American Idol comes to a close this week with its grand finale Thursday night on FOX but will the series really be over or just on hiatus before its next iteration? According to series creator Simon Fuller, Idol might not be ready to end just yet.
Speaking with Yahoo Music Fuller gave an optimistic outlook on the future of American Idol after its life on FOX wraps up this week.
“Here we are in 2016. There’s plenty of opportunities to be very interactive. The sort of burgeoning reach of social media, and what social media has become, is perfectly suited to what American Idol could be going forward…
Certainly it’s not the end of my creative journey around this idea, this show, and all that it encompasses: music, finding talent, the competitive spirit of people with a dream,” assures Fuller.
Understandably when you have your name on such a mega-millions brand like Idol you don’t want it going away and I hope he’s right. There’s a lot that Idol could do moving forward, but without a TV platform will it still be viable? I sure hope it could be and that they’ll find a way to make it happen!
As for looking back on what his creation has achieved Fuller wants it remembered positively for all it gave the entertainment industry and families gathered together for fifteen seasons:
I want it to be known for embracing so many fundamental elements of entertainment: live, competitive, interactive, that ‘sporting’ notion, the reality of getting to know real regular people who have dreams, the soap opera of the judges and contestants, the celebration of music. And also that a television show could be a real, physical event.
I just want it to be remembered for being innovative, pioneering – and maybe the most successful TV show of all time.
It really is amazing to think of Idol’s reach in to so much of our lives through its years. I’ll always remember how you could listen to the radio and hear nothing but Idol songs for a stretch of time with its string of stars. It’s sad to see it go, but at least we’ll always have all the talent it gave us!
How will you remember American Idol?
Source: Yahoo Music