Liam Payne‘s final TV series, Netflix‘s Building the Band, will debut this summer with the late One Direction star as guest judge. The announcement was made by the streamer’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria ar its upfront presentation.
“People will be obsessed with Building the Band coming this summer, hosted by AJ McLean,” Bajaria said. “Contestants will be judged and mentored by Nicole Scherzinger, with Kelly Rowland and the late Liam Payne.”
Netflix greenlit and wrapped the show prior to Payne’s death last October and had faced a dilemma over how to proceed, intent on consulting the singer’s family on the decision. In January, Building the Band was listed on Netflix’s 2025 slate, with the streamer’s unscripted chief Brandon Reigg saying at the time that the company was in touch with Payne’s family with no final decision made as to the One Direction star’s involvement in the series.
Payne was guest judge on Building the Band alongside Destiny’s Child singer Rowland and Pussycat Doll Scherzinger. Produced by Banijay-backed Remarkable Entertainment, the show is a Love is Blind-style talent contest in which singers form their own band without being able to see each other.
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The series culminates in three live shows that were filmed in late August in front of an audience at Aviva Studios in Manchester. Payne’s fans flocked to watch the recording, with some posting on social media about meeting the singer.
Payne died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. Five people have been charged in connection with his death.