In a move that’s “incomprehensible” at best and “very, very bad” at worst, ABC is currently in talks to bring American Idol—the former jewel in Fox’s crown that ended its 14-year run last April due to low ratings—back from the dead. TMZ reports Tuesday that the show is “the hottest property out there” (out where?) and that they’re gunning for a March 2018 premiere.
But...why? The show—now well into the butyric fermentation stage of decomposition—stopped creating Kelly Clarkson- and Carrie Underwood-like superstars over a decade ago, and the host that brought it from fledgling reality show to international phenomenon, Ryan Seacrest, will likely be unable to return due to “his commitment to Live.”
I guess the execs over at ABC see something that I don’t. Maybe they have a new spin on the show! Maybe it will somehow no longer be in competition with copycat shows like The Voice! Maybe they have some A-list judges lined up! Maybe they’re betting on audiences suddenly losing interest in scripted television and longing for the glory days of early-2000s reality! It could happen!*
*It won’t happen.