American Idol Canceled: Reality Singing Competition Axed After 15 Seasons

“American Idol” will say goodbye to audiences around the world in 2016, announced Fox on Monday morning. The singing competition will be back for its 15 and final season next spring with judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. who will be celebrating the show’s final season alongside host Ryan Seacrest.

The once king of all reality shows began in 2002 with an average of 30 million viewers per season. Created by Simon Fuller, the show helped launch the careers of American talent that otherwise would have been unnoticed. Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, and Fantasia Barrino, are some of the singers that were discovered by the show’s original judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul.

There are a couple of theories behind the show’s cancellation, in 2010, the ratings went down after America’s favorite antagonist, Simon Cowell, left the show to become judge on “The X Factor”. The new talent show, also originated in the UK, plus the addition of NBC’s “The Voice” to primetime television presented challenging competition for the show.

“American Idol” managed to find some stability with its new judges in recent years but unfortunately, the production’s costs require more viewers than its current 11 million to keep the show going. Lopez, Connick Jr., and Urban agreed to a salary cut in order to be able to come back for the final season.

The curtain may be coming down, but we can’t deny that “American Idol” will be remembered as a pioneer of reality talent shows in the U.S. Saldaña out!