James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke may have started out as a humble spin-off of Jimmy Fallon’s Lip Sync Battle, but it’s clear the world’s caught on.
Apple Music will exclusively host the new series, according to Deadline. A licensing deal was reached between Apple Music and CBS studios to create a 16-episode series based on the Late Late Show skit. Each week a new episode will be available to Apple Music subscribers.
Carpool Karaoke, with its assortment of singing celebrity guests, has become a viral internet sensation. Corden told the Guardian earlier this month that he’s driven only by these online hits. On YouTube, his Carpool Karaoke videos have millions of hits, with some like Adele rapping Nicki Minaj reaching more than 100m views.
“I genuinely couldn’t tell you how many people watch our show, because I feel like in this slot, we’re not really in the ratings business, we’re just in the relevance business. My major ambition is just to stay relevant. That’s it, to be in the conversation – that’s all that was ever asked of us really,” Corden said.
On the show Corden got Sia to admit she believes in aliens, had Stevie Wonder call his wife, texted Leonardo DiCaprio from Jennifer Lopez’s phone, and jammed alongside Gwen Stefani, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Justin Bieber and One Direction to name but a few.
He even had Michelle Obama buckled into his passenger seat. The two drove around the White House driveway while they sang Beyoncé and rapped with Missy Elliot, who made a cameo.
It’s hard to pinpoint why the videos are so popular. They are simple in style: Corden and a celebrity drive around chatting and singing along to the radio. Something about the sketch’s positivity and celebrities behaving candidly has made them especially binge-worthy – like the Adele episode in particular, with her infectious giggles and stories about surprising fans while drunk.
In the new series, the celebrities will still sing along with the host, but will now visit personally meaningful places and surprise fans, according to Deadline.
Corden won’t be hosting the spin-off – instead he’ll be billed as creator and executive producer, alongside Late Late Show executive producer Ben Winston. Winston’s production company, Fulwell 73, will produce with CBS Television Studios. Carpool Karaoke will remain as a sketch on the Late Late Show in the meantime.
The show was first shopped around by Corden and Winston in March this year, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
