Will we ever see the band reunite? Yes, of course! And on Netflix too, judging by the premiere of his new documentary, Simon Cowell: The Next Act.
The six-part series, which premieres today, is apparently about Cowell's search for a new boy band. "There aren't any good ones left," Cowell posits in the opening minutes. K-pop is a phenomenon now, and no one has filled the cultural void left by One Direction. Cowell has seen an opportunity—hence the hefty payout!—to fill that void. So we're supposed to watch him audition promising young talents, assemble the best possible lineup, and aim for number one. Sound familiar? We could call it the ex-factor.
Back to the initial idea: there are no more boy bands. A curious sentiment. K-pop is undoubtedly at its peak in terms of popularity in the West. But it's hard to argue that this contradicts the popularity of boy bands: even my dad knows who BTS are (bad example: he's a big fan). And in the UK, they obviously exist: The 1975, an all-male band that makes radio-friendly pop music and whose fanbase is mostly female, headlined Glastonbury this year. Boy bands have either gone global or moved into the mainstream. But they're as popular as ever, even if Cowell's conception of a boy band isn't.
To Cowell's credit, he demonstrates a certain awareness of not being at the forefront of trends. "Traditionally, I've always believed that radio is the best tool," he says of promotion. He updates this approach by inviting a group of influencers to conduct interviews in his garden and deigning to appear on morning news programs. Now that works!
The point is, Cowell isn't stupid. According to him, he's brought us stars like West Life (apparently still going strong!), Little Mix (on hiatus), and, uh, Carrie Underwood (and Leona Lewis, I find myself whispering into my laptop). But as is clear from the unbearable scenes where very few young people show up for auditions, there's not much interest left in Cowell's products. Soon enough, a different, slightly more appealing show emerges: the Simon Cowell reinvention.
This hasn't been a stellar decade for anyone involved with reality TV, let alone the man who brought it to a mass audience. We've had a peek behind the curtain, and it doesn't look good. The bad behavior on the sets of The X Factor and Big Brother has become more notorious than most of the shows' winners. And the often tragic end of these programs is uncomfortably close. Liam Payne, a member of One Direction, Cowell's most successful creation, died last year at the age of 31. How do you bring a man whose nickname was once "Mr. Nasty" into 2025?
Cowell's fiancée, Lauren Silverman, is here to humanize him. Together, they have an eleven-year-old son, Eric, and this has given Cowell a reason to empathize with young people. His entourage—a group of people defined by superficial titles—bothers him in a way that makes it clear the only way to tolerate such a man is with absolute deference and gentle mockery.
He's likeable—you don't stay on our screens for long without charm—and there are good ideas in him. During the auditions in Ireland, Cowell bristles at the idea of "middle-class drama students" and would prefer someone with a working-class, high-risk background.
Stars: Simon Cowell
There's something to that: it's hard to argue that music, along with all the arts, hasn't become a stronghold for middle-class youth with less to lose. Cowell's aversion to singers who have achieved fame "singing in their bedroom" is intriguing: what happens to stage presence when you achieve fame on TikTok? (This year's huge success of Sombr, with his long limbs, suggests the boys are doing well.)
But, my goodness, everything in this series feels stuck in the past. The auditions so closely resemble The X Factor stages—with an added dose of sentimentality because we're all aware of how awful these things are now—that I often felt transported back to 2007 (where did my iPod nano go?). The 16 finalists even fly to Miami in an overly long and less-than-fun recreation of the judges' stages.
By the time the final group reveals their name to Cowell in the closing scenes—in a charade to maintain authenticity—it's hard to believe this band will be very successful in the real world. At the end of this adventure, Cowell, poolside, poses a pressing question: "Would I do it all again?"
He doesn't even pause to think of an answer. Of course he would, and it's the most genuine moment of this entire adventure. He's truly insatiable.
'Simon Cowell: The Next Act' is available on Netflix.
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