Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE Review 2024 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Reality shows are all the rage right now, in an era where big budget TV productions are failing to draw massive crowds like they used to (thanks in part due to bad scripts but that’s a topic for another day!) Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE is the latest competition that’s undoubtedly going to bring in a dedicated fanbase to check this one out – and they’re not going to be disappointed. The premise is simple, and works as a documentary series following the highs and lows of The Debut: Dream Academy.
For those unaware, this was a reality TV competition straight from the minds of behemoth record labels, HYBE and Geffen Records. They set out to form a global girl group, whittling down 120,000 applicants to just 6 lucky girls to be shot into superstardom. The show itself was a fan-interactive project when it released, with the intent of taking the K out of K-Pop, but modelling a group using the same K-pop methodology. Of course, there’s a fine line between sisterhood and competitiveness, and given this is a competition after all, things aren’t all rosy and everything from arguments to scandals pop up.
The 8 episodes start with the talent scouts searching for potential and developing these young girls into stars. Building from the ground up, this documentary helps to get to know a lot of these girls on a much more intimate level compared to Dream Academy. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the judges and coaches are supposed to be overly harsh, given they’re using K-Pop methodology, so a lot of their criticisms do make sense.
Seeing the background details on each of the competitors, and seeing those who did win (no spoilers from those who have seen Dream Academy!) in their early years trying to get into the final team is actually really fascinating to watch. However, it’s always heart-wrenching to see the girls who do get cut, especially in the finale. But naturally, things do get tougher as the show draws on, and after picking the talent, we then move onto choosing a lead vocalist, which naturally causes a lot of friction and drama within the group.
The second half of the show naturally evolves into the survival show itself, with a trip over to Korea really hammering home just how serious and real this whole thing is. The final episode then works as a live show, with the winners for the final group announced, while there are livestreams of friends and family back home as they nervously await the result.
In a way, Pop Star Academy feels quite similar to Amazon Prime’s Dance Life, a show that focused exclusively on dancing but has a near-identical structure in terms of rooting out talent and picking the absolute best in class. If you enjoyed that show, you’re definitely going to be right at home with this one.
The episodes are just about right in terms of length, with around 50-60 minutes dedicated to showcasing the competition, all the steps along the way and every juicy bit of drama. If you’ve watched other reality shows, this one shouldn’t hold too many surprises. And it’s all the stronger for it.
