It’s been rumored for close to a month and today the whispered gossip became a deafening statement as Simon Cowell announced season nine would be his last on “American Idol.” The dream-dashing Brit is leaving TV’s biggest show to focus on launching “the next big thing,” a.k.a the American version of his UK smash “X Factor” — a show that launched Leona Lewis’s massive career.
Not only will Simon be hopping to that panel, but there’s very solid speculation that he’ll snatch up recently ousted judge Paula Abdul to sit on that dais as well. This has me thinking that the man who brought “Idol” to life in 2002 will also be the one responsible for its death in 2011.
Think about it: if given the choice between watching Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres critique wannabes or seeing Simon and Paula doing exactly the same thing, which will you pick? There’s no competition.
Interestingly that’s the predicament facing Fox — since both “Idol” and “X Factor” will air on the same network, time slot competition won’t be an issue. However, cannibalization will be. Should one network really have two such similar shows? You don’t see NBC greenlighting a series called “Fattie Boot Camp” to be paired with “The Biggest Loser.”
As a fan since day one, I’ve witnessed the highs (Kelly, Carrie, the David’s) and the lows (Taylor Hicks) — but no matter the depths to which “Idol” fell, it always remained interesting because we could constantly depend on Simon’s deadpan and beyond brutal honesty. I won’t be watching “American Idol” without Simon, and I can’t be the only one — so why not let this great show go proudly into that good night?
Should Fox continue “Idol” in Simon’s absence?
Photo: Fox