Could American Idol have been saved (and if so, how?)

[Kromm]

Well?

[Rick Kitchen]

Choose contestants based on talent and not on who the producers wanted to see winning.  Get rid of Nigel.  Find some decent judges.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[BogoGog24]

Perhaps people would have come back if the show had better talent and felt more like the old seasons, but ratings have declined every year except season 10. It was inevitable at some point. The Voice ratings are also dropping every season. I think people are just tired of singing shows in general, especially since they all care more about the judges/coaches than the contestants. Perhaps if there was a show focused on the talent and they could find marketable and talented people who look like they could actually be stars, maybe people would tune in again.

[Irlandesa]

Yep.  The way to save Idol is to take about five years off.  Wait until hugely popular singing shows go off the air (which I think will happen once The Voice goes.  There may be smaller scale shows but nothing massive.)

 

Bring it back in about five to ten years when there's a fresh new talent pool. 

[MrsMoltisanti]

Nigel is gone. Has been for 2 years from what I reckon.

I think people in general are tired of these instant fame without the chops to back it up type shows. The Kardashians are to blame lol. Who knows.

[Kromm]

Choose contestants based on talent and not on who the producers wanted to see winning.  Get rid of Nigel.  Find some decent judges.

 

Nigel is gone. Has been for 2 years from what I reckon.

I think people in general are tired of these instant fame without the chops to back it up type shows. The Kardashians are to blame lol. Who knows.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I'm with Irlandesa....AI needed time to breathe that it didn't have the luxury of having and a less saturated reality music show scene. It desperately could have used a less restrictive song selection arena. Somewhere around Kris and Lee's back to back wins the voting population shifted and it became very difficult to see a female winning (minus Candace's season which had a comically weak male top 12)...I'm not really sure how that could have been addressed without giving the judges even more power and making it more like DWTS or SYTYCD.

Edited May 12, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Dejana]

Nothing lasts forever, especially a show that hopes to launch a real, relevant music star every now and then. No matter what, with time, the show was always going to struggle to remain relevant to very young and even youngish people after a certain point. Young viewers tend to go for fresher shows and Idol became a show people's moms watched, the last thing the network wanted. For other long-running reality shows like DWTS, TAR or Survivor, post-show relevance never really mattered, so there was always less of a need for them to appeal to teens and twentysomethings, though that was nice for the ad rates. 

 

Phillip Phillips was Idol's last gasp of musical relevance (not that "Home" reinvented the wheel, but it was an Idol winner getting big radio airplay and became the best-selling Idol single ever, exactly how TPTB want their winners to start their careers) but his win also crystallized the "White Guy With Guitar" backlash. TPTB's response for the 2013 season, to bring on Nicki Minaj and Mariah in order to replicate the "buzz" of The Voice, then stacking the deck in favor of a girl winner, sent the show the unrecoverable death spiral that's brought us to this point. I remember reading MJs Big Blog and other sites when the Nicki rumors started and talk about backlash--she might as well have been Jezebel, old-school Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian rolled into one. The idea of a rapper judging a "singing competition", though the reality may have been murkier on both sides (Idol was never just a singing competition and Nicki sings as well), I very much got the sense that the notion was galling to a certain not-insignificant segment of Idol viewers, a bridge too far, on top of her profane/overtly sexual lyrics, huge no-nos for women in Idoland.

 

Perhaps a female winner in the middle of that 2008-2012 stretch quells the WGWG resentment, TPTB aren't so desperate to overhaul S12 in a way that repels the viewers they already had (while also failing to bring in Minaj's fans, who could just catch her big moments on Youtube) and it and it buys Idol another season or two, but that's all.

 

Now that it's going to be over I want a Live From New York/Those Guys Have All The Fun sort of book with on-the-record interviews addressing the various scandals, the conspiracy theories theories, the hookups, all of it.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Dejana

[Sentient Meat]

Better judges... I get why they went with professional and inoffensive after the disastrous experiment of Nicki and Mariah... but they went too far the other way going for pretty and bland with HCJ thrown in to give a little "edge".  When ratings went south, instead of cranking up the snark... they reined in Harry... making it even more safe and boring.

 

Contestants with personality...  One could argue that the most successful idols except for maybe Kelly and Adam, like Carrie Underwood, Phillip Phillips, Katharine McPhee, Jennifer Hudson were pretty boring, but I think previous seasons had more personality throughout the entire cast... people you wanted to lose... underdogs that you want to win.  The finalists this year could have been produced with autotune and a 3D printer.

 

A mentor that doesn't make your skin crawl...  Scott Borchetta could make me stop watching Game of Thrones... and I'm a huge fan of the show.  He's worse than Ramsey Bolton or Littlefinger for me right now.

 

Have an all-stars season.  What's good enough for Survivor... The Amazing Race... Big Brother... is good enough for American Idol... take all the past runner-ups and give them a second shot.

 

Have an international version...  why not have all the best contestants from all the countries' idols compete in the ultimate vocal Olympics.

[Dejana]

Have an all-stars season.  What's good enough for Survivor... The Amazing Race... Big Brother... is good enough for American Idol... take all the past runner-ups and give them a second shot.

