I've watched every year of
American Idol and
The Voice. I even watched the U.S. version of the
X Factor. Call me a good old-fashioned glutton for punishment type if you want, but the shows were a pleasant distraction. And if you're a Pop music fan, then they were more than okay. Not the U.S.
X Factor which was a dud and got cancelled after 2 seasons.
But when
American Idol was at its peak (Cowell, Jackson, Abdul years), it was a force. Most music critics howled and ripped it to shreds. In their minds, the show was giving us nothing but disposable teen idols that brought back painful memories of Fabian or Bobby Sherman.
American Idol ran into problems when it became a show about the judges. Bringing on Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Lopez was great for publicity but made it lose its prime goal, which was to make singing stars. Once these big names came aboard, the ratings began to fall.
In its last 2 seasons with Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr. & Lopez it has seemed an afterthought on the TV schedule. The buzz is gone. Water-cooler moments are too.
But let's be fair. It has had its moments. It gave us Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert. There were decent B-league singers like Jordan Sparks, Chris Daughtry, Ruben Studdard, Phillip Phillips.
And it made a star of Simon Cowell, who was the only judge that anyone cared about.
The Voice may have spotlighted better singers, but it's made no stars of their talent. Because that show has also become a show that's about the judges.
So, I'll watch the 2016
Idol and future
Voice seasons, I'm no rockist, because I'm a Pop music kind of person. I may be the last viewer standing.
