A 12-year-old’s soaring rendition of "Over the Rainbow" brought judges to tears on Netflix’s live reboot of Star Search, a nostalgia-fueled talent show aiming to revive its ’80s magic. Can this revival find the breakout stars and audiences it’s hoping for? Los Angeles (tca/dpa) — An orange hue illuminated an otherwise dark stage nestled in a CBS lot in Studio City . Yair Keydar extended his arms toward the live audience, a smile overtaking his face as the 12-year-old reached the chorus of the "Wizard of Oz" classic, "Over the Rainbow." It's the second week of Netflix's "Star Search," which kicked off January 20 . The live variety talent competition show is a reboot of the syndicatedseries helmed by Ed McMahon that premiered in 1983 and became a launching pad for some of the biggest stars of the past few decades, including Britney Spears and Beyoncé. Keydar let the song's last high note linger in the air, his voice nearly floating as it brought the packed room to a pause. The celebrity judges — Chrissy Teigen ,Jelly Roll and Sarah Michelle Gellar — rose to their feet, tears dancing in their eyes. It was the young singer's first time performing for a live studio audience and to a global audience on one of the world'sbiggest streaming platforms. "I don't know what's gonna happen with the world, but you're gonna be a star," said Grammy -winning singer Jelly Roll, his voice nearly drowned by a chorus of applause from the audience. Performances like Keydar's are what the revival was meant for, the judges said. Launching a new show can be challenging, so Netflix leaned into the nostalgia that made the original memorable for earlier generations while also adding modern twists to attract a new audience, said David Friedman , one of the talent competition's showrunners. "Saying that there's some built-in nostalgia and memories that you can remember with your family … that's what made it really exciting," he said. The show, airing live on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a five-week run that concludes February 17 , is a novel undertaking for the streaming giant. It also introduced new technology that allows for live voting straight from the Netflix app. Similar competition series, including "America's Got Talent" and "American Idol," have utilized audience voting to help decide winners, but the ease of voting is one element the show is banking on to keep viewers hooked. The first three weeks of voting on "Star Search" have gone off without any major technical issues, Friedman said. "Star Search" is Netflix's latest foray into livestreaming events, which have seen their share of hiccups as the streamer works to scale demand. Previous attempts at live broadcasting, likethe Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight in 2024, resulted in buffering issues. But as the company continues to invest in livestreaming events, the issues have become less pronounced. Netflix recently livestreamed "Skyscraper Live," in which climber Alex Honnold scaled Taipei 101 , and has plans to stream BTS' comeback concert in March. The series, which is hosted by Anthony Anderson , debuted at No. 5 on Netflix's U.S. charts but has dropped off the top 10 since. Nonetheless, Friedman and others on the show remain hopeful the show will find its footing and resonate with viewers with its voting system and unique format. Amid a sea of new titles constantly fighting for people's attention, Friedman said he hopes viewers give the show a chance. "I just hope people find it," he said. "Awareness is the hardest thing in this day and age. There's just so much content on your phone, on different platforms. I think people, if they find this, I think there's something special going on here." The show includes eight categories — junior music is one them. Keydar was up against Eric Adrien Williams , a 10-year-old gospel soul singer who beat a young country singer in Week 1. Keydar's performance was the first to receive a perfect score — five stars from all three contestants — higher than Williams. But the scores still awaited results from the show's fourth judge: the audience. Viewers had 60 seconds to cast their votes. A spokesperson for Netflix said viewers from more than 160 countries voted, though they did not share the exact number of votes cast. Keydar received a higher average, beating Williams and becoming the new category champion. He later defended his title during the third week. Now, the Florida native will fight for a spot in the finale during Week 4. How the categories, judging and voting work As is true in show business, contestants are only as good as their last "Star Search" performance, Friedman said. Each week, a champion is crowned in each category. They then go up against a challenger the following week and must fight to keep their title until the finale. The show requires extensive script changes and dress rehearsals ahead of the taping in the evening, and contestants are building out their acts throughout the week. In order to vote, viewers have to watch the show live and cast their vote 60 seconds after a performance, giving each act one to five stars. The average score given by the audience, referred to as the fourth judge, is half of the contestant's overall score. Sixteen contestants perform across eight categories within two days of taping each week. Categories include junior music, solo music, musical group, dance, comedy, magic variety, junior variety and a catch-all variety category. Judges don't see any of the contestants until the live performance. However, unlike the original show, which featured a winner in each category, the Netflix reboot will crown one single winner in the finale, which Gellar said has shifted her judging philosophy. "I do have to think about everything, like, can this person be the sole 'Star Search' winner? So to me, that elevates what kind of star we're looking for," Gellar said. The live vote holds more importance than before in the reboot and is crucial because the audience, both live and at home, "are the people that are going to be sitting in the theater seats watching these people," Anderson said. "They're going to be the ones sitting in front of the television or in the stadiums, or buying the albums, or watching the concerts," he said. "It's great that they have an opportunity to have a say so." Some contestants, like Bear Bailey , a 34-year-old Southern R&B and country singer, were particularly hard to see go, the judges said. Bailey blew the judges away during Week 1 with his soulful rendition of "Hard Fought Hallelujah," bringing Jelly Roll to tears in the show's first heartfelt moment of the season. He returned for Week 2 but was bested by Sophia Saylor , an 18-year-old who gave a raw performance of Billie Eilish's Grammy -winning song, "What Was I Made For." The young singer from Michigan , who shared her experience living with a visual impairment, "gave her blood" in her performance, Gellar said. The show's format "symbolizes what it's like to be in the entertainment business as a whole," Friedman said. "If you're No. 1 on the charts, there's always someone coming for your spot. If you've got the No. 1 box office movie, someone's coming for you," he said. "If you're any aspect of entertainment, it's always about keeping your spot at the top." Part of the live show's success hinges on the ever-evolving setup of the two stages in the lot, which stage crews have to build and dismantle in mere seconds. Netflix also doesn't hold commercial breaks during the show, which is typically crucial time on broadcast shows to address any issues, Friedman said. "When you're on Netflix, you're basically going live without a net," he said. "You're just sprinting right to the final." Why the show was revived "Star Search" had been in the works for years since Netflix became the owner of the intellectual property. It took longer for the streaming giant to perfect the live voting technology, Friedman said. The original show aired from 1983 to 1995 an…
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