I am still not a big fan of the change.
But from a marketing standpoint, the decision to pare this season’s American Idol semifinals from three weeks to one was pure genius.
Let’s face it, Idol had to reinvent itself this year, not only after losing Simon Cowell, but after watching interest wane significantly in season nine.
So how do you attract as many fans as possible to the show right before the finals begin? How do you get everyone energized about the new season?
You have a one-week do-or-die semifinal.
If you’re a fan of any of the male contestants, you’d better tune in Tuesday and vote in the two-hour window after the show.
If you’re a fan of any of the female contestants, you’d better tune in Wednesday and do the same.
And if you’re a fan of any of the contestants, you’d better tune in Thursday to learn their fate.
Because about half of the contestants are heading home. All in one night.
And if you really want to build the drama, you combine the results show with the wild card show, featuring a final do-or-die performance by six of the contestants not chosen by voters.
Tell me, when is the last time an Idol results show packed that much drama? Especially the last half hour of Thursday’s show?
The answer would be never.
And it worked.
Billboard reports that Idol’s Thursday show attracted 25 million viewers, and that the number jumped to more than 26.5 million for the final half-hour.
That’s a 29 percent increase over last year’s first elimination show.
That’s the best non-sports viewing audience any network has drawn on a Thursday during primetime in the last four years.
For fairness, I still like the format Idol used in seasons 4-7 and season 9.
Singers have to perform well three times to make the finals.
Singers like Tim Halperin and Julie Zorrilla, in many cases, get a second chance if their first performance goes south, because contestants are eliminated gradually.
Viewers have more time to select a favorite contestant.
And Idol editing and favoritism is less likely to have an impact when the finals begin. That’s because a largely ignored contestant can prove his or her worthiness with excellent performances during three straight weeks in the semifinals.
None of that will happen this year.
But we were all watching Thursday night.
And now that they’ve got many of us hooked with a stellar final 13, we’ll all likely be back on Wednesday.
Which was the point all along.
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