Simon Cowell: The Next Act
Netflix | Release Date: December 10, 2025
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 4 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
2
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
DeciderJohnny Loftus Dec 11, 2025
Season 1 Review: Simon Cowell: The Next Act combines the homelife version of the host’s caddish personality with the process of finding, founding and making a boy band flourish. We’re just intrigued enough to see if Cowell really can go from zero to One Direction in the space of six episodes. Read full review
60
The TimesCarol MidgleyDec 10, 2025
Season 1 Review: I must say I found the auditioning bits boring (fast forward if you feel the same; it’s lots of young men singing whiney songs), and Cowell himself much more interesting. Read full review
20
The GuardianStuart HeritageDec 10, 2025
Season 1 Review: The star of this show is Cowell and Cowell alone. The group – all the identically haired 16-year-olds who did most of the work – are presented as an afterthought. Read full review
20
The TelegraphAnita Singh Dec 10, 2025
Season 1 Review: A show so dated and derivative that it’s as if the last 20 years never happened. But it’s easy to see why Cowell wanted to make it. This is a vanity project from a man desperate for relevance and deeply bored. Read full review
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