Apart from shows that possess the ability to take over the globe, sometimes with their loving characters and other times with their viral dances, Netflix is a mogul with a flourishing treasury when it comes to documentaries. Having proven its fangs by tearing through the true crime stories such as that of Jeffrey Dahmer, the streamer may have just decided to get a makeover through its new project, Hitmakers.

Contrary to what the name may insinuate, this documentary is not about Netflix itself, but about the nitty-gritty of probably the musical hit that you cannot stop listening to. Beyond the name and the glamor, it gets into the pen and mind. 

Netflix's Hitmakers, a new series from executive producers Adam DiVello, Harvey Mason Jr., Britt Burton, Kimberly Goodman, Kristofer Lindquist, Megan Roger, and Skyler Wakil, aims to change perspectives about the music industry. Premiered on Thursday, July 24 on Netflix, the show promises a rare inside look at how your favorite songs get made by a dozen top songwriters, including Jenna Andrews, Harv, JHart, Tommy Brown, Whitney Phillips, Trey Campbell, Ferras, Stephen Kirk, Sevyn Streeter, Ben Johnson, and the duo Nova Wav.

Despite its catchy concept, Hitmakers ultimately falls short of its ambitious premise, delivering a disappointing reality show experience rather than an in-depth docuseries. Produced by Selling Sunset creator, the show applies a similar lavish aesthetic, placing a dozen top songwriters in wealthy locations like the Bahamas, Nashville, and Cabo. They engage in songwriting camps filled with champagne and lobster, aiming to produce potential smashes for major artists such as John Legend, Usher, and Blackpink's Lisa.

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While the series presents an enticing, high-gloss world, it unfortunately overlooks the genuine struggles underlying the music industry.

Hitmakers' reality show format creates a missed opportunity to genuinely reveal the deeper drama inherent in the music business, particularly the financial struggles faced by many songwriters. While the show features a high-end atmosphere typical of modern reality television, it largely overlooks the fact that most songwriters must fight for compensation, often receiving little for streams and surrendering publishing rights.

Furthermore, Hitmakers struggles to balance its dual goals of celebrating music creation and crafting compelling reality television storylines. The show, added to the reality show lineup of 2025 in Netflix, provides only brief glimpses of melodies and lyrical ideas before quickly presenting completed tracks. The time that could be dedicated to artistic depth is instead consumed by minor conflicts among writers or personal rivalries, leaving both music enthusiasts and reality television viewers longing for more substance.

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Have you watched Hitmakers yet? Let us know in the comments below.