 

Have an international version...  why not have all the best contestants from all the countries' idols compete in the ultimate vocal Olympics.

 

DWTS did an All-Star season and the ratings weren't huge like people thought they would be. A theory was that a lot of people like DWTS to see stars grow as performers by the week and with the all-star version you lose that element. Idol has spent years selling itself as the show that launches the boy/girl next door into stardom, so get invested each week and vote to make your favorite's dream come true. An All-Star version kind of points out that the formula didn't quite work the first time around.

 

World Idol was tried once and not repeated. Kelly was contractually obligated to compete and reportedly wasn't thrilled with the experience (though the less charitable would say it was because she didn't win). Here's the winning moment:

 

Edited May 12, 2015 by Dejana

[geekburger]

It became way too gimmicky. They grasped at straws to try and "keep it fresh" and it became unrecognizable. Everything from The Save, to the way they were inconsistent with the pre-live voting rounds, to the complete lack of chemistry and critiques of the judges contributed. This show was always cheesy fun and when they tried to make it something more than, it just didn't work.

 

With that being said, it was bound to falter at some point, but this show ended up completely collapsing. It went from Event Television to Popular Show to Boring.

[Sentient Meat]

DWTS did an All-Star season and the ratings weren't huge like people thought they would be. A theory was that a lot of people like DWTS to see stars grow as performers by the week and with the all-star version you lose that element. Idol has spent years selling itself as the show that launches the boy/girl next door into stardom, so get invested each week and vote to make your favorite's dream come true. An All-Star version kind of points out that the formula didn't quite work the first time around.

 

World Idol was tried once and not repeated. Kelly was contractually obligated to compete and reportedly wasn't thrilled with the experience (though the less charitable would say it was because she didn't win). Here's the winning moment:

 

 

Thanks for that info.

 

I'm not sure it would save the franchise... but it would get better ratings.  In fact if they threw in Cowell it would probably equal Survivor numbers

[shipmate]

Something about the newer performance settings - swaybots up close, etc.. Something feels off about that to me. I miss them being on a STAGE up and away from the audience if that makes sense.

[Sparkling Beth]

The show will have been on for fifteen years when it ends--how many shows can say that?  To hear some critics talk, you'd think it had dropped to the ratings cellar, when in fact it's still doing pretty well--just not as spectacularly well as it was doing for much of its run.

 

That said, I wish they'd turn back the clock a bit.  Bring back the celebrity mentors.  Have more definite theme weeks that challenge the contestants to break out of their comfort zone or figure out a way to adapt the theme to their comfort zone (as Adam did in country week with that amazing performance of "Ring of Fire").  Have separate results shows, but make them just half-an-hour long so they don't feel padded. 

 

To me, it's just a matter of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  There were complaints every year that "this is the worst season ever!" but Idol is what it is and I'd still rather watch it than the other singing competitions. 

[memememe76]

I would imagine that come 2025 or 2030, FOX could resurrect this show (it'll be interesting what the TV landscape will be like by that time) and it'll be extremely popular. I agree with previous posters that when you are trying to find a talented within a certain demographic, the well will eventually get dry. It's not like the current pop scene is brimming with extremely talented vocalists. Selena Gomez? Meghan Trainor? Arianna Grande? Rhianna? Katy Perry? Jason Derulo? No thanks. There are a few exceptions--like Adele and Sam Smith, but they're not American!

[TheGreenKnight]

Who knows? If I had to make a laundry list of things they could've done, here it is:

 

- Stay as far away from JLO as possible after they ditched her the first time.

- Hire another record executive to fill Simon's role.

- Cast off Randy Jackson sooner.

- Only hired one of Mariah or Nicki at a time. (Both would've worked, imo, but not together.)

- Possibly have hired one or more former contestants as judges.

- Never allowed instruments on stage, which started in season 7--the year the WGWG began with David Cook.

- Done something similar to The Voice's iTunes count, to help the marketable contestants make it farther and more likely to win.

- Ban certain overdone song choices, like "I Have Nothing," "All by Myself," "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," "A Change Gonna Come," "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," the Beatles, etc.

- Continued to force contestants to sing different genres like they in the beginning rather than alter songs to disguise their weaknesses.

- Stop giving manipulative comments instead of genuine reactions from the judges.

 

Regardless, I think the show would've gone down anyway, but it might've lasted two more years before it crashed. EDIT: Sorry, for some reason my computer won’t separate different paragraphs automatically.

Edited May 12, 2015 by TheGreenKnight

[proserpina65]

I don't know, after 15 seasons, it may just have run its course.  Hopefully next season will be a really good one, allowing the show to go out on a high note.

[LakeGal]

Maybe if they had tried one guest judge each week.  Have judges that are not close to the contestants and would give honest opinions.  I think the judges get too close to the singers and then find it hard to say anything mean to them. 

[Kromm]

I would imagine that come 2025 or 2030, FOX could resurrect this show (it'll be interesting what the TV landscape will be like by that time) 

One wonders if Broadcast TV will even exist in 2030.  It might not.

 

The question would be if ANY live entertainment can work in a streaming only environment, and if a show like American Idol can be brought back in such.  Or even if you banish the live aspect, there'd have to be a solid plan in place to control the vote tallying over a much longer voting window than previously.

Meanwhile, Time Magazine opines: American Idol Was a Victim of Its Own Success

 

 

Idol seemed to learn all the wrong lessons from its success, doubling down on the show’s worst and most annoying aspects.

 

The handful of boldface names that Idol minted—Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks—were the epitome of square, but their fame coincided with and fueled a growing sense that stardom could be more democratic. It’s tough to imagine social platforms like Vine launching stars so easily without a generation taught from an early age that, when it comes to choosing who’s on Top 40 radio, their votes matter.

 

Yet the show’s impact on the recording industry was also more meager than its footprint would suggest. The stars Idol launched wouldn’t have become famous without the show, but they did fit neatly into proscribed roles. (Carrie Underwood was a big-voiced country sweetheart, Jennifer Hudson a big-voiced R&B belter—types of musicians who are hardly new.) The only truly spiky and strange star the show ever launched was runner-up Adam Lambert, whose chart performance has been reliable but hardly earth-shattering. American Idol‘s greatest impact was how, in conjunction with the rise of the social web and the collapse of the record industry, it let viewers think they could choose their stars. Those same viewers ended up choosing other things to watch as Idol drifted from its core mission

[ProfCrash]

Limit voting to one vote per phone number, one text per phone number. I never voted because I knew it wouldn't make a difference and that reduced my desire to continue watching most seasons.

 

I think they needed to find a way to move away from doing covers each week. There needed to be some way to actually show the contestants developing as artists and signing someone else's songs is not the way to do that.

 

Maybe have one set of judges who pick the contestants and then another who judge the live shows.

 

Mostly, they should have stopped casting goats. There are tons of very talented folks, pick them. Pick the people who are honestly ready or could be made ready for a record deal. Stop with the obvious fodder. I would say stop telling us who you want to win by coddling them but there are always going to be folks who are favored and it is hard to prevent that.

[Gemma Violet]

DWTS did an All-Star season and the ratings weren't huge like people thought they would be. A theory was that a lot of people like DWTS to see stars grow as performers by the week and with the all-star version you lose that element. Idol has spent years selling itself as the show that launches the boy/girl next door into stardom, so get invested each week and vote to make your favorite's dream come true. An All-Star version kind of points out that the formula didn't quite work the first time around.

 

 

 

Yes, Clay Aiken recently said on Howard Stern that when he was on AI, everything was organic.  None of them went in expecting stardom.  None of them were polished or professional.  During performances, they had no glitzy or fancy sets.  There were no musicians onstage (the contestants sang to tracks).  There were no back-up singers (the contestants pre-recorded their own backing vocals.)

 

The fun for the audience was to watch the contestants' growth and change.  Nowadays, they come in with tons of performing experience, record deals, acting experience, etc.  And they all expect to become stars when it's over.   

[Nedsdag]

No surprise that AI is gone and I have nothing to add that hasn't been said previously; however, I do believe as memememe76 stated that FOX will bring another talent competition probably around 2020 when the hubbub and hoopla of AI and The Voice have passed and have gone to their rewards. It's a cyclical thing with shows like this. When my parents were young, there was a show called The Ted Mack Amateur Hour which included singers. When I was a kid (yes, I am old), I remember The Gong Show, which was an over the top version of America's Got Talent; once in a while they did find a singing star. And in the 1980s and early 1990s, there was Star Search.

 

It's ironic that the series is ending around the time Seacrest's contract expIres. Also ironic is that I read somewhere that FOX's head honchos were in meetings with a certain British impresario (name rhymes with Thymon Powell) about a talent show idea. The hiatus may not be as long as I think it will be.

 

ETA: For AI's swan song next season, instead of promising the winner a recording contract, they should award them with a large cash prize. YMMV.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Nedsdag

[karenc3]

I think what would have saved Idol is if they allowed original music on the show. They did start to the past couple of years, but I think that really would have set it apart from the other shows.  One of the problems is we've heard similar contestants singing the same songs year after year, especially if you watch other shows.   Original music throughout the season would have set Idol apart, and it could have really launched somebody if a song became a hit. 

 

I also think they needed to cast contestants with more experience, though I think they did that this year. 

[Wings]

I don't think it can or should be saved.  Sometimes things just run their course and it has done just that.  I lost interest years ago but still tuned in at certain points to check it out because old habits die hard.  I have probably watched around 17 minutes of this season.  Time to make room in the network programming for something brand new!  No singing, please.  Onward! 

Edited May 13, 2015 by wings707

[cinsays]

   Allowing only 1 vote per phone number and none of these other voting methods, e.g. dump twitter saves and letting the tweenies vote a zillion times for the cute little boy who can't sing.

   Having judges that are not big name, big ego stars.  JLo just wanted us to look at her.  Anything she said was either irrelevant or not based on musical knowledge/skill.  I don't care if she gets goosies. 

   We don't need to see the likes of Scottie the unattractive creeper.  If they want to have someone like him help the contestants, fine. I just don't want to EVER have to look at him.

If they want to have other singers that we all know on to help them, kind of like the Voice does, that would be ok.

   Eliminate the guitars, eliminate the glitzy background lights and background singers, the swaybots, the stupid chairs that light up when they're picked.

   Let the contestants just sing whatever they want to every week.   No themes, no "getting out of your comfort zone".  If they are country artists, let them just sing country if they want to. That's what they would do in their career.   

  Change the age limits, minimum 16, maximum 26, or something like that.

   Make it for amateurs only.   If you've been touring with your own band for 5 years, this isn't where you need to be.

   I've watched this thing every year since the start and, good or bad, I will miss it.  But it lost its way several years ago and the gimmicks it has tried have failed miserably.

 

[Thorkim]

Yes, 100% yes! Spot on Cinsays.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Thorkim

[Kromm]

If they DO eventually reboot the show, I hope it's without the annoying Ah-Ahhh theme music (even though they changed it almost beyond recognition to a kind of Marching Band song for the last few seasons--it STILL sucked).

[Neet]

Even if the ratings today were better and the past few seasons were good, American Idol would keep getting blander. I'm glad they're giving at least one of these talent shows some breathing room since it's gone on for so damn long. Nothing could have really saved it, the formula has pretty much been exhausted by now and there's no fresh idea that would generate much interest right now. They've tried swapping out the judging panel multiple times, adding new features, getting rid of themes for the most part, and nobody cares. (it was all poorly executed, anyway) Network television is dying in favor of things like Netflix and other streaming platforms. I would love to see an Idol-like show come back in a few years when/if a lot of programming is exclusively live-streamed over a website/app/device, which may increase viewers' desire to sit through a full show. Reality TV is saturated as all hell, so it's no wonder that nobody cares about Idol anymore. Despite that, competitions like it have been cyclically popular for decades, and I think a reboot or similar show will definitely cultivate interest in a few years once people are given time to forget. Stop focusing on the judges, cast good contestants who don't always have to appeal to a "cute kid"/"religious man"/"sob story" demographic, let them sing some original songs (wouldn't it be cool if someone became a mini-star for their own music while still on the show?) and people will bite eventually.

[Dejana]

Would the masses really care that much about original music? These singing shows have had a number of contestants who became very popular singing classics or current hits, but TV fans moved on by the time an album was released in the fall, or weren't so thrilled with what was produced and didn't come back for the second album. Even the best-selling album from any alum is in the 7.5 million range, extraordinary for post-2000 album sales, but just a fourth of the 30 million average viewers who watched the 2006 season, and Carrie sold a lot of those albums to people who never watched the show.

Original coronation songs from these shows have taken off, but how long would it work, as a weekly lure? There would be an audience for people interested in watching the contestants craft a song, but how big is it? Changes that some fans embrace are hated by others. Some rue the day instruments were allowed, but I know of many fans who became avid watchers once the show moved away from rewarding the biggest belter and "diva" stylings. The pendulum swung too far in the other direction, but I honestly think adding instruments extended the #1 streak for a couple of years, at least.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Dejana

[Neet]

Original coronation songs from these shows have taken off, but how long would it work, as a weekly lure? There would be an audience for people interested in watching the contestants craft a song, but how big is it? Changes that some fans embrace are hated by others. Some rue the day instruments were allowed, but I know of many fans who became avid watchers once the show moved away from the rewarding the biggest belter and "diva" stylings. The pendulum swung too far in the other direction, but I honestly think adding instruments extended the #1 streak for a couple of years, at least.

I remember loving it when they introduced instruments to the show, as I started watching Idol when I was 10 and got bored easily when hearing power vocal songs one after another with little variation. I also agree about the original songs being potentially disastrous, since a lot of contestants could still sound the same week after week or deliver really crappy songs. They'd have to structure the show pretty well to make originals a positive thing. Maybe have the contestants who want to do originals already have a backlog of demos under their belt and they work with the mentor to hammer out what sounds like a final record version, or tailor the songs to theme weeks if they're still around. Perhaps they could allow bands as well? I'm just spitballing.

[Prairie Fire]

Yes, Clay Aiken recently said on Howard Stern that when he was on AI, everything was organic.  None of them went in expecting stardom.  None of them were polished or professional.  During performances, they had no glitzy or fancy sets.  There were no musicians onstage (the contestants sang to tracks).  There were no back-up singers (the contestants pre-recorded their own backing vocals.)

 

The fun for the audience was to watch the contestants' growth and change.  Nowadays, they come in with tons of performing experience, record deals, acting experience, etc.  And they all expect to become stars when it's over.   

 

There are a bunch of things you can point to that got worse as the seasons went on, but this was one of the big ones for me.

 

In the first 3 seasons, the top 24 sang on a tiny stage with no studio audience and just a piano, which is hard to believe - no big stage until top 12. That may have been a little too basic, but they got it right the next few seasons when they added a studio audience and backing track to the top 24 performances (but still on a smaller set then they used for the top 12). Back then, each season would build nicely. During the auditions and Hollywood round, you'd wonder how these people would do as the performances got "bigger".

 

Then they ruined it by having the contestants perform with a band on a stage almost from the beginning and putting the top 24 on the big stage.

 

Ruben Studdard performing in the top 24 on season 2:

Edited May 16, 2015 by Prairie Fire

[Lonesome Rhodes]

With the advent of smart phones, AI was doomed.

