Deutschland sucht den Superstar (
DSDS; "Germany Seeks the Superstar") is a
German reality talent show. Part of the
Idol franchise, it was created by English
media mogul Simon Fuller as a
spin-off from the British show
Pop Idol, of which two series were broadcast between the years of 2001 and 2003. Debuting to mediocre ratings in October 2002 on the
RTL network, the show has since become one of the most successful shows on German television.