Following Liam Payne’s death just 1 year ago, both the members of One Direction and the fans have been brought back together. After the initial, and quite messy, split in 2015, 1D members Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik have reunited to film a Netflix series of them exploring America together after their bandmate’s death.

“I’ve been listening to One Direction since around 2013! My mom used to play it on the radio for me and I even had a couple build a Build-A-Bears that had One Direction’s songs in them,” says Jenna Casali, class of 2027. “Honestly I was shocked when I first saw their reunion, especially after all the known beef between them over the past years. I’m really glad that they have reconnected, it’s healed the younger me’s heart in a way,

If you weren’t a fan of One Direction and have no idea what happened when the band split, here’s some background: Zayn Malik was the first to leave One Direction. In a podcast episode of Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper, Malik states that they had gotten “sick of each other.” After Zayn’s departure, the rest of the band, consisting of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson went on to record one more studio album before their ceaseless “hiatus.” But, things got messy even years after the split. In an interview with Jake Paul, Liam stated that there were many reasons he “disliked Zayn.” He later apologized for his comments and also shared that he was entering rehab to fight for his sobriety (Entertainment Weekly). After clearing the air, most band members share only fond memories of their time together.

When asked if she thought that Liam’s death brought fans back together, Jenna replied, “In a way, yes. I’m sure you have seen all the memorial videos of fans gathering in his memory. Despite it being such a tragic event, it really allowed a lot of fans, or previous fans, to look back on old memories.”

While there is still minimal information regarding the documentary, the Netflix series is most likely to air sometime in 2026 and is being produced by the same studio that made the hit show America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. (The Hollywood Reporter). In this show, they are expected to “discuss the tragic death of fellow One Direction band member Liam Payne,” adds the Hollywood Reporter.

If you want to get into One Direction, now is the perfect time because there are big things to come! To close it off, Jenna suggests, “To the readers who want to get into One Direction, some good songs you should listen to are Fireproof, She’s Not Afraid, or C’mon, C’mon!”