 

It was already screwed as the current music got worse and worse.  How can voice talent be displayed when Taylor Swift, with the help of the Borchetta's of the world, pushed "tunes" which are as vanilla as can be?  The alternative is to insist on going back to classics, as Nigel kept trying, so we at least could hear some real music.  Ooops.  There goes your relevancy along with a massive tune out of teens desperate to be hip (basically all teens).  It was a vicious circle.  It did not help matters a whit when the wannabes, with mostly little talent for such, insisted on making the classics their "own."  So that brings the worst of both worlds...unrecognizable music performed for shit.

 

Ellen and Dioguardi were truly horrendous and worthless.  Randy was a genuine horror.

 

The last thing was the pimpage for the "type" 19E wanted to promote on their labels.  This was the ultimate nail in the coffin for a show already fighting a phony factor, exacerbated by Simon's departure.  WGWG really had to screw up to not win.

 

If the show had become heavy with the behind the scenes creation and shaping of performance with great producers, it may have had a shot at rejuvenation.  

Edited May 16, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes

[Stratego]

No, AI couldn't be saved.  The hook of AI was the perception that the audience were actually part of the show--they voted for their favorite(s).  The development of social media, smart phones, and endless "reality shows and stars" doomed AI. The capability to "express one's opinion" was commonplace.  AI could not control social media, but rather social media controlled AI.  AI became dated and past tense--a previous generation's show--and the audience went elsewhere.  All that's left is nostalgia. 

[karenc3]

Original coronation songs from these shows have taken off, but how long would it work, as a weekly lure? There would be an audience for people interested in watching the contestants craft a song, but how big is it? Changes that some fans embrace are hated by others. Some rue the day instruments were allowed, but I know of many fans who became avid watchers once the show moved away from rewarding the biggest belter and "diva" stylings. The pendulum swung too far in the other direction, but I honestly think adding instruments extended the #1 streak for a couple of years, at least.

 

 

Some viewers might not want to hear original music, but at the same time, I think hearing the same covers over and over is what is hurting the singing competitions.  And actually, if someone was going to be an artist, they would have to be able to make the audience interested in their own music.

 

I do think that having the instruments extended the shows life, it was a real gamechanger.   I think otherwise, the format would have gotten tired even sooner. 

[Guest]

I think it's just run its course.  It did well for longer than most shows.  It was even a reboot of something tried before-- Star Search, which didn't do well.  So good for them making a ratings monster for as long as they did.  

 

I don't even think The Voice is killing Idol.  I think people are just tired of the reality singing format and want something new.  I've been FFing through the banter of these shows for years because it's so repetitive.  And if a song doesn't catch me in the first 30 seconds that gets FFed, too.  

 

One thing I think they could've done more was show the contestants interacting behind the scenes.  I really liked it in years when we saw things like the kids playing pool in the mansion or talking about the experience together in candid-ish moments.  Not the nearly-scripted dinners this or The Voice did, though.  Just put more of a Survivor element into it by showing us their personalities, and not in 5 second soundbites on stage.

[Ohwell]

I feel the opposite way.  The less I see/hear of the contestants off stage, the better.  I can't imagine watching Qaasim or Joey or Jax interacting behind the scenes.   They got on my nerves enough when they were on stage.

[BogoGog24]

I really wish there had been some more candid moments behind the scenes this year too. I remember last season and in other seasons they did a funny bit where the contestants did impressions of each other. That was usually pretty funny. All we really saw this year was their mentoring sessions. I do think part of the draw in past seasons was that from those little BTS moments we got to sort of know the contestants more. Now you may only discover something about them through off-show interviews or through their social media. That is something that I and many others hate about shows like The Voice that never really allow you to get to know the contestants and why we don't watch it and why no one buys their albums after. Part of being successful in the industry is likability and you need to show some of your personality off stage, in addition to onstage, in order for people to get to know who you are, what your story is, so that they can relate to you more, like you better, and want to actually buy your music. 

 

I think adding instruments was one of the best changes to the format Idol could have made. The early seasons were about finding a great vocalist but now there is so much more to the music industry than that. Now it's about finding a great musician, which includes people who can play instruments or possibly write their own songs. The show would not have lasted for as long as it did if they kept the format the same all these years. Most viewers have no interest in watching a 16 year old warble their way through the Great American Songbook. Letting them play instruments and changing up the format to include more current music were the best decisions that could be made. Again, the early seasons were about finding a great vocalist. So the themes didn't matter so much. But now we are looking at these contestants and what kind of album they would make, therefore the themes become much more important. It doesn't make sense any more to have a 16 year old pop singer trying to do the Great American Songbook or Burt Bacharach or whatever, since chances are that isn't what kind of album they would make. The early seasons were about finding a great singer. Now it's about finding a great artist. 

