Live television isn’t what it once was. We used to gather around our sets at 8 pm sharp to catch every moment of the X Factor, Coronation Street, Britain’s Got Talent – and later, Love Island. Now we simply binge episodes or catch up on demand.
Of these, X Factor remains the most iconic. It delivered homegrown legends from One Direction to JLS and Little Mix, thanks in part to its tantalising mix of fame, record deals and celebrity judges vying for mentorship.
Enter: Netflix’s new series Building the Band, which taps into that legacy. Hosted by AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys fame, with Nicole Scherzinger – an OG X Factor judge and recent Tony Award-winner – as a mentor, the format is refreshingly simple: 50 contestants aim to form one of six bands, sight unseen. It’s basically Love Is Blind: The Musical.
They sit in sound-proof booths as singers take the stage. If at least five press their buttons, the singer stays. Each contestant gets 10 likes to spend, and bands must comprise three to five members. As connections form, contestants lock in their bands before places run out.
The blind date aspect of the show adds an interesting element. Image has long shaped (and sometimes shattered) pop careers, from Robbie Williams to the late Liam Payne. Building the Band seeks to strip out that toxicity, though biases slip through. “I want to make the next Backstreet Boys,” declares one hopeful early on. Another, blind to who they’re addressing, bizarrely says: “We’d look so good together.”
Whether serendipitous or the product of purposeful casting, each contestant is conventionally attractive, which seems to distract from the show’s purpose. Nevertheless, the real challenge comes as bands attempt to balance individual styles with a unified sound.
Once bands form, they move into shared apartments. Cue cringe-worthy drama and meme-ready friction that fuels the show's central question: does artistic autonomy prove sustainable or disastrous?
Mentorship comes from Scherzinger and choreography twins Brian and Scott Nicholson, best known for staging Dangerous Woman with Ariana Grande. Unlike X Factor and American Idol, which would infamously cast “joke” acts to boost ratings, Building the Band feels sincere.
With Scherzinger, McLean and the Nicholson’s guiding them, and guest judges Liam Payne (who tragically died in 2024 after filming wrapped) and Kelly Rowland entering the fray, it’s a genuine development process.
Seeing Scherzinger and Payne reunited is both heart-warming and gut‑wrenching. Any pop culture enthusiast will remember the now-iconic clip from X Factor in 2010, where a then-reluctant Simon Cowell hesitates to form a band from five solo boys. It’s Nicole who leans in, slides their headshots together, and creates music history by saying: “They’d be crazy good as a group.”
For lifelong One Direction fans, Payne’s presence is bittersweet – but he’s a grounded, respectful presence here, and the series handles his legacy with care.
Like clockwork, tensions flare. Those who falter often lash out, giving the show its requisite dose of drama. But Building the Band isn’t just about meltdowns. It’s also a showcase for powerful mentorship, and few moments are more affecting than Payne’s.
Earnest, warm and clearly in his element, Payne offers some of the show’s sharpest insights. His passion is contagious; his eyes light up as he guides contestants through vocal dynamics and group cohesion – areas he knows intimately. At one point, he grows visibly emotional while listening to a contestant who once saw One Direction perform at Madison Square Garden. “I feel warm,” he says, and you do too.
For fans still grappling with the noise and grief surrounding his public struggles, this is exactly the Payne we needed: kind, intuitive, and brilliant – a true reminder of his enduring talent.
Scherzinger, too, delivers standout moments. In one scene, she works with an all-female band rehearsing Don’t Cha, shifting the focus from performance to self-ownership. She reflects candidly on the Pussycat Dolls' early years, when the image of a girl band felt rigid and prescribed. Now, she coaches the singers to own their sexiness – for themselves, not the audience.
The result is electrifying. Even Payne admits, “I’d join that band.” He adds: “There’s something about you that shouldn’t work. I wouldn’t have put you together, but it’s amazing.” That’s the soul of Building the Band: breaking formulas and proving chemistry isn’t always predictable.
The talent is promising. The execution, even better. I’d watch five more series of this in a heartbeat.
Building the Band: Week One is on Netflix now
