Netflix has never quite cracked the talk show formula, but maybe it can borrow an existing hit from YouTube.
According to Bloomberg, the streamer is in talks with BuzzFeed to create live episodes of the popular YouTube talk show “Hot Ones.” Netflix and BuzzFeed did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
The show launched back in 2015, and the format — with host Sean Evans interviewing celebrity guests as they struggle to eat increasingly spicy chicken wings — has proven surprisingly durable, with new episodes sometimes attracting tens of millions of viewers on YouTube. (Evans will reportedly host the live Netflix episodes, as well.)
As traditional late night talk shows struggle with declining ratings and shrinking budgets, “Hot Ones” become a regular stop on the promotional circuit for pop stars and Hollywood actors. BuzzFeed, which picked up “Hot Ones” through its acquisition of Complex, has reportedly tried and failed to sell the show as it faces a debt repayment deadline at the end of the year.
Netflix, meanwhile, has experimented on-and-off with the talk format, for example with two seasons of a show hosted by Chelsea Handler. Arguably its greatest achievement thus far has been the recent “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA” — which was absolutely delightful, but it was seemingly designed as a short-lived, shambolic experiment; it’s not clear if there will be a second season.
Why turn the normally pre-recorded “Hot Ones” into a live show? Well, the promise of seeing a celebrity melt down without the protection of editing could make these specials stand out from the regular program. Plus, Netflix has been experimenting with live content, from stand-up specials to reality TV reunions to WWE “Raw.”