 

IMO where the show fell off was seasons 12-14. I just read that Per Blankens won't be back for next season and coincidentally he produced seasons 13 and 14. IMO a large reason why those seasons fell apart was because of him. His stupid ideas about airplane hangars, rush week, light up chairs, Twitter saves, showing JLo reaction shots every 10 seconds during contestants' performances, etc. is what ruined the show people used to love. It became too cruel to the contestants. Nobody enjoyed seeing the contestants sent back on a bus home right after arriving in Hollywood, or seeing half of them prepare songs and then not even get to perform them, no one enjoys constantly looking at JLo bouncing in her seat and grinding the judges' table. The whole mood and vibe of the show changed in season 12. In prior seasons a large draw was the judges but it was not the focus. The focus was always on the contestants and it stopped being about that. It became focused on Nicki and Mariah feuding live on the air and making things as dramatic as possible. Idol used to be a feel-good, family friendly show that people looked forward to watching every week and seeing their favorites move forward. It stopped being about that and IMO is what ruined the show. Nigel Lythgoe even said this himself and he said that next season should be brought back to focus on the contestants, like it always was and should have been. 

 

For next season, IMO what would fix the show and maybe bring some people back, is they need to revert back to the basics and what made the show popular to begin with: focus on the contestants, not the judges. Stop with the unnecessary drama and putting the contestants in awkward positions where they end up giving bad performances. Notice how on I think it was top 4 night that when they knew the elimination wouldn't happen until the end of the episode and they knew they'd get to perform all their songs, they gave better performances? I thought I heard next season would air 2 nights again, so hopefully that would allow elimination nights to be a separate show again, but in case I'm wrong, if for some reason they can only do it on one night again, they should do eliminations at the end of the episode. Nobody watches to see drama, we watch to see contestants perform and perform well. This format they tried this year clearly didn't work and brought out the worst in them (Sarina?) Also stop with the Twitter saves. I don't mind the judges' save because sometimes something wonky does happen with the voting and that person deserves another chance (had it happened to Sarina I think most people would have wanted her to have a second chance), but doing "saves" every week takes out the integrity of the show. I hope they let Nigel produce the last season because I think he did ok with all the others he produced (except season 12). 

[Neet]

It feels like I'm in the minority, but I hope next season doesn't go all out with bringing back old contestants and having a giant nostalgia fest. Save that for the finale, but keep the focus on the current batch of singers. I don't care what Clay Aiken's doing and have no desire to hear Kelly Clarkson talk about how Idol changed her life, we've heard it all before. Hell, I recently stopped posting on MJ's blog after two years and a key reason was because a lot of the modern discussion gets derailed in favor of old women constantly bringing up Adam Lambert and whichever season he was on. "Bring back Adam!!" Too much nostalgia in any industry is insufferable, IMO.

[Guest]

I'm with you on most of that, Bogogog.  I liked the lighted chairs better than making the bottom people sit on the other side of the stage on those uncomfortable backless stools.  

Did they drop the whole "bottom 3" stuff this year?  I think that was a good change, too.  

Edited May 16, 2015 by Guest

[MrsMoltisanti]

I dont think any of that matters. Time moves on. Tastes change. People grow bored and then its done. You wont get people back because they are not finding compelling talent anymore.

[karenc3]

I agree with your entire post. I think using the instruments was enough of a gamechanger that it kept the show interesting for several more years. If they had stuck to the same format, it probably would have seen decreases sooner than it did.  I think this difference helped it with the competition from other shows, the downfall came when they started messing with the format, especially in S12.

 

 

Notice how on I think it was top 4 night that when they knew the elimination wouldn't happen until the end of the episode and they knew they'd get to perform all their songs, they gave better performances? I thought I heard next season would air 2 nights again, so hopefully that would allow elimination nights to be a separate show again, but in case I'm wrong, if for some reason they can only do it on one night again, they should do eliminations at the end of the episode. Nobody watches to see drama, we watch to see contestants perform and perform well.  

 

I think this was one of the biggest problems this year.  I'm wondering if part of the reason Nick was able to jump ahead was because he was able to overcome the stress of this sooner than some of the younger ones because he had more experience and confidence. He said once he stopped letting the competition and he did what he knew he could do, get to him his performances got better. I think he had a good chance anyway, and I liked him all along, but I do wonder if that helped him. 

[Prairie Fire]

I really wish there had been some more candid moments behind the scenes this year too. I remember last season and in other seasons they did a funny bit where the contestants did impressions of each other. That was usually pretty funny. All we really saw this year was their mentoring sessions. I do think part of the draw in past seasons was that from those little BTS moments we got to sort of know the contestants more. Now you may only discover something about them through off-show interviews or through their social media. That is something that I and many others hate about shows like The Voice that never really allow you to get to know the contestants and why we don't watch it and why no one buys their albums after. Part of being successful in the industry is likability and you need to show some of your personality off stage, in addition to onstage, in order for people to get to know who you are, what your story is, so that they can relate to you more, like you better, and want to actually buy your music.

 

Thinking back to season 5 (my favorite season), a big part of what made it so enjoyable was that the core group of guys (Taylor, Elliott, Bucky, Ace, Chris Daughtry) were really laid-back and likeable. They were enjoyable to watch behind-the-scenes, and that made them easier to root for on stage. I can't imagine they'd have quite the same appeal if they came through one of the more recent seasons. They'd come across just as anonymous "guys who sing".

 

Another performance reality show that came up around the same time - "Rock Star" - had a separate half-hour "reality" episode every week showing the performers in their mansion. That's probably a little too much, but at least some of that kind of stuff is better than none.

