American Idol may have churned out successful artists like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, but it looks like it needs to amp things up a little more if it wants to survive its latest season. Especially in the contestants department.
Fox Networks chairman and CEO Peter Rice had some not-so-pretty words to say about its once top-rated singing competition, saying he has noticed a change in the star quality of the contestants over the previous few seasons, which may have been the reason why the show experienced its lowest ratings ever.
"I do think if I have a criticism of the show for us last year, it's that we haven't found a group of kids that have captured the imagination of the public," he said to reporters at the Television Critics Association junket last July 20. "They've been really talented kids. But for whatever reason, there hasn't been that sort of catalyst behind the show."
Because of this, the CEO said that the focus will be on that area, instead of "this constant conversation about who should be the judges and whether they've done a good job."
Since its debut, American Idol has seen its share of judges at the table, with Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson as the original trio, succeeded by Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and its current Season 14 judges, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr.
American Idol, which is going into its 14th season, is currently up against similar talent search shows, including The Voice, America's Got Talent and the upcoming ABC show Rising Star. Rice says, "We have to focus on making a really good show, and I do think the one thing that we should try and do a better job of is to try to find a group of kids that capture the imagination of the public more."
But Rice remains positive despite the low ratings, saying the reality show is "aging gracefully" with a "very committed fanbase."
"It's still a very strong show for us. It's a show that we love," he said to reporters. "It's been on our air for 13 years. I think it is aging gracefully."
