From the fall of the Taliban until its return, people all over Afghanistan planned their lives around Afghan Star.

People would pack into apartments. Villages would hook up generators to a single TV so crowds could watch. New Year’s celebrations would come to a halt, all to watch this one show.

Over its 15 seasons, Afghan Star spotlighted an Afghanistan that could be: women singing, Afghanistan’s first rapper, people of warring ethnic groups hugging and cheering for each other on stage. And it launched a cultural revolution.

This is the story behind it all—from how a ragtag team scrambled to make the show every week, to the dangers they faced for trying to push the country forward. In Afghanistan, a cultural revolution was televised through a musical talent show, and this is its story.