EXCLUSIVE: ABC is putting work into finding the next big TV music competition series — and it has turned to a maestro of the genre to test a new format.
Deadline hears that the Disney-owned network has set Simon Cowell as a judge on a proof-of-concept taping of Who’s In The Band, a talent search for the next One Direction.
He will judge alongside a panel that includes Joe Jonas, Spice Girl Mel B (a frequent Cowell collaborator on America’s Got Talent and beyond), and songwriter Savan Kotecha. Rei Ami, who provided Zoey’s singing voice in Netflix sensation KPop Demon Hunters, is on hosting duties.
Who’s In The Band casting materials suggest it will contain a twist on the well-trodden genre, with singers performing the same song, at the same time, in different colored tubes.
The Who’s In The Band test shoot will take place on October 30 at Eastbrook Studios in London. Sources say the presentation will not air on ABC, and there is no series greenlight. It is believed to be part of the network’s plan to launch a new talent competition. ABC currently has veteran reality series American Idol — which made Cowell a household name in the US with its original incarnation on Fox — returning for a new season in early 2026.
Who’s In The Band hails from Yes Yes Media, the London and LA-based production company founded by Richard Bacon, the former television presenter turned format guru. The recording has generated a smattering of press in the UK, but Deadline is the first to reveal ABC’s involvement. The network declined to comment.
Cowell has never featured as a judge on an ABC reality series, sitting out of the network’s American Idol reboot. He did collaborate with ABC on American Inventor in 2006, but only as a producer. Cowell has remained a fixture on network TV as a judge and executive producer on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
Yes Yes launched in 2023 with backers including Courteney Cox and Sister, producer of Black Doves. Deadline reported in July that the company was piloting BBC show, The Easiest Quiz Show in the World, with Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland.
Mark Sidaway, former The X Factor showrunner and Yes Yes Media’s head of entertainment, is involved in producing Who’s In The Band.
Music reality series focused on assembling a group have been around for years. Some notable examples include Popstars, Making the Band, and most recently, Netflix’s Building the Band. Popular groups that have come out of signing competitions include One Direction and Fifth Harmony, both created on Cowell’s The X-Factor.
The post Music Competition Show ‘Who’s In The Band’ In Works At ABC With Simon Cowell, Joe Jonas, Mel B & ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Star Rei Ami appeared first on Deadline.
