'Boy Band' Season 2 Might Be As Unlikely As The Return Of Frosted Tips

ABC's new competition series is going to attempt what The X Factor made look so easy: Craft a highly successful boy band over the course of a season of reality TV. But after the season comes to an end and puts together its first five-boy group, it still hasn't been determined if Boy Band will return for Season 2 next year. ABC hasn't announced either a renewal or cancellation for the series, nor any intentions of when the series would return if the network does decide to bring it back. There's also the question of what happens to the five boys selected for the band after the season comes to an end, and whether or that would be a part of a potential followup season.

Unfortunately, the show hasn't become much of a hit. Other reality shows have succeeded during the summer months, but so far, Boy Band Season 1 brought in just half a million viewers between the ages of 18 to 49 in its second episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Those aren't the sorts of numbers that bring back a show immediately, no questions asked, so ABC will have to decide whether or not it wants to remain in the Boy Band business based on the show's overall value — how important is it for the network to stay in both the reality TV singing competition and the boy band business?

There has been something of a boy band revival lately that makes the premise of Boy Band and understandable gamble. After all, even after One Direction came and went, there have been plenty of other groups that have gained their own following, especially in the Kpop genre. Korean language boy bands like BTS are hugely popular in Asia, the US, and around the world.

Boy bands are popular with both current young people and with nostalgic millennials who remember arguing over which member of 98 Degrees was the least forgettable during recess back in the early 2000s. But in order for Boy Band Season 2 to happen, ABC has to decide that taking another season-long gamble on this musical trend is worth more than high ratings for the reality show's average episode.

Watching what happens to the actual boy band formed in the Season 1 finale on Aug. 24 — and whether or not the show is able to gain fans from the band, rather than vice-versa — could help signal whether or not Boy Band has a shot of returning for more in 2018 or beyond. At this point, it's just a waiting game.