‘American Idol’ hitting a sour note in the ratings
Sinking ratings, petty squabbling and no more Simon? “American Idol” is in desperate need of a Hail Mary and quickly if FOX wants to save the once-landmark show.
ABC dealt a powerful punch to Idol this week as its “Dancing with the Stars” drew the higher ratings and Idol is at risk of its lowest audience since 2002.
But is this really a surprise to anyone? Not if you’ve seen any episodes. Viewers are barraged by product placement (Simon sipping from extra-large Coca-Cola cups and an entire segment on the contestant’s free Ford Fiestas), forced to listen to former “American Idol” flunkies perform and sit through constant bickering by the judges.
That last part has become the most annoying part of this show. Arguments routinely start between judges Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi, the result of DioGuardi’s unbridled praise clashing with Cowell’s scathing criticism of a performance. These confrontations used to provide some drama for the show, but now they’re simply distracting.
And with Cowell leaving at the end of this season, “American Idol” is set to lose its biggest star and the only judge whose comments are actually mildly interesting, if you can hear past his ego. FOX brought in Ellen Degeneres, perhaps to test the waters for a replacement, but with little musical expertise, she can’t say much more than “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it.”
Then there’s Ryan Seacrest. Sure, he might be good with the female viewership, but he’s not helping ratings when he Tweets the results of the show before it airs on the West coast (as occurred during the elimination of Lacey Brown). Even Seacrest’s overly-dramatic opening line (“This is American Idol”) seems more grating than gripping to both the psyche and the ears.
Idol must return to what it does best: music. The brand can only produce music icons like Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood when they have an audience. FOX must rid the show of the cheesy advertisements, the guest performers and the personality clashes and make it back about the artists.
Idol brought the game show to primetime – a genre of television once thought simply to be daytime filler – and recorded landmark ratings in the process. It’s a powerhouse in television and music and can be for quite some time if it sticks to the proven formula. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” doesn’t often apply to television, but it does here. Fans fell in love with a format – a feel – that is “American Idol.” Keep providing that feel and keep the fans. Change it and that’s when things go out of tune.
