Netflix’s reboot of Star Search won’t be worrying the broadcast networks after all, it seems.
The talent competition failed to hit Netflix’s global top ten charts in its first week and it scored fewer than 2.3M views on the service with its opening two episodes.
The show was, however, to crack the top ten in the U.S. It came in at number five behind His & Hers, Skyscraper Live, Free Bert and Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials and above WWE’s Raw. South Africa was the only other country where it reached the top ten, coming in at number nine.
The move will be a disappointment for the streamer, which was hoping that Star Search could give it a splashy entry into the world of broadcast-style entertainment formats, rivaling the likes of NBC’s The Voice, Fox’s The Masked Singer or ABC’s American Idol.
It wasn’t for lack of star power; the series is hosted by Anthony Anderson and features a judging panel of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chrissy Teigen and Jelly Roll.
The show, which runs over five weeks, launched on Tuesday, January 20 with its second episode on Wednesday.
The opening show had four musical performances: child performers Eric Adrien Williams, who sang The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There,” against Blair Kudelka, who sang “Blue,” originally recorded in 1958 but famously covered by LeAnn Rimes, and boy band 2BYG, who sang a cover of *NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me,” against Australian girl group H3rizon, who took on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” On the dance front, French troupe Ladymetry took on Movement55.
The highlight of the second episode was Bear Bailey’s cover of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” by Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll, which caused the latter to cry.
Exec producer Jesse Collins, who runs the eponymous production company that makes the show, called it before its launch. Speaking with Deadline, he said. “If I had to wager, I think Jelly Roll cries first.”
The show was largely streamed live with viewers given the opportunity to vote from home using their remote controls or phones.
The live element also doesn’t seem to have been the problem with the ratings; Netflix’s Skyscraper Live, which saw Alex Honnold climb Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, came in at number three on the streamer’s weekly charts with 6.2M views.
The project was originated by Empire star Taraji P. Henson, who was working with Village Roadshow, which owned the Star Search IP, before it filed for bankruptcy. Henson, an executive producer on the project alongside former Village Roadshow boss Steve Mosko, was previously attached to host a reboot of Candid Camera with the company.
English (US) ·