Overview
- The docuseries is now streaming on Netflix, following Cowell’s effort to assemble a new boyband through auditions that began in the UK and progressed to later selection stages.
- During filming, Cowell learns of Liam Payne’s 2024 death, halts production, and includes an episode dedication that reads, “In loving memory of Liam Payne 1993–2024.”
- On his return, Cowell convenes contestants and parents to discuss the realities of public scrutiny, telling them, “Your life changes. There is no privacy.”
- The show includes unusually personal footage, including a tense exchange with Lauren Silverman about attending her son’s graduation and a scene of Cowell taking an IV vitamin drip.
- Cowell says he nearly canceled the project as the industry evolves, with an early shortfall in auditionees prompting a Gen‑Z publicity push, while reviewers question the ethics of pushing forward so soon after Payne’s death.