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'American Idol' will fade into sunset but its impact will live on
~ St. Louis Post Dispatch... fb.me/7xE2UmhJX
'American Idol' will fade into sunset but its impact will live on
~ St. Louis Post Dispatch
“American Idol” shocker!
I can reveal for the first time ever that I’ve seen every episode of every season of the long-running Fox television show, which enters its 15th and final season Wednesday and Thursday nights.
I’ve never seen an episode of “Cheers” or “Game of Thrones,” “ER” or “The Big Bang Theory,” but I’ve given countless hours to the star-making machine that has now become a faded phenomenon.
That means since the show debuted in 2002, I’ve been there for all those horrible auditions, Simon Cowell’s sniping, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken’s nail-biting finish, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey’s petty bickering, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry’s premature eliminations, Jennifer López’s fashions, Randy Jackson’s “dawgs,” Fantasia’s version of “Summertime,” Phillip Phillips’ coronation song “Home,”
Adam Lambert’s glam act, Ellen DeGeneres’ and Kara DioGuardi’s forgettable stints as judges, Brian Dunkleman’s disappearance and, of course, Kelly Clarkson’s and Carrie Underwood’s Cinderella stories.
I could easily claim that as a music critic, watching this show is part of my job, especially when a St. Louis-area contestant does well on the show like Nikko Smith and Curtis Finch Jr., who both made the top 10 in different seasons.
But St. Louis’ contribution to the show, outside of those two singers, hasn’t been significant despite auditions taking place twice in St. Louis.
And still I watch, hooked by the drama and suspense, though never by the music (I’ve never even voted).
While “Idol” has certainly had its share of problems — from showcasing untalented artists to its overall corniness — the show has been a game changer, responsible for millions of album sales and Grammy Awards from those who have competed on the show.
At its viewership peak during Season 5, the season that Taylor Hicks won, “Idol” drew an average of 30.6 million viewers per episode, setting the TV landscape on fire.
Part reality show, part singing competition, the show reinvented and expanded on the old “Star Search” formula.
And just like that, the music industry had a new way of doing things.
Viewers voted on who they wanted to be their next music star. No longer were blood, sweat and tears necessary to make it (OK, “Idol” has seen its share of tears). An artist didn’t have to come up through the ranks, and artist development became an option, not a necessity.
Thanks (or no thanks) to “Idol,” aspiring singers could go through a cycle of the show and be instantly propelled to the top regardless of how much or how little experience they had. Winners were given recording contracts, TV appearances and national tour dates.
And in many instances, they didn’t even have to win to secure this fame. That’s how big the show’s influence was.
Sometimes a top 10 placement was enough for a career. Just ask Hudson, Daughtry,
Lambert or Tori Kelly, who all arguably fared better by not winning.
The show would also pave the way for the singing reality shows that came later, including “America’s Got Talent,” “Nashville Star,” “The X Factor,” “The Sing-Off” and “The Voice.” It’s easy to look at the “The Voice” and credit it with pushing “Idol” off its rating perch though “Idol” was already on the decline, down to an average of 9.1 million viewers per episode for last season when Nick Fradiani won.
But “Idol” can boast something “The Voice” can’t: Acts who sold records and succeeded past the show’s finales. “The Voice” is known more for raising the profiles of judges Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
As “Idol” enters its final season, detractors can pretend they don’t even know “Idol” is still on the air, even though outside of “Empire” it remains Fox’s biggest show.
In addition to the lower ratings, recent winners have become mere footnotes, and the “Idol” tour plays to smaller houses.
Attempts at reinvention haven’t helped, and it’s time for the show to cut its losses.
This final season will play out like a trip down memory lane as past judges and contestants are paraded out. I’ll be there for all of it. I’ll miss what has been a regular part of my TV diet for so long, but I can recognize that while the show’s voice will no longer be heard, its impact will continue.
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Photo Credit ~ St. Louis Post Dispatch
