Apple has announced the release date for its first — and so far biggest — original series. Carpool Karaoke will debut August 8th on Apple Music, iTunes leader Eddy Cue tweeted out this afternoon. New episodes will debut on Tuesdays and will only be available to Apple Music subscribers.
The Apple Music incarnation of Carpool Karaoke will replace regular host James Corden with a series of guest stars, including actors, comedians, and athletes, giving the show an excuse to get even more famous names in the mix. There are going to be 16 episodes, and stars include Will Smith, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Ariana Grande, and Metallica, among many others. Corden will make an appearance, too.
Carpool Karaoke was supposed to launch in April but was delayed at the last minute for undisclosed reasons. It’s still not clear what happened; nor is it entirely clear yet what Apple’s broader plans are for original content. Rather than go after Netflix, so far Apple seems more interested in augmenting Apple Music with related content to help it stand out from Spotify. Carpool Karaoke is a natural fit, but we’re about to find out whether its viral appeal holds up when stretched out to TV-show length and locked inside a single service.