By Jake Kanter, Deadline | 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 series as soon as this coming summer. 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.
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Read more on the forming of this potential new music competition here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/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/