[Jynnan tonnix]

I've been watching AI since something like the second show of the first season. Personally, I loved the no-frills vibe it had back then. Having the contestants sing with only the piano gave a far better idea of their vocal talent than being drowned out by a band from moment one. A good performer should be able to "grab" you with minimal backup, whether using their own instruments or not. Though that being said, I do believe that a performer who can also play an instrument will almost always come off as more of a "musician", and have an edge over one who cannot. Same with songwriting. I believe that if the show had integrated opportunities for more original material from the contestants, it would have lent a whole different dimension to it. Sometimes using original songs is a big gamble, as people do tend to respond more immediately to songs they are familiar with, but someone who could wow them with something fresh and new a few times during the season could be a real reason to tune in.

 

I also think that one of the problems, especially in the more recent seasons, was the speed at which the eliminations came. It was nice when they stopped showing all the "joke auditions", but the problem has always been that so many of the people we come to like during the audition stage are never seen again, while a good percentage of those in the final 24 (or whatever number) are those we have really not seen before. Ideally (for me, at least, though mileages probably vary on this), we would see a lot of "good" auditions, with minimal (or no) back stories (thus freeing up time to show more contestants). People could still play the "spot the potential winner early" game, which I think was always a big draw with Idol, and, since the show would know, by the time the season actually started, which of them would be in the top, eliminate most of the Hollywood nonsense (I know a lot of people do like these rounds, so I'd say keep some semblance of them, though they could probably be heavily streamlined without the excess drama), then more or less go to the top 12 right away, reserving a couple of weeks to hear them individually and get to know what they could do without the immediate stress of voting rounds.

 

Of course, this top 12 would have to also be picked with more of an eye toward finding someone with actual talent and, preferably also some level of intelligence and eloquence (these people are not so rare out there as these shows might have us think...maybe they don't audition, I don't know, but maybe they might if the Powers that Be actually valued them). But I do think that people would get more invested in a season with less "fodder" and more time to mull over the choices.

 

Finally, I'd get judges who might be less-known, though with good pedigrees in the business, and make sure they were also articulate, funny, insightful and unbiased. To be honest, the current panel does have a lot of the right attributes; a balance of knowledge in actual music and in what it takes to put on a show, but given that they are all such big names, there's always the sense that they are more about themselves than they are about the contestants. And while having stars with built-in fan bases on the panel probably draws in some viewers, a panel of, say, two relative unknowns with enough knowledge and charisma to make them interesting plus one guest judge each week could generate buzz as well. Oh, and as others have said, limit voting to no more than 10 votes and just from telephone numbers (cell or land lines). Anyone who is invested enough to vote in the first place can probably get up enough enthusiasm to put in 10 votes, if they must, to feel that their opinion will make any difference.

 

Sorry, this all ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be!

[BogoGog24]

iCount is currently doing a survey about this past season of Idol and about next season. It is a bit long but I think worth filling out if you'd like to express concerns about some of the issues this season had and make sure next season is better.

http://icountsurvey.com/s/1720/index.php?sid=1744&syid=1720&pses=559f03759dc4ae0e674829fb7dcc33a9

[27bored]

I think part of the problem was when they introduced instruments. AI has always been a big production on purpose, but the instruments brought in people who didn't move that needle. It got to the point where this past season finale really could've been done at local community theater or even a coffee shop. I think there's something to be said for knowing how to work the audience a little, but a lot of the singer-songwriter types -- including several winners -- had the same problem people had with pageant-y types like Diana DeGarmo: decent voice with little ability to entertain. You could do a quick search on Myspace for indie pop/rock or alt rock artists and find probably three dozen types just in your neck of the woods. Nick's confidence and ease on the stage grew, and he managed to nail a few songs at the right time, but Nick didn't grow as a singer or performer.

 

Also, Idol has trended a little too young. It's funny that almost ten years ago Idol felt too old hat, but now...I mean, Nick was the oldest one this year, right? I think most of the Top 12 were under 25. I'd rather the show be more modern and "current" than "young". I didn't need to see Daniel Seavey, sweet kid though he is, plucking his guitar up there or counting his steps up there with NKOTB. The boy looked like the one overweight white chick who's like a step behind the others at a high school talent show.

 

Lastly, Idol should've forced the signing label to pay attention to the winner. At a certain point, Idol was going to need an out-of-show star to keep the brand going. I think it showed they still had some juice when they forced the greater industry and public to pay attention to Adam Lambert, putting his mug on two big entertainment magazines, adopting his song for Idol promos, getting him to perform on the AMAs (that caused controversy), and sinking money into promotion and his album (I think Lady Gaga and Pink both wrote songs for his album). I do think some of that was quasi-political (I think Adam's success had a little to do with Prop 8 and people in the media wanting to force America to accept an openly gay singer, so poof he's a star). Not to say Adam wasn't good -- he was, and I'd probably put him towards the top of all the talent we've seen over the years on Idol -- but I also put Adam in the "didn't really need the show" box. He'd been kicking around for years and he didn't get a deal until he went on Idol. I think some people even speculated at the time that he was a plant.

 

But I digress...

 

Having one underwhelming artist after another made Idol look bad at picking stars. They threw away winners they didn't like (starting with Taylor). They would just release their album, almost no promotion beyond the typical morning show/late night show/"sing the national anthem at a major sporting event" stuff.

[DonnaJo]

Excellent posts! I truly believe that if TPTB spent a little time reading this thread, perhaps Idol could survive a few more years, not just one.

 

Which brings me to what some of you mentioned before - Ryan Seacrest's contract with AI. Is next year the last year of his existing contract? If he doesn't want to renew it again, then nothing will prevent the show's ending. Seacrest  is too important to the show. I can't see anyone else replacing him.

[perfectstorm]

I think part of the problem was when they introduced instruments. AI has always been a big production on purpose, but the instruments brought in people who didn't move that needle. It got to the point where this past season finale really could've been done at local community theater or even a coffee shop. I think there's something to be said for knowing how to work the audience a little, but a lot of the singer-songwriter types -- including several winners -- had the same problem people had with pageant-y types like Diana DeGarmo: decent voice with little ability to entertain. You could do a quick search on Myspace for indie pop/rock or alt rock artists and find probably three dozen types just in your neck of the woods. Nick's confidence and ease on the stage grew, and he managed to nail a few songs at the right time, but Nick didn't grow as a singer or performer.

 

Also, Idol has trended a little too young. It's funny that almost ten years ago Idol felt too old hat, but now...I mean, Nick was the oldest one this year, right? I think most of the Top 12 were under 25. I'd rather the show be more modern and "current" than "young". I didn't need to see Daniel Seavey, sweet kid though he is, plucking his guitar up there or counting his steps up there with NKOTB. The boy looked like the one overweight white chick who's like a step behind the others at a high school talent show.

 

Lastly, Idol should've forced the signing label to pay attention to the winner. At a certain point, Idol was going to need an out-of-show star to keep the brand going. I think it showed they still had some juice when they forced the greater industry and public to pay attention to Adam Lambert, putting his mug on two big entertainment magazines, adopting his song for Idol promos, getting him to perform on the AMAs (that caused controversy), and sinking money into promotion and his album (I think Lady Gaga and Pink both wrote songs for his album). I do think some of that was quasi-political (I think Adam's success had a little to do with Prop 8 and people in the media wanting to force America to accept an openly gay singer, so poof he's a star). Not to say Adam wasn't good -- he was, and I'd probably put him towards the top of all the talent we've seen over the years on Idol -- but I also put Adam in the "didn't really need the show" box. He'd been kicking around for years and he didn't get a deal until he went on Idol. I think some people even speculated at the time that he was a plant.

 

But I digress...

 

Having one underwhelming artist after another made Idol look bad at picking stars. They threw away winners they didn't like (starting with Taylor). They would just release their album, almost no promotion beyond the typical morning show/late night show/"sing the national anthem at a major sporting event" stuff.

The ratings had already started going down during Season 6, before instruments were introduced.  The singer-song writers who play instruments are actually a reflection of the real music industry and are often the money makers when it comes to touring. 

 

Adam Lambert is way over rated.  Despite being over-hype, he's only had 1 Top 10 single.  His FYE CD failed to sell Platinum in the U.S. and he was dumped by his label for poor sales of his 2nd CD.  His current single, is struggling in sales.

 

Idol also has had more successful winners than not.  And Daniel Seavey was hardly the problem this season. 

 

TV singing competitions are on the decline.  American Idol had a good run.  Very few TV shows can boast 15 years.

Edited May 25, 2015 by thetwist

[Kromm]

Excellent posts! I truly believe that if TPTB spent a little time reading this thread, perhaps Idol could survive a few more years, not just one.

 

Which brings me to what some of you mentioned before - Ryan Seacrest's contract with AI. Is next year the last year of his existing contract? If he doesn't want to renew it again, then nothing will prevent the show's ending. Seacrest  is too important to the show. I can't see anyone else replacing him.

Huh?  What does his contract matter?  We've been told OUTRIGHT that the show is ending.  There is no renewal of his contract coming, because there's no show beyond next year, Seacrest or no Seacrest.

 

Unless you are suggesting that some unexpected ratings explosion in their announced 'goodbye season" might cause them to reverse themselves? From a VERY public announcement that its over and a final season explicitly planned over saying goodbye?

Edited May 25, 2015 by Kromm

[DonnaJo]

I'm not suggesting that next season won't be the show's last season. I agree that once the announce ment was made that the show was ending, there's no turning back, even if the ratings soar (which I doubt).

 

I was simply wondering if Seacrest had made it known prior to the decision that he wasn't going to renew his contract, that this year was his last? They may have decided to go for one more year if he was on board. The ratings aren't good, but they aren't horrible.

[BogoGog24]

I actually think next season could see a rise in ratings since it will be the last season. Perhaps they might fall for a bit during the live shows but the finale should be pretty big.

Also I'm not sure how much Ryan had to do with it. Fact is it's an expensive show to produce and they have already had to cut back so much this year already with Coke dropping them as a sponsor, no separate results show, and cutting back the tour from 10 to 5. If they had to cut anymore, what else would they be able to cut, other than salaries which will never happen? I don't see how the show could have continued past a 15th season if they kept the salaries the same. I think they thought 15 was a nice round number to end on.