Simon Cowell: The Next Chapter Review – A Billion Takes His One Idea | television

toGentlemen, the most cynical bait-and-switch of the year has finally arrived. To the casual viewer, the new Netflix series Simon Cowell: The Next Act may seem like another semi-unpolished certified docuseries.

This would make sense, because these things are everywhere right now. Everyone from David Beckham to Robbie Williams to Charlie Sheen has made one, letting the film crew into their lives to provide just enough sass to trick people into thinking they’re watching anything other than an overly complicated publicity project. And really, who deserves one of these more than Simon Cowell?

Because here is a man who, as the face of The X Factor and Pop Idol, spent the first part of the 21st century at the top of the entertainment tree. He can make or break a career with a flick of the wrist. Sport, royalty, Covid and (oddly enough) Gavin and Stacey aside, the 2010 X Factor finale remains the most-watched British TV show of the last 15 years. He was strong. It was everywhere.

But then he disappeared. In fact, many highly publicized projects – such as the entertainment giant’s “Bigger Than Disney” brand with Philip Green and the children’s book series announced five years ago – have come to nothing. He broke his back. His appearance changed. There were rumors that he had become devoted to a wealth of bizarre health fads. Have you settled into semi-retirement? Was he a Howard Hughes-style hermit who grew his nails? The world had to know: What exactly does Cowell do with his life when there’s no X-factor to fill it?

Now we know, because here comes the bait and switch. Although it may be presented as a realistic slice-of-life documentary, Simon Cowell: The Next Chapter is — wait for it — The X Factor. It’s literally just another bloody X-factor.

No, really. One moment, Cowell is quarreling semi-openly with his partner, Lauren Silverman, and the next he’s ditching that entire facade to find a new boy band. He holds tests. He takes them to training camp. He uses pictures of their faces to decide who he wants to send home. There are incredibly vulnerable sob stories (one of the contestants, and please have your tissues ready for this, works at a Nando’s). Except for Louis Walsh stumbling to take the whole thing to an absent-minded stalemate, this is The X Factor. I can’t exaggerate this enough. It’s Cowell’s only idea, for the billionth time, in slightly different clothes.

But, of course, Cowell wants to form a new boy band. His biggest success was creating the band One Direction, and he is openly envious of the rise of K-pop here, with its highly manufactured groups and tightly controlled management. Which, admittedly, is not a great thing to be envious of. The demands placed on K-pop acts are so great that abuse and suicide are not uncommon, as are “slave contracts” that prevent acts from gaining weight or falling in love.

I’m forbidden to tell you how the series ends, but it might be best not to hold out too much hope. Netflix’s latest attempt at a singing competition — this summer’s Building the Band — was a failure. It was won by a group called 3Quency, whose first single failed to chart. And that show was specifically about a band, which is more than you can say for Simon Cowell: The Next Act. The star of this show is Cowell and Cowell alone. The group—all the 16-year-olds who did most of the work—is presented as an afterthought.

The whole thing reminds me of Nathan Fielder’s great comedy “The Rehearsal,” which did something similar this year. Felder drags a group of unknown wannabes into a singing competition called Wings of Voice, only to reveal that it was created specifically to help airline co-pilots be more confident during their in-flight communications. That’s basically what “The Next Chapter” is, although this time the secret goal is simply to make Cowell famous again. These poor children have no chance.