If you can count on Netflix for one thing, it's coming up with new reality shows that you can fill your couch-rotting time with. Its latest, Building the Band, is a musically driven reality competition series, so a little different than the slew of dating shows we've been used to.
In it, 50 vocalists start off in individual sound booths where they listen to each other sing and select their bandmates based on voices alone (kinda à la Love is Blind). Six bands will make it out of the booths and move in, work, and perform together. By the end of the show, just one band will be left standing and crowned the winner. Sadly, no cash prize or record deal will be given out, but that may not be the most surprising part for viewers, and that's because the late Liam Payne of One Direction fame is appearing on the show.
Payne tragically passed away last year after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, so to see him come back on our screens in a brand new show will be a pleasant surprise for fans of the "Strip That Down" singer. So how exactly was Netflix able to make that happen? Well, we need to take a look at the filming and production schedule.
When was Building the Band filmed?
The series was given the go-ahead in May 2024, according to Deadline. Mentors, including Payne, Pussycat Doll's Nicole Sherzinger, and Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland, were all brought onboard, and so was host AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys fame.
The competition then took place during the summer, with the final performances seen in the last three episodes taped in late August in Manchester, England. Taping wrapped up shortly after, and now, about nine months later, it's finally being released on Netflix.
Why is Liam Payne in Building the Band?
The short answer is that Payne was able to be in Building the Band because it finished filming over a month before he passed away in October of last year.
The show was Payne's last big project before his death, and although it put Netflix in an awkward spot deciding how to handle the show that would air many months after he passed, they decided to move forward with it after speaking with his family, Deadline reported.
Acknowledging the loss right off the bat, the first episode opens with a touching tribute to Payne.
"When we came together to film Building the Band we never imagined we'd soon be saying goodbye to our friend Liam Payne. Liam is a guest judge in later episodes, and through his presence, we see his deep love for music and his unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice," host AJ McLean says the camera in episode 1. It's through that spirit that we dedicate this series to Liam and his family."
