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.
