I say “something like it” because I am not at all sure that when “Idol” returns in some fashion -- as had been revealed before the big show in The Hollywood Reporter and was all but confirmed by “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest at its very end when he said “Good night America … for now” -- that it will be on Fox.
Even before the finale I couldn’t understand why the network compressed the final season of the show and hurried it off of its schedule before the May sweeps. Was the budget so bloated that running it for a few more weeks would have left News Corp. in the red? Or could it be that another network or programming service had already snatched up the next incarnation of this ferociously powerful franchise and Fox did not want to be promoting its super-sized farewell during the start of the broadcast Upfront period, the time when all but one of the "Idol" season finales were telecast?
I have no knowledge of any such activity. I am just speculating about all of this. Regardless, I hope "Idol" returns sooner rather than later, and I hope it doesn’t change too much. In fact, as I expressed in my previous column, I want the reworked “Idol” to more closely resemble what it was during its first few seasons when it was simple, straightforward and more engaging than just about anything else in the history of television.
At its best – which was most of its first ten years – “Idol” was the very model of sublime emotional connectivity. The proof of that came in the feelings of joyous nostalgia that kept coming throughout the finale when performers from early in the show’s run appeared on the stage, including many who did not win or even make it into the yearly top three. They were instantly recognizable after all those years unless they had dramatically altered their appearance, like Bo Bice. Of course, not everyone of note was on hand, but it was still a night of overwhelming happy memories and grand entertainment. The star-shine was blinding. (That's Fantasia Barrino, LaToya London and Jennifer Hudson in the image at top.)
There were so many "Idol" veterans on stage throughout the show's two-plus hours – and so many of them were so damned good – that I couldn’t help but think that Fox was missing a third boat with this forced farewell. Bad enough that the decision had been made to “end” the show, and that the “final” season had to be so rushed. But it seemed to me that there was enough talent on display at the Dolby Theater in the heart of Hollywood to populate a weekly or monthly live variety hour featuring “Idol” winners and competitors from the past along with star musical artists of the moment and promising newcomers culled from YouTube, Snapchat and elsewhere. Call it “Live from the Dolby Theater” or something like that and bring on Ryan Seacrest as host – or as co-host with an “Idol” alum. (How about Kellie Pickler? I think that's her in the back on the far left in the photo above.)