ABC Greenlights Music Competition Who's In The Band? for Summer 2027
ABC has officially greenlit Who's In The Band?, a music competition series, with a launch on ABC and Hulu planned for summer 2027. Deadline reported the order on 13 November 2026. A greenlight means the network has agreed to make the show.
The format is built around singing in sync. Five contestants sing the same song at the same time, each one inside a brightly coloured soundproof tube, so they cannot hear the others. The judges listen to each voice separately at mixing desks, which lets them pick out individual singers. They eliminate hopefuls in real time, as the performance goes on.
The series ends with a live finale. One girl band and one boy band face a live vote. The winners will record an album, executive produced by Savan Kotecha, one of the show's judges.
Filming will begin in January. The show comes from Richard Bacon's company Yes Yes Media, which is backed by Sister Group. Bacon, Simon Cowell, Kotecha and Elisabeth Murdoch are all listed as executive producers, the senior producers who oversee the project's money and direction. Matt Banks and Ashley Edens will serve as showrunners, the people who run the day-to-day making of the show, and they also executive produce.
Before the order, a proof-of-concept pilot was shot in London. A proof-of-concept pilot is a test episode that shows how a format works on screen. It starred host Rei Ami, with judges Joe Jonas, Mel B and Savan Kotecha. Deadline reports that Rei Ami is understood to remain as host while the host and judge deals are still being finalised.
Simon Cowell will not appear in the series. Deadline reports that a deal with NBCUniversal prevents him from appearing on an ABC show. He is still listed as an executive producer.
For the crew, the next step is January. Filming will bring together the people who run the tubes, the mixing desks and the live vote, along with the performers. The summer 2027 launch is still some months away, and the ABC and Hulu release is the next date to watch.
