American Idol – Image by Lena Kovadlo
I was very much shocked when I heard that American Idol was cancelled and that season 15 would be the last season. Yes, the ratings declined over the years, ever since the original judges left the show, but American Idol was still a great show and made for great television.
American Idol was first and foremost about the talent and the talent every year did not disappoint. Perhaps not every contestant or winner was a superstar right from the start but each one possessed a lot of talent and potential to get there.
Even with all the changes in the judging panel over the years the show did not disappoint. With great talent and contestant stories that moved us in some way American Idol still had heart, was entertaining in every way and made for some great television, even when the judges didn’t get along, as was the case with Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.
Why end something that is clearing working? Why cancel a show that makes people’s dreams come true and finds superstars that only benefit the music industry and make it to the charts? Why end something that still holds the interest of the viewers? The answer is clear. It’s all about business and money for the network and when the numbers are not as high as they want them to be they choose to pull the plug.
To them American Idol was no longer as great a money making machine as it had been in the beginning. They didn’t see the point of investing in the show anymore as their profits were probably not that much greater than their expenses. Still, they did make money from the show and the show still had a huge following and viewership, even if it did decline over the years. To them that wasn’t enough, however, and they chose to close the American Idol doors forever. Such a shame.
To me American Idol will always be one of the greatest shows in television history and I will greatly miss it. Thanks to this ground breaking show I discovered superstars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert and Daughtry to name a few. I got to expand my music collection with great albums that I will never get tired of listening to over and over again. And I got to experience something that I never had the confidence to go through myself. Perhaps one of these days that will change. The show truly is an inspiration to so many people like me, who have dreams they want to turn into reality but lack the confidence to achieve.
© 2015 by Lena Kovadlo. All rights reserved. Use with permission only.