Yesterday as I checked Facebook, a number of my friends (who I consider to be intelligent people) were commenting about American Idol. As I read their comments I was once again totally bamboozled by the popularity of this show. I have tried to watch it, but I never last more than a few minutes before I am either embarrassed, repulsed, or bored to the point I change the channel. I occasionally read the recaps at Televisionwithoutpity.com and certainly hear about it in conversation and on Facebook, but I just don’t get it.
The early phase of Idol seems to focus on how bad and delusional a person is regarding his or her singing and how badly behaved the contestants are. Must we focus on contestants who behave badly or sing worse. We are told that this is a talent competition but if that is the case, why do they follow the screaming person out into the hallway as he falls, crying, into the arms of his family when his dreams have been crushed by a vicious yet catchy and quotable quip of Simon Cowell. Adding insult to injury, American Idol tends to run past its allotted time slot and on a number of occasions makes the next