American Idol is a longtime favorite of many viewers; watching singers compete to win a management contract to jumpstart careers is an exciting ordeal, especially since many of them go off to become big stars like Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. Despite these past successes, Fox decided to cancel the show, having its final season in 2016. Gary Newman, CEO at this network, stated, “We all agreed it was time to bring the show to an end.”

It has been around a year since the show concluded, and no one expected the revival of Idol to come about.  Fox, along with NBC and ABC, bid for the show’s return. The producers first decided to follow along with Fox’s plan of bringing the show back in a few years, but then went with ABC to restart Idol immediately.

The premiere on ABC was on March 11th, with singers Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. The show had around 10.3 million views, but received a rating of 2.3 stars, the lowest in Idol history.

The season is off to a good start viewership wise, but not so much with its quality. Idol is also heavily competing with another singing competition show, The Voice, on NBC. This competition has pulled in more viewers than Idol, including a higher rating, while Idol’s debut was down 23% when compared to Fox’s last season. With all this competition in television, American Idol may continue to drop from their former ratings.

There has also been tons of drama on the show, starting with the fact that it is being hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who has recently been accused of sexual assault. Fans have also stated that the judges are too “soft” with their critiquing of the auditions, and that Idol is missing that Simon Cowell flair. Another bit of controversy on the program was when contestant Benjamin Glaze, 19, was kissed by Katy Perry. Glaze admitted that it made him feel, “uncomfortable” since that was his first kiss, which he was saving for his first relationship. The kiss was caused by the conversation of Perry’s hit song, “I Kissed a Girl”, and the conversation changed to Glaze’s personal life. Many have criticized this as sexual harassment, but Glaze denied this claim.

American Idol has had its ups and downs in the past, but it seems as though it is dealing with more debacles than in the previous seasons. The amount of viewers may help the revival become a success, but the constant allegations and drama on the show could have negative effects. However, fans are still anxious to watch the new upcoming episodes on ABC on Mondays and Sundays.

Sources: People, ABC, Vulture, Fox News, CNN

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons