As a result of poor ratings and viewer popularity spiraling down, Fox Network has announced the original singing competition American Idol will no longer air after the 2016 season. American Idol began in 2002, and its success can be seen by the commercial success of Kelly Clarkson, the Season One winner.
The process of making a singing “Idol” begins with thousands from across America auditioning in front of the a panel of three celebrity judges. Depending on the audition, the contestant either gets a golden ticket to Hollywood to further progress in the competition or is sent home.
After going through even more auditions, the top 20 are chosen. The show then airs live as the contestants try to sing their best and win America’s votes. The winner of the competition receives a record deal with a major label and secured management contract with American-Idol’s affiliated 19 management.
According to Buzzfeed, ratings have gone down drastically. In 2003, season finale of Season 2 drew in 30 million viewers, whereas in season 13, only 10.1 million viewers tuned in to watch.
Regarding the cancellation of the series, Josee Edwards, a junior majoring in graphic design from Utah, said, “Honestly, I feel like it is about time. I think it started off strong with the original judges. Carrie Underwood is my girl. It was good while it lasted, and I feel like it has run its course.”
Despite the show no longer being run after next year, an article from Entertainment Weekly quoted Fox CEO and chairman Gary Newman about the final season, who said, “Next year, it’s going to be a true season-long celebration. We’re already talking about surprises we can have for the fans to make it feel special and send it off [in a way] that makes it as significant as the run it’s had on our network.”
The original judges of the show were Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. Abdul left in 2009, Cowell left in 2010 and Jackson left in 2013. Since then there have been a few judges in and out of the series such as Ellen Degeneres, Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. The current and final judges of American Idol are Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban, according to Entertainment Weekly.
A few well-known stars have risen from American Idol. The original winner of Season One of American Idol Kelly Clarkson’s seventh album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. One of the Season Three contestants, Jennifer Hudson, won an Oscar for best supporting actress in 2007 for the film “Dreamgirls.”
In Season Four, American Idol discovered Carrie Underwood, who is now one of the top selling country music artists. She has won seven Grammys so far. A Season Eight contestant, Adam Lambert, had his second album reach the No. 1 spot on Billboards top 200 album.
American Idol created a lot of memorable moments for those who watched. While reflecting back on all of the seasons, Yina Fernandez, a junior majoring in political science from Massachusetts, said, “My favorite part was in the beginning stages when the judges were getting to meet everybody and seeing who was actually going to be picked to go on the show. My favorite idol is Justin from the first season.”
Similar shows, such as NBC’s The Voice and Fox’s The X Factor now exist, but American Idol was the first singing-based competition that involved the viewers. After a night of performing, viewers could text or call in to vote for their favorite singer.
Nadine De La Fuente, a senior majoring in marketing from Maryland, said, “I watched Idol when I was younger and my favorite part of American Idol was Kelly Clarkson. I am so happy it is ending because it got to the point where everything started becoming pointless, and not very many idols apart from Kelly Clarkson had much success.”