Netflix is expanding the Hot Ones franchise with a new series of specials, Hot Ones: Extra Heat, according to an article published by Tudum.
The series will adapt the established interview format for a series of 30-minute specials that move beyond the show’s traditional studio setting.
Host Sean Evans will conduct interviews in locations tied to major Netflix events and programming, including live sporting events and premieres. Evans is part-owner of First We Feast, the company that now owns the underlying Hot Ones IP.
The first special is scheduled to debut on July 13 following Major League Baseball’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby. Guests for the inaugural episode will include Will Ferrell, Fortune Feimster and Jimmy Tatro, who star in the upcoming Netflix golf comedy The Hawk. The trio will take part in the show’s signature format of answering questions while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings.
“As a student of the late-night genre, I’m obsessed with the art of the interview, and believe that these conversations warrant a level of scale and spectacle that sometimes can’t be contained by a studio,” Evans said. “It’s exciting to partner with Netflix to continue to break new ground with the format while keeping the core of what fans love about Hot Ones firmly intact.”
Launched in 2015, Hot Ones has produced approximately 400 episodes featuring guests from across film, television, music and sports. Recent participants have included Matt Damon, Kristen Bell, Kevin Hart and Shaquille O’Neal. The series has also featured group interviews, including an episode with BTS.
The franchise has received mainstream recognition beyond digital media, including parodies on Saturday Night Live. In one sketch, Maya Rudolph portrayed Beyoncé opposite Mikey Day’s interpretation of Evans.
Evans will serve as an executive producer on Hot Ones: Extra Heat alongside Chris Schonberger, Sarah Honda, Aaron Cooke and K.P. Anderson. The specials are produced by Digital Cinema Collective.
Additional Netflix specials are expected to be announced at a later date. Evans’ original YouTube series will continue to release new episodes in parallel.
Hot Ones is one of the most successful formats to have grown out of the digital first universe. It has previously been remade locally in Germany.
