ABC has greenlit a new music competition show “Who’s In The Band?” from Richard Bacon, Savan Kotecha and Simon Cowell.
The project will put a twist on the traditional talent show as it prompts five contestants sing the same song at once, each inside a brightly colored soundproof tube, while judges at their own mixing desks isolate vocals and eliminate hopefuls in real time, per the official logline, and will culminate in a live finale that see one girl band and one boy band go head-to-head.
Aimed at giving audiences an understanding of how music industry insiders put together pop groups, the winners will record an album executive produced by Kotecha, who has previously worked with Ariana Grande and One Direction.
Pre-production and casting is currently underway, with filming slated to begin in January 2027 in the U.S., though an exact filming location has yet to be revealed, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. Hosts and judges will be announced at a later date.V
The series is set to launch in summer 2027 on ABC and Hulu domestically and Disney+ internationally, and an exact premiere date has not yet been revealed.
Cowell appeared in the pilot of “Who’s In the Band?” but beyond the episode, which served a proof of concept, he will not appear on the show and will instead be involved only in his capacity as a co-creator and executive producer, the individual told TheWrap.
Cowell, Bacon and Kotecha executive produce alongside Elisabeth Murdoch while Matt Banks and Ashley Edens serve as showrunners and executive producers.
Both Cowell and Kotecha played pivotal roles in forming One Direction and Fifth Harmony through “The X Factor,” with Kotecha having a co-writing credit on “What Makes You Beautiful.”
