“A glorified cover version of… Britain’s Got Talent”
Star Search, Netflix
“Netflix’s quest for global dominion has led it to pay Millie Bobby Brown a reported $10m (£7.5m) to appear in the final season of Stranger Things and to pioneer the new genre of toothless documentaries about the Beckhams. It has now reached the final boss stage of its quest for streaming supremacy with Star Search, a glorified cover version of… Britain’s Got Talent.
Star Search actually pre-dates Simon Cowell’s variety jamboree, having first aired in the 1980s and Nineties, when it featured early performances by Beyoncé and Britney Spears. But this exhaustingly glitzy reboot – broadcast live from Los Angeles at 2am UK time – is essentially an over-the-top BGT, drenched in Hollywood gloss and without the rickety quality of Saturday night on ITV. For the first and last time in human history, viewers might find themselves mourning the absence of Ant and Dec.”
”Just like with most modern versions of shows from TV’s past, the new Star Search has a pacing problem. The Ed McMahon version managed to fit 16 performances in a one-hour (including commercials) syndicated show. The Netflix version drags through eight performances in 90 commercial-free minutes, with the other eight artists appearing on the second night.”
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