‘Fashion Star’: Jessica Simpson’s latest reality show officially canceled

While this may have been assumed by a good many of you at this point, it is finally official: “Fashion Star” will not be going down the runway again for NBC. After yet another season of low ratings, this time on Friday nights and with some changes to try to turn things around, the network’s programming head Robert Greenblatt confirmed at TCA today that the show is canceled.

From the get-go, the series had a pretty interesting gimmick in how it had contestants make clothes that were commercial, and thus could be sold to one of three major outlets. It was an easy way for designers to get there name out there, and on a level where they would be able to make a living afterwards.

However, the problem is just that the competition was boring week to week, especially since Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie were so intent on being taken seriously (which is merited, given that they do fare well in the fashion world) that they forgot some of the fun that made their previous reality efforts a hit. Also, “Project Runway” is just inherently more interesting because there is more variety, more celebrity guests, and more upscale fashion that, while not necessarily accessible to viewers, is what they like to watch on TV. There were also way too many people on “Fashion Star” talking, from the mentors to the buyers to the host.

Basically, it felt as though NBC really wanted to have the “MasterChef” of fashion shows, but the problem was just that there were way too many cooks in the kitchen. The network has struggled to create a new original reality franchise in recent years, but hey, at least “The Celebrity Apprentice” is coming back.

Photo: NBC