Picture Credit: Netflix
Netflix’s foray into live television continues to be a game of trial and error. Following a brief five-week run earlier this year, the live reality competition series Star Search has reportedly been canceled and will not be returning for a second season.
The news comes courtesy of Deadline, which recently hosted its Reality TV Summit. Speaking at the event, Netflix’s VP of Unscripted, Jeff Gaspin, confirmed the fate of the talent competition revival.
“Unfortunately, we probably won’t have a second season of Star Search,” Gaspin admitted during the panel.
Premiering on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026, the 9-episode series attempted to reboot the iconic talent format for the streaming age. Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the live event featured a star-studded judging panel consisting of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chrissy Teigen, and Jelly Roll.
So, why the swift axe? As Deadline reports, the series simply didn’t pull in the viewership numbers needed to justify a sophomore outing. Despite running for over a month, Star Search failed to break into Netflix’s global top 10 charts at all. It did feature in the weekly charts once in the US and South Africa, and featured in the daily charts in 9 countries. That’s in addition to reviews being pretty poor across the board.
It’s the second major reality show cancellation in this new foray into live programming, following the cancellation of Pop the Balloon Live. At the moment, Netflix is currently midway through its latest entry: Funny AF with Kevin Hart. That show is similarly struggling in the weekly global top 10s and daily top 10s, too.
However, Netflix isn’t writing the experiment off as a total loss. While the show itself didn’t stick, the interactive technology rolled out alongside it will continue to be used in the future following its small test on Dinner Time Live with David Chang.
For Star Search, Netflix deployed a new interactive feature that allowed viewers to vote for contestants directly using their TV remotes, completely eliminating the need for a secondary app or QR code. According to Gaspin, the engagement was unprecedented.
“It was wildly successful,” Gaspin told Deadline. “Over 80% of people who watched the show used the voting capability. They didn’t have to download an app. There wasn’t a second screen.”
Despite the cancellation, Netflix remains incredibly keen on live reality television and “eventized” viewing. Gaspin pointed to the massive success of BTS: The Comeback, which recently launched to a staggering 18.4 million viewers, as proof that subscribers will show up for the right live event.
“We’re only 10 years old in our reality journey, and so we’re going to keep trying things,” Gaspin noted. “Some will work, some won’t, but it’s still an exciting time and place for us.”
Did you tune in to watch Star Search live earlier this year? Are you disappointed it won’t be returning for season 2? Let us know in the comments down below!
