One-time ratings juggernaut American Idol returns for its 15th -- and final -- season with a special two-night, four-hour premiere from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday on Fox. It promises to be special since Little Rock will be highlighted.
American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 and was co-hosted by budding TV personality Ryan Seacrest and stand-up comedian Brian Dunkleman (remember him?). Girl-next-door Kelly Clarkson was crowned the first winner on Sept. 4, 2002.
Audiences were enthralled, the formula worked, and the ratings continued to soar. Much of the credit goes to the acerbic snarkiness of judge Simon Cowell, who showed no mercy to the less qualified.
Cowell would last through the 2010 season, when he left to try his hand at the American version of his similar program, The X Factor. Ratings were dismal and the show lasted only three seasons on Fox. Cowell returned to the United Kingdom to front that version of the show. It's still going strong.
For eight consecutive years, from the 2003-04 season through 2010-11, American Idol was ranked No. 1. Then the rapid decline set in.
Blame it on TV's tendency to copy itself and the inevitable saturation of singing competition programs. It was simply too much of a good thing. We can only absorb so much Rock Star, Nashville Star, The Voice, Rising Star, America's Got Talent, Duets, The Sing-Off and The X Factor before they all just sort of run together.
But Idol had a great ride while it lasted and included, in 2009's Season 8, the triumph of Jacksonville native Kris Allen, who won America's vote over glam singer Adam Lambert.
For the record, the winners over the past 14 seasons have been Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson and Nick Fradiani.
Candice, Caleb and Nick who? Precisely. Long gone are the days when 30 million viewers would tune in (2005-07). Last season's finale was seen by a paltry 8.03 million -- a far cry from the 36.38 million who watched on May 24, 2006, as Hicks won Season 5 over Katharine McPhee.
Other Idol winners (and even losers) have gone on to make real names for themselves.
Clarkson has won three Grammys. Jennifer Hudson, who was a distant seventh in Season 3, went on to win an Academy Award for 2006's DreamGirls and is currently appearing in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple.
Country singer Kellie Pickler, who finished sixth in Season 5, has had a gold album and won Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars. Chris Daughtry finished fourth in that same season and has had success with his rock band Daughtry.
Underwood has had the most prolific career, becoming a genuine country superstar, leading to being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. She has won seven Grammys, nine American Music Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards and 17 Billboard Music Awards -- all by the age of 32.
Season 15 will see the return of Seacrest, along with judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. This is the best panel the series has had in its long history. They are the most knowledgeable, convivial and entertaining.
Other than Cowell, judges over the years have included Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres, Steven Tyler and an unfortunate experiment with catfighting divas Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj in Season 12.
Once again this season, Scott Borchetta, president and chief executive officer of the Big Machine Label Group and a major force in the music industry, will serve as mentor "to help shape the career of the competition's winner."
That may or may not be a good thing. Just ask Fradiani, if you can find him. But to be fair, Fradiani disappeared into the Idol summer tour and has yet to release his first Idol-produced album. Will it matter? I doubt it.
Part 1 of the two-night premiere will include the auditions in Atlanta and Denver. The Little Rock auditions last August will be featured in Thursday's Part 2, along with San Francisco's.
The other city on the audition tour is Philadelphia, so Little Rock is in there with some fairly prestigious big-city company.
After this week, Idol will continue on Wednesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: [email protected]
Style on 01/05/2016