head to Netflix’s website for information on how to apply.
Netflix has been increasingly interested in live TV in recent years. The company streamed a live NFL game on Christmas Day last year, currently airs a live talk show from comedian John Mulaney, and signed a $5 billion deal to carry WWE’s flagship Raw program last year.