I grew up watching American Idol. I watched it with my family and even though I LOVE the show and I still watch it on ABC, there's a few things that ABC can do to make the show greater.
1. Cut the back stories: Everybody has a story. It's just life. The earlier seasons of Idol never really cared to focus too much on the contestants' back stories. All they cared about was the package and presence of the person auditioning in the room. You only knew the person's back story if it was an extreme case. The later seasons of Idol (2013-now), all they focus on is back story and it's not uncommon to see the judges put through somebody that still needs more work just because of sympathy. This loses the show's respect and credibility a bit because story and talent are two separate entities and the judges try to make it a part of their package.
2. Bring back the bad auditions: What made American Idol a staple was the people that thought they could sing and thought they were a star and just made absolute fools out of themselves. It was genuine. It was relatable. It was enjoyable to watch. Again, with the later seasons of American Idol (2013-now), they took that out to only focus on the good singers. While, the good singers are entertaining, there's no balance to fully appreciate the good singers. When it's over-saturated like it is now, every good singer just seems average.
3. Bring back the theme song: Beginning in Season 16, ABC decided to not play the iconic theme song that also provided American Idol with its identity. It's just a logo with just some popular song playing. It's boring and it's not distinctive. It's not American Idol without it. Even if it's an updated version, play the theme song before each episode! (Although they did play the shortened version of the original song before the results.)
4. Live Show Debacle: ABC heavily rushed the live shows this past season. It went from Top 14 to Top 10 to Top 7 to Top 5 and then the finale (which had THREE contestants in it). It should be gradual like the FOX seasons. The finale should only have two contestants in it. The more live shows they have, the more interested we are in the contestants and the show as a whole. Plus, this past finale wasn't held at the Dolby Theater or some special theater. It was held in the regular studio they had the regular live shows in. Again, it's not American Idol without a BIG finale.
5. The judging panel should ALWAYS include one record executive. They will give the show an A&R perspective on what an artist should be. Plus, they know the music industry inside and out. They know what sells and doesn't sell. An artist can only give out so much before they're out of their zone. Plus, the ABC judges are WAY too easy on the contestants. They need to understand, just like the original panel, that average isn't good enough. If they can't handle harsh criticism now, they will only be let down after the show. The real world is a harsh and unforgiving place and they need to be adequately prepared for that now. It's not nitpicking, it's just called life.
6. Follow the Succeeding Season Order: When American Idol switched over to ABC, they started numerically back to Season 1, even though it should've been Season 16. For their next season, they should really be calling it Season 18, not Season 3.
Other than that, I love American Idol and will continue to support this amazing show. Despite its' flaws, this show better reflects the music industry than The Voice.
1. Cut the back stories: Everybody has a story. It's just life. The earlier seasons of Idol never really cared to focus too much on the contestants' back stories. All they cared about was the package and presence of the person auditioning in the room. You only knew the person's back story if it was an extreme case. The later seasons of Idol (2013-now), all they focus on is back story and it's not uncommon to see the judges put through somebody that still needs more work just because of sympathy. This loses the show's respect and credibility a bit because story and talent are two separate entities and the judges try to make it a part of their package.
2. Bring back the bad auditions: What made American Idol a staple was the people that thought they could sing and thought they were a star and just made absolute fools out of themselves. It was genuine. It was relatable. It was enjoyable to watch. Again, with the later seasons of American Idol (2013-now), they took that out to only focus on the good singers. While, the good singers are entertaining, there's no balance to fully appreciate the good singers. When it's over-saturated like it is now, every good singer just seems average.
3. Bring back the theme song: Beginning in Season 16, ABC decided to not play the iconic theme song that also provided American Idol with its identity. It's just a logo with just some popular song playing. It's boring and it's not distinctive. It's not American Idol without it. Even if it's an updated version, play the theme song before each episode! (Although they did play the shortened version of the original song before the results.)
4. Live Show Debacle: ABC heavily rushed the live shows this past season. It went from Top 14 to Top 10 to Top 7 to Top 5 and then the finale (which had THREE contestants in it). It should be gradual like the FOX seasons. The finale should only have two contestants in it. The more live shows they have, the more interested we are in the contestants and the show as a whole. Plus, this past finale wasn't held at the Dolby Theater or some special theater. It was held in the regular studio they had the regular live shows in. Again, it's not American Idol without a BIG finale.
5. The judging panel should ALWAYS include one record executive. They will give the show an A&R perspective on what an artist should be. Plus, they know the music industry inside and out. They know what sells and doesn't sell. An artist can only give out so much before they're out of their zone. Plus, the ABC judges are WAY too easy on the contestants. They need to understand, just like the original panel, that average isn't good enough. If they can't handle harsh criticism now, they will only be let down after the show. The real world is a harsh and unforgiving place and they need to be adequately prepared for that now. It's not nitpicking, it's just called life.
6. Follow the Succeeding Season Order: When American Idol switched over to ABC, they started numerically back to Season 1, even though it should've been Season 16. For their next season, they should really be calling it Season 18, not Season 3.
Other than that, I love American Idol and will continue to support this amazing show. Despite its' flaws, this show better reflects the music industry than The Voice.