American Idol has dominated pop culture for over two decades. Now, fans will have more chances to interact with the show. ABC announced a surprise spinoff of the popular reality show. Keep reading for all the details.
American Idol Shakes Things Up For Season 24
American Idol premiered in 2002 to massive ratings. The singing competition launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and many more. The reality show has many tried-and-true traditions that fans love. But the producers shook things up ahead of its current season. Season 24 premiered in January. Fans can expect a few small, but meaningful changes.
Viewers and contestants look forward to Hollywood Week every season. It’s what sets apart the front-runners. Hollywood Week gave Carrie Underwood her breakout from the other contestants. But this season, they’re rebranding the high-stakes event. Instead of Hollywood, the contestants go to Nashville, Tennessee, for Music City Takeover.
In another new feature coming soon is social media voting. According to the U.S. Sun, the reality show plans to implement social media voting, in addition to texting and voting on the website. Showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick explained the change.
“We have to meet the audience where they are. Back in 2002 when the show began, texting was the new hot thing. We also have to meet the technology where it is, as well. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to vote for their favorites, weigh in from their couch with their second screen, in real time,” the showrunner said. The details of social media voting haven’t been revealed yet.
ABC Reveals Surprise Spinoff
ABC is shaking American Idol up in other ways, too. The Sun reported that the reality show will soon stream live on Disney+ at the same time it airs on ABC. It will continue to stream on Hulu the next day. The change starts on March 30.
American Idol is finally getting a spinoff. The reality show ventures into the podcast game. American Idol Official Podcast reportedly launched on Disney+ and Hulu when the live shows start up.
“Each week, the podcast will dive deeper into America’s most iconic music competition series, exploring the performances everyone’s talking about, and offering exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and expert analysis of the judges’ critiques,” ABC said in a statement.
A host for the podcast hasn’t been revealed yet. American Idol fans took to Reddit to blast the show for all the changes.
- “The show has become a shell of what it was. The early seasons were grittier. It’s become overproduced and way too polished for my liking.”
- “It just doesn’t feel like there’s much in terms of stakes because people don’t get even constructive criticism anymore and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be successful.”
- “It’s entirely too fast paced…. But… it matches how fast music/music releases are nowadays so there’s that”
- “I miss a lot of the drama. I hardly watch anymore. It just seems to be going down hill season after season.”
- “It’s mind-numbingly boring now.”
- “It has gotten way too religious for my taste. It feels like contestants have been taught to pursue the evangelical market to pump their vote tallies.”
Tell us in the comments what you think about the changes and upcoming podcast spinoff.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger