Beyond the Star – Series Review & Episode Guide

KJ Entertainment is a new talent agency. Recently, it started the Beyond the Star initiative. The project aims to turn nine young trainees into celebrities. The owner, Araya, has invested lots of money and resources into this group. She’ll provide singing and dancing lessons before their official debut as a boy band. Unlike other agencies, Araya allows the members to date. However, she hopes they’ll take their ambitions seriously.

The nine-person boy band consists of Namo and Kengkla, who have become friends during training. They are often together, even outside rehearsal. Kengkla frequently visits temples for spiritual guidance, while Namo accompanies his friend each time. However, Kengkla is frustrated about the group's progress. He wants to be an actor, not a boy band member. He doubts whether all their practice is meaningful. In contrast, Namo has received positive attention for his talent. A rival agency even wants to recruit him.

MChange is KJ Entertainment's industry competitor. Araya used to have a fling with the MChange owner, Kiat. Their business relationship isn't on the best terms. MChange recently launched Red King, a new boy band. Their debut puts pressure on all the Beyond the Star members, who feel they compete against their rivals. Despite their success, there's a toxic culture at MChange. Kiat is controlling and doesn't allow the members to have love lives. Anyone who misbehaves will be kicked out of the group. This creates a hostile environment where everyone is agitated.

Nathee is a prominent member of Red King. He is Kiat's nephew, so his family connections have helped him secure a role in the band. The nepotism has caused other group members to be harsh toward Nathee, sometimes bullying him during rehearsal. Nathee, who wants to prove himself, takes the abuse without retaliating. He's also in a secret relationship with Kita, a former group member. Before Red King's debut, Kita was kicked out for misbehaving. Although Nathee and Kita are in love, they must hide their romance. Otherwise, it may jeopardize Red King's success.

To compete against Red King, Beyond the Star must work harder during practice. The extra workload pressures everyone. Tonnam feels insecure about his injuries and inability to master the dance moves. His friend, Phupha, provides emotional support. Meanwhile, Mawin is constantly late for rehearsal due to his part-time job. He must support his family financially in addition to pursuing his dreams. Mungkorn clashes with him and claims Mawin isn't committed to the group. The other three members, Tul, Trin, and Copper, are involved in a scandalous love triangle.

Beyond the Star has an oversized cast with too many characters, all competing for the spotlight. Each busy episode juggles between four romances, two rival boy bands, and numerous subplots with random people. Keeping track of each storyline is a confusing nuisance. The series also does a terrible job of introducing everyone. I can only identify the protagonists based on vague characteristics, like "guy with glasses" or "dude with an injured leg." Nobody receives enough development to have fleshed-out personalities.

Besides having too many storylines, most of them are annoyingly dull. A central plot is the rivalry between the new boy bands, but nothing exciting comes out of this conflict. Other scenes show the protagonists struggling with low self-esteem, time management problems, or doubts about the future. Yet, these ideas never expand beyond their shallow portrayals. All the issues seem one-dimensional. Every character arc lacks substance and growth. The entertainment industry is supposed to have juicy topics, but this mundane series fails to showcase any compelling drama.

Namo and Kengla receive the most focus out of all the couples. Unfortunately, they're the least interesting characters with the weakest storyline. These two hardly bring drama, humour, or romance to their boring scenes. The inexperienced performers (Bank and Llouis) also lack the acting chops and compatible chemistry to elevate their interactions. On top of working with lousy material, they don't have the charisma to command attention. Quite frankly, they shouldn't have been the leads. Reduce their screen time and focus on the other pairings instead.

Surprisingly, Nathee and Kita have the best relationship scenes. The other pairs bore me due to their pointless chats. All they do is yap about nothing important. In contrast, this couple doesn't waste time and engages in lots of physical intimacy. The two hotties display passionate romantic chemistry, from steamy kisses to sensual touches. I adore their seduction game in Episode 5, a sultry encounter that captures their fun, sexy flirtation. Nathee and Kita are the only bright spots in Beyond the Star. Their enjoyable BL content makes me not regret watching this series.

Although I like Nathee and Kita's romance, they only occupy a fraction of the plot. My favourites have almost no focus in the last two episodes since the series must highlight the other couples. I was initially intrigued by Tonnam and Phupha, but their uneventful storyline doesn't have much going on. Despite a lengthy sex scene, their raunchy encounter loses oomph because I stopped caring about them long ago. The other relationship is the hilariously awkward love triangle between Copper and the twins. The drama is so trashy that I don't even want to address it.

While poorly executed, the first seven episodes of Beyond the Star showed some effort to maintain a reasonable narrative. However, the finale has given up on any semblance of logic. From offensive twists to outrageously stupid resolutions, every disappointment tarnishes my already low opinion of the series. Looking back, I see no positives from my viewing experience besides the eroticism. A few amateur sex scenes aren't enough to compensate for hours of boredom and wretched storytelling. Beyond the Star has gained notoriety as a sleazy and subpar BL drama.