'Westside': Netflix's latest music-themed reality TV experiment is a smart gamble by the streaming giant

The latest 'unscripted' offering from Netflix is a brave attempt by the platform to capitalize on the largely untapped reality TV genre

Come Friday, Netflix will premiere its new music-themed, reality series 'Westside'. Dubbed an "unscripted and deeply personal glimpse into the journeys of nine young L.A.-based musicians", the show takes us through the young musicians' creative processes and personal struggles.

The show is part of a big push by the streaming giant to conquer the wide world of unscripted TV, one of the few genres of television Netflix is yet to gain a strong foothold in. Netflix has already tested the waters of this new frontier with talk shows from Michelle Wolf and David Letterman, which garnered quite favorable reception. This was followed by comedic cooking competitions like 'Nailed It!', 'Cooking On High' (a show centered around cooking with marijuana) and most noticeably, the highly successful revival of 'Queer Eye'.  

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