Simon Cowell has officially stepped back into the spotlight with his glossy new Netflix venture, The Next Act. But his big return has also opened up a can of questions for curious viewers.
The hugely hyped series dropped earlier this week and follows the music boss as he hunts for the next breakout boyband. First, he puts a group of UK hopefuls through their paces in London before whisking his chosen 16 off to Los Angeles for the real test.
From the offset, Simon Cowell: The Next Act serves up unmistakable X Factor energy – just with Simon calling every shot solo this time around. And there’s an unexpected new supporting character: his fiancée, Lauren Silverman. She pops up throughout the series to add a splash of extra drama. A switch-up from Sinitta’s leafy entrances, you might say.
Whether Simon can capture lightning in a bottle again and recreate the One Direction phenomenon remains to be seen. But that’s far from the only thing fans are buzzing about.
Below, we break down the five biggest questions viewers have been asking since The Next Act landed on Netflix.
Simon Cowell: The Next Act – Why is his boyband called December 10?
By the end of all six episodes of Simon Cowell: The Next Act, Simon has selected his new boyband.
They are Nicolas Alves, 16, Cruz Lee-Ojo, 19, Hendrik Christoffersen, 19, and John Fadare, 17. Then Danny Bretherton, 16, Josh Olliver, 17, Sean Hayden, 19, complete the line-up.
Simon has since called his new boyband December 10. Not the most catchy name… so why did he pick it?
The name was chosen because The Next Act dropped onto Netflix on December 10. Original, right? Catchy? No.
Why is there seven boys in December 10?
It was a surprise to viewers when Simon picked seven singers to be in his new boyband. And his record company pals were shocked, too.
Dickon Stainer, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK, told the lads in The Next Act: “Obviously we’ve been thinking about it a lot. I mean, we’d never met you. We didn’t know there was 7 of you. But we liked your music.”
Simon makes it clear at the start of his Netflix show that he wants to ride the new K-Pop wave that has taken over the world. In line with this, he has gone K-Pop-style with a seven member band, rather than a traditional Western five-piece.
But one X Factor fan has shared their fears online. They wrote on Reddit: “Remember the band Simon put together back in 2015 X Factor UK, Stereo Kicks? Yeah, there were 7 of them after he didn’t want to trim it down to 5. And they ended up being a flop.”
Tell that to BTS, the biggest K-Pop band in the world, though. The seven member group is believed to have net worth reaching into the billions.
Why haven’t December 10 released any songs ahead of Simon Cowell’s Netflix show The Next Act?
Next Act viewers have been left baffled as to why December 10 haven’t yet released their debut single. We know the band, we know the band’s name… but we want to hear their music!
In the final episode, the band were heard singing a cover of Usher’s 2004 track, Caught Up. We also heard a version of *NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye. This is also from the Noughties (note the theme). And that was the most we got.
One viewer complained online: “I’m shocked they don’t even have a song out yet. Isn’t that the whole point. Put the series on Netflix and bam, hit us with a single! Was it just a fake series for us to see how cool his life is jetting around?”
Well, it turns out December 10 have actually recorded their first song. But only a very few people have heard it.
One senior tabloid editor claims she was invited to Simon’s house in London to listen to the band’s track. She says she heard it in Simon’s kitchen with Lauren and the couple’s private chef and described it as “classic pop”.
The group is already signed to record giants EMI/Universal, which has Taylor Swift and Lewis Capaldi on its books. Simon has plans for December 10 to release music in 2026, so watch this space…
Why doesn’t the band have official social media accounts?
In his X Factor glory years, Simon Cowell’s protégés didn’t really have social media. Their online presence began and ended with Twitter.
It appears Simon is still living in 2007, as December 10 don’t have official social accounts either. Fans are utterly confused by the decision.
When searching for ‘December 10 Instagram’, you might think you’ve struck lucky. You haven’t. It’s just four Scottish, middle-aged blokes who play in a band called December Tenth.
You’d think?
When is December 10 going on tour?
If 90s icons Five can still pack out arenas (and fair play to them for that triumphant reunion tour), you can bet Simon has his sights set on something similar for December 10 – and quite possibly a global tour if he senses even a hint of One Direction-level momentum.
Fans online are already whispering about a supposed “50-date tour in 2026”. But for now it’s exactly that – whispers. Nothing concrete, nothing confirmed.
What we can say with certainty is that Simon Cowell will want his Next Act group on the road eventually. But before any tour bus leaves the driveway, he’ll need to get December 10’s social media presence up and running. Without Instagram and TikTok, how else will he whip up the frenzy needed to shift thousands of tickets?
It’s a wonderfully chaotic series, stuffed with big promises and even bigger question marks – which leads us neatly to one final thought: should BTS be worried? Absolutely not. Their crown is safe for now.
Read more: BBC accused of ‘rigging’ Celebrity Race Across The World final so Roman Kemp could win
Simon Cowell: The Next Act is available to stream now on Netflix.
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