Skip to footer

Why Fox is canceling 'American Idol' after 15 years

After 15 years, the venerable American reality singing competition will leave the air in 2016.

|
Dan Steinberg/AP/File
Singer Keith Urban, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, and singer Harry Connick, Jr. arrive on set of "American Idol" in Los Angeles. Fox announced announced Monday, May 11, 2015 that "American Idol" will go off the air after its 15th and final season next spring.

After 14 years, what was once the most watched show on television, is going off the air. Fox has announced that “American Idol” will be canceled following the upcoming 15th season.

“American Idol’s” farewell season will feature veteran host Ryan Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. Fox announced the cancelation on Monday prior to the network’s annual pitch to advertisers previewing its fall lineup.

“American Idol” was created by Simon Fuller in 2002 and is based on his British hit series “Pop Idol.” With original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, the show has featured a number of notable names on the panel, including Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Steven Tyler, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres. The one element that has remained constant throughout the show's history is Seacrest, a former radio personality who has emceed since Season 1.

At the height of its popularity in 2006, the season finale of “American Idol” drew 36 million viewers, and an average of 30 million throughout the season. These numbers are particularly impressive given that the show typically had over 40 episodes per season, many of which were two hours long.

The success of the show launched a whole genre of American reality TV shows, including “The Voice,” “The Sing Off,” “The X Factor,” and “America’s Got Talent,” as well as the careers of several successful singers such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, and Jordin Sparks.

However, ratings have dropped in the last few years, despite judging and casting changes meant to bump up viewership. Since “American Idol” reached its peak ratings in 2006, the show has gradually lost the 18-49 age group that drives advertising revenue. While the past season has seen a boost in ratings because it airs on the same night as the network’s new hit “Empire,” “American Idol” has failed to recapture the riveted audience it once held.

As “American Idol” leaves the network, several other shows will be making their debut, including a "Heroes" reboot titled “Heroes Reborn;” a Neil Patrick Harris variety show; “Scream Queens” from “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy; “Lucifer,” which is based on a DC Comics story; and a limited return of “The X-Files,” which has been off the air since 2002.

Season 15 of “American Idol,” which will begin in January 2016,  is slated to be a “season-long celebratory event” that will pay tribute to those who made the show a success over the years, including notable contestants and fans who helped determine the winners each season.

 [Editor's note: The original story incorrectly stated Neil Patrick Harris as the star of the show "Heroes Reborn," on NBC. Mr. Harris is starring in a variety show, also on NBC.]

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Why Fox is canceling 'American Idol' after 15 years
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/TV/2015/0511/Why-Fox-is-canceling-American-Idol-after-15-years
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe