Last year, Fox brought back Showtime At The Apollo, albeit just for a pair of specials hosted by Steve Harvey. But that brief stint was enough to properly whet appetites for a whole season of fame seekers, as Variety reports that Fox has now picked it up to series. And the once-and-future comedian acquitted himself well enough in his duties as emcee that the network wants him to continue to oversee the ongoing talent search. Setting aside his Family Feud-inspired malaise, Harvey says he and the network had “a blast” working on the two specials, but they all agree that “it really deserved being a weekly event.”
But Harvey says they have greater ambitions in mind now for the weekly series, which is being executive produced by Reginald Hudlin and James McKinlay, who will also serve as showrunners. The new Showtime At The Apollo will commit itself to finding “the next great comic and the next big music star.” Considering it’s where Chris Rock and Lauryn Hill got their start (though to less than rave reviews), Harvey might not be overstating the matter.