If you were watching TV around 2016, you couldn’t escape it. A tiny kid in a suit or a tutu would say something unintentionally hilarious, and the camera would smash-cut to Steve Harvey looking like he’d just seen a ghost. His eyes would go wide, his jaw would drop, and the audience would lose it.
That was the magic of the Steve Harvey Little Big Shots show.
It was massive. Honestly, at its peak, it was pulling in over 15 million viewers an episode. To put that in perspective, that’s more people than live in the entire state of Pennsylvania tuning in just to watch a five-year-old explain the solar system or play a miniature grand piano. But then, almost as quickly as it arrived, the Steve Harvey version vanished.
The Rise of a Prime-Time Giant
The show didn't just happen by accident. It was a heavyweight collaboration between two of the biggest names in Hollywood: Steve Harvey and Ellen DeGeneres. They weren't looking for a competition. There were no judges, no "X" buzzers, and no soul-crushing eliminations.
Basically, the whole point was to celebrate kids being kids—just with way more talent than the rest of us.
When the Steve Harvey Little Big Shots show premiered on NBC in March 2016, it was a "preview" episode that followed The Voice. It pulled 12.8 million viewers. By the second episode, it hit 15 million. Those are "Super Bowl lead-out" numbers, but for a show about kids doing karate and spelling "pnuemonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."
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Harvey was the secret sauce.
His "straight man" comedy style worked perfectly here. He treated the kids like adults, which is why the interviews were so funny. He'd ask a kid about their "career" as a five-year-old dancer, and the kid would look at him like he was crazy. That friction was the engine of the show.
What Really Happened with the Steve Harvey Little Big Shots Show?
By 2019, things got weird.
If you were following the trades, you saw the headlines. NBC announced they were "refreshing" the brand. That’s usually corporate-speak for "we’re changing everything." And they did. They replaced Steve Harvey with Melissa McCarthy.
People were confused. Why mess with a hit?
The truth is a mix of three things: ratings, money, and a very public spat between Harvey and NBC.
- The Ratings Slide: While the first season was a juggernaut, Season 3 saw a dip. It wasn't "bad," but it wasn't the 15-million-viewer monster it used to be. It had settled into the 6 to 7 million range.
- The Talk Show Drama: Around the same time, NBC decided to cancel Harvey’s daytime talk show, Steve, to make room for Kelly Clarkson. Harvey wasn't happy. He actually went on record saying he thought NBC should have handled it with more "honor" and talked to him man-to-man before the news hit the papers.
- The Ownership Battle: There was a lot of behind-the-scenes friction regarding who owned what. Harvey’s talk show was owned by IMG, and NBC wanted a show they owned themselves (like Kelly Clarkson’s). When the talk show fell apart, the relationship with the Steve Harvey Little Big Shots show seemed to crumble along with it.
Melissa McCarthy’s version premiered in 2020. It was different—more "heartfelt" and less focused on the "shocked host" reaction shots. It didn't stick. The ratings fell further, and the show eventually faded away.
The Viral Stars We Still Talk About
You can’t talk about this show without mentioning the kids. They were the ones who actually went viral on Facebook and YouTube.
Remember "Little Bruce Lee"? Ryusei Imai was this tiny kid from Japan who could mimic Bruce Lee’s nunchuck moves with terrifying precision. Or the "History Genius" Clark, who knew more about the U.S. Presidents than most doctoral candidates.
Then there were the "Blueberry" bugs. A little girl named Sophia brought on "blue death-fainting beetles" and told Steve they looked like "walking blueberries." Steve’s face during that segment is a literal meme.
The show worked because it wasn't scripted. These kids would go off-script, and Harvey, being a seasoned stand-up, knew exactly how to play off the chaos. It felt like "real" TV in an era where everything started feeling a bit too polished.
Why the Format Still Matters
Even though the Steve Harvey Little Big Shots show isn't airing new episodes on NBC right now, the DNA of the show is everywhere.
The international versions are still a big deal. You’ve got versions in the UK (hosted by Dawn French), Australia, and all over Asia. The "no-competition" talent show proved that audiences actually like feel-good content. We don't always need a "villain" judge like Simon Cowell to make a show interesting.
The show also proved that Steve Harvey was more than just the Family Feud guy. It solidified him as a master of the "unscripted reaction."
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you're missing the show or looking to catch up on what made it so special, here is how you can still engage with the content:
- Official YouTube Archive: The "Little Big Shots" YouTube channel is still extremely active. They upload high-definition clips of the best performances and "where are they now" style updates.
- Streaming Services: Check Peacock or the NBC app. They often rotate past seasons of their variety hits, though licensing changes frequently.
- International Clips: Look for the UK or Australian versions of the show. While the host is different, the "talented kids" vibe is exactly the same, and some of the acts are actually the same kids touring the world.
- Steve Harvey’s Social Media: Steve still shares "throwback" clips of his favorite moments from the show on his Instagram and Facebook pages, often providing a little extra context on what was going through his head during those interviews.
The era of the Steve Harvey Little Big Shots show might be over for now, but its impact on family-friendly variety TV changed the way networks look at Sunday night programming. It was a rare moment where a show was genuinely for everyone, from toddlers to grandparents.