Overview
- Netflix released the six-part docuseries on December 10, following nationwide auditions, bootcamp-style stages, and unusually candid footage from Cowell’s home life.
- Filming paused after Liam Payne’s death in October 2024, with Cowell shown in tears, recalling calls to Payne’s parents and later briefing contestants and families on fame’s pressures.
- Cowell said on Good Morning Britain that he almost ended the project, citing doubts about the format and how the industry has changed.
- Critics from outlets including The Guardian, The i Paper and The Independent describe the show as a repackaged talent contest and question the taste and risks of manufacturing a new boyband now.
- The series introduces a seven-member group promoted as December 10, with reports they have signed to EMI/Universal and are beginning a media rollout.