Jenna and Stephen, who write songs for artists like BTS, are two of eleven songwriters working in the Bahamas. Bahamas, though, isn’t so nice to them, as Stephen’s computer isn’t working well with the studio’s other hardware. A lot of things can go wrong during a session, which these writers air out during their interviews. Sometimes, it’s just drinking too much caffeine, like Ben, a country songwriter who wants to try other genres. But technical gaffes are part of the game and Nova Wav, who wrote for Beyonce, do what they do

Hitmakers, from reality TV producer Adam Divello (The Hills, etc.), reminds viewers of old adages like squeaky wheels get the grease. That’s kind of what happens when the other songwriters see Jenna and Stephen (in a relationship) bicker in front of the other writers – the camera’s on them more than the other writers. But drama can wait, these songwriters are here to work. They divide themselves into three interchanging teams, writing songs for artists like John Legend and Usher. Shaboozey and Lisa also show up in Facetime calls, telling their collaborators about the kind of songs they want to perform. The writers listen to the songs they wrote and eventually they find out if these songs end up on artists’ ‘cuts’.

When one thinks of reality TV, yes, most viewers assume it shows the big moments like marital conflicts. But Hitmakers also focuses on the mundane aspects of these camps, like what the writers drink for some inspiration. The show divides itself into three camps, like one in Nashville where they write some songs for Shaboozey. In some ways, it makes sense that the Nashville camp is where these writers do their best work in music. And seeing them work, a part of me wishes that they keep some songs to perform as artists.

Hitmakers does have a lot of reality TV staples, like these writers hashing out drama from a previous episode. Some of these conflicts have easy solutions, like Jenna and Whitney becoming friends after the Bahamas. Others do play out longer, like the time Stephen makes the assumption of Jenna over drinking, cutting her off. The men see that event differently than the women, and let me stop myself before I reference the Rashomon effect. The men and women also treat what they see different and the show respects everyone’s perspective towards each other,

It may be a strange complaint that a reality show has drama so I might have a real one, that complaint being that I wish the show got female artists as clients for these writers but Lisa suffices. She, John Legend, and Shaboozey are pop-y enough that some people who aren’t fans might dismiss their presence here. But these Facetime calls display an intelligence that both the artists and these songwriters use to create musical magic. The four artists these writers’ muses are at least diverse, genre wise, just like 2025’s musical landscape.

Hitmakers is available to stream on Netflix.