Netflix doco Simon Cowell: The Next Act charts music maven’s quest to discover the next One Direction boy band

Simon Cowell: The Next Act

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

Simon Cowell is responsible for introducing the world to some of the biggest names in pop. He famously discovered Westlife, Little Mix and, of course, boy-band sensation One Direction — enough said, really.

He’s more than had his time in the spotlight, but that’s not quite enough apparently, and in this Netflix documentary he’s back on our screens, this time charting his quest to uncover the world’s next big boy band.

With K-pop dominating the charts, Cowell is hell-bent on taking things full circle, finding his next young superstars closer to home. He’s holding auditions in the UK and promising the world — and boy-band stardom — to a crop of starry-eyed, fresh-faced lambs to the slaughter. He’s enlisted some of his accomplished friends, including pop supremo Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken Waterman fame, to help him do it, and here’s the thing: with all that juicy Netflix money behind him and his years of experience, he’ll probably succeed.

The big question is, will the world still care? And is Cowell really all that deserving of a “next act” given he’s already had so many?

This six-episode series follows his quest, dipping between the stories of the young men he’s working with and glimpses into Cowell’s personal life. It will be fascinating to see whether the TikTok generation embraces this series, or side-eye it as a cynical grab to remain relevant in a world that’s craving authenticity now more than ever — perhaps the latter?

If this has piqued your curiosity, you’ll want to dive in.

Spartacus: House Of Ashur

Streaming now on Stan

One minute and nine seconds: that’s how long it took for me to see gratuitous nudity in this spin-off series, which is heavy on the CGI backgrounds, topless women and gladiators, light on apparent plot.

I’m popping this one in the same category as shows like Vikings, which is to say, they are very atmospheric and full of ripping bods and high-octane fight scenes, but weirdly devoid of any actual substance. Maybe that’s a bit harsh and perhaps I’m missing something, having not watched the original Spartacus.

This features Nick E. Tarabay’s Ashur front and centre, along with assorted gladiators, nobles and Aussie actor Jackson Gallagher as Caesar.

An acquired taste, clearly.

Man Vs Baby

Thursday, streaming on Netflix

Trevor Bingley is back — and this time he’s battling a baby. Rowan Atkinson is reprising his comic character (last seen battling bees), and this time he’s found himself in possession of a small child. Needles to say: chaos ensues. One for the whole fam.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Friday, streaming on Netflix

Daniel Craig is back for the third instalment of this franchise, which also had a berth on the big screen. Craig’s Benoit Blanc is fast becoming my all-time favourite detective and his latest outing is getting lots of positive reviews. Can’t wait to dive into this one.

Taylor Swift The Eras Tour: The Final Show

Friday, streaming on Disney Plus

This one’s for all the Swifties, and especially those who missed out on tickets to Taylor Swift’s barnstorming Aussie shows — her final full concert, captured in Vancouver. To accompany this, Disney is also releasing a six-episode docuseries, The End Of An Era, which drops two eps a week beginning this Friday.