Simon Cowell’s old-school Netflix talent show just doesn’t work in 2025

It’s been four years since The X Factor was finally put out of its misery and a good dozen since its halcyon days, a period in which pop music, and its star-making methods, have significantly moved on from the bog-standard TV talent show. 

Unfortunately, no one seems to have told Simon Cowell.  

Following a lengthy absence from the screen, the music mogul now returns with The Next Act, a Netflix original designed to fill what he believes is a ‘ginormous gap in the market’.

But are the youth of 2025, a generation raised on precision-tooled K-Pop collectives like BTS, really crying out for an old-school boyband in the mold of Five, Westlife and One Direction (all shown here in a shamelessly self-aggrandising montage)? 

And are they willing to invest their time in six 45-minute episodes, most of which are dominated by a high-trousered 66-year-old, watching their formation? 

Cowell, of course, built his reputation on recognising what the public wanted before they did themselves, scoring hits with everyone from Zig and Zag to Robson and Jerome, then revolutionising Saturday night prime-time TV as the King of Mean.

Yet in the streaming age, where traditional gatekeepers have been replaced by social media democracy, audiences are now able to shape the popcultural zeitgeist themselves. 

However, Cowell initially seems totally oblivious to the fact his powers have weakened. Inevitably, therefore, he falls into a pit of despair when it’s revealed that only 93 – yes, just 93 – wannabe pop stars have initially applied. 

You can never be too sure about what’s manufactured and what’s real in a Cowell production. In this case, though, his disbelief at such a paltry number appears entirely genuine.  

Things don’t get much better when the first Liverpool auditions get underway: the show tries to create a buzz with some nifty camerawork, but it’s clear the turnout is a far cry from the thousands who’d queue up for The X Factor. 

It’s a damning indictment of a process which, during Cowell’s hiatus, has been made practically redundant by TikTok, with wannabes no longer needing the approval of four industry experts sitting in oversized conference rooms to progress their careers.

As the likes of chart-toppers Benson Boone and Alex Warren and Grammy nominee Addison Rae have proven, they can now do so from the comfort of their own homes.  

Even if you ignore the necessity for such a vehicle, the ethics of propelling not just young adults but actual children – the age range stems from 15-25 – into a spotlight they may be ill-equipped to deal with is questionable to say the least. 

All five members of One Direction, the group Cowell explicitly states he’s trying to emulate, spoke in the past of struggling to deal with the intensity of instant worldwide fame.

As the judging panel, which also includes 1D hitmaker Savan Kotecha, starts to see pound signs in a 15-year-old bad boy named Josh, your initial instinct is to tell him, ‘Run.’ 

In fairness, Cowell has learned from some of his past mistakes. There is a noticeable lack of sob stories and mockeries of those who don’t necessarily fit the pop star mould – a practice which certainly wouldn’t pass muster in today’s more mental health-conscious world. 

The only criticism dished out – and fairly too – is to those who haven’t bothered preparing: in the ultimate sign of Gen-Alpha laziness, several resort to reading lyrics from their phones.  

Who knows whether, as claimed in a recent New York Times profile, he really has softened around the edges (last year’s admission that his only One Direction regret was not acquiring their name suggests he still places more emphasis on money than welfare) or he’s simply aware of the cancel culture uproar that would follow? 

Whichever, it ultimately robs the show’s frontman of his USP. Indeed, while it’s undeniably a positive change, Cowell playing Mr. Nice Guy doesn’t make for particularly compelling TV.  

Neither does a bunch of identical-looking, cursive-singing teenagers tackling the same old cover versions: take a shot every time you hear Teddy Swims’ Lose Control, and you’ll soon be on the floor. 

Although Netflix’s Breaking the Band, which took a distinctive Love Is Blind-esque approach to the talent show, hasn’t yet spawned a successful act, the format at least works on a televisual level. Likewise, the long-running, chair-spinning The Voice. 

Although Cowell has tried to modernise his schtick with some glossy behind-the-scenes footage resembling every Netflix reality TV show, he still seems stuck in a ‘00s time warp.  

‘If it doesn’t work, it would feel like the end of my career,’ Cowell remarks in a rare display of self-awareness. The Next Act would therefore perhaps be better titled The Final Curtain.  

The Next Act is streaming exclusively on Netflix from December 10. 

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