Star Search Is Returning After 21 Years
The longtime televised talent search competition Star Search is returning to television. The original show aired from 1983-1995, and then again from 2003-2004.
For both iterations of the show, the contestants are split up into different categories: female singer, male singer, junior singer, teen singer, group vocal, dance, junior dance, teen dance, spokesmodel, and comedy.
Past winners of Star Search include Sawyer Brown, Brad Garrett, Alisan Porter (who later competed on The Voice), and more, while lots of notable names have competed include Adam Sandler, Alania Morissette, Bill Engvall, Christina Aguilera, Dave Chappelle, Drew Carey, Justin Timberlake, LeAnn Rimes, Little Texas, Phil Vassar, Ray Romano, Scott Hoying, Britney Spears, and many more.
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Many contestants who competed went on to have long careers in the entertainment industry, so we understand why there have been multiple efforts to bring the show back!
Netflix has announced that they are rebooting Star Search with new host Anthony Anderson.
When Will Star Search Premiere?
The new and rebooted Star Search will premiere on January 20th on Netflix in a brand-new format: live.
There will also be “real-time viewer voting” for the first time ever.
Who Are The New Star Search Judges?
The 2003-2004 version of Star Search had permanent judges week after week. They were Naomi Judd, MC Lyte, Ben Stein, Ahmet Zappa, Carol Leifer, and Matti Leshem.
The judges from 1983-1995 were a rotating panel of studio executives and record producers, agents, managers, and casting directors.
The Netflix reboot has chosen three celebrity judges: Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen.
Jelly Roll has some experience on talent competition shows, seeing as he was the Artist In Residence on the 23rd season of American Idol in 2025!
According to Netflix’s press release, “Every performance, every reveal, every elimination happens in real time and is powered by audience votes, creating the kind of high-stakes momentum that can shift a performer’s career in seconds.”
Tune in to Star Search beginning on January 20th on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT.