Netflix is bringing back ‘Star Search’ as it continues to expand into live TV

Star Search, a reality competition series that’s featured a shocking number of musicians and comedians before they were famous, is coming back as a Netflix show. The streaming platform announced that it’s bringing Star Search back as a live show with interactive elements, building on Netflix’s expansion into live TV and events.

Like the original, the new Star Search will focus on “emerging performers in music, dance, comedy and kids’ acts,” Netflix says. The company didn’t share who would host or judge these acts, and doesn’t have a premiere data as of yet, but Netflix did claim that the new Star Search will be “more interactive than ever.” Past seasons of the show allowed the at-home audience to rate each performance before their scores were read live on air. It’s not hard to imagine Netflix rigging something similar inside its own apps.

Reality competition shows are a dime a dozen in 2025, particularly on Netflix, but Star Search is notable for the sheer number of famous people who competed on it. Like American Idol, not many of them actually won, but it’s rare to see a competition show that’s featured everyone from Christina Aguilera to Sinbad.

Star Search is just one part of Netflix’s growing ambitions for live TV, which now includes everything thing from alternative talk shows to WWE. The company streamed its first NFL game on Christmas Day 2024, and has continued to expand into other live events, like award shows. At the same time, Netflix’s plans for gaming have seemingly diminished — the company closed its AAA game studio and has removed interactive shows like Bandersnatch from its catalog.

Casting has already begun for the new version of Star Search. You can head to Netflix’s website for more information and to apply to be on the show.