It’s been a rough few years for American Idol. Thanks to an onslaught of competitors, weird backstage shenanigans leading to a few winners fading into obscurity, and a struggle to catch the right demographic, the show is a shadow of its former superstar making self that helped us find the goddess Kelly Clarkson. If you haven’t followed my weekly segment, American Idol-izer, I’ve been a fan of the show since its inception. I’ve stuck it out through the good times and bad, and I’ve noticed quite a few changes over the years. And this season in particular has been through the roughest changes, leading to one of the most boring seasons in series history.
With the writing on the wall, it was a matter of time before the show would come to an end. According to Variety, American Idol is premiering its final season in January 2016 with all of the current judges and showrunners in tow. It kind of makes sense only because I assume the program is hemorrhaging money. Without Coca Cola and the former Interscope records, I’m guessing either the current record studio in charge, Big Machine, nor Fox wanted to pony up the difference. But that’s just wild conjecture. I’ve got some more to say about the show’s decline over the next couple of pages.
[via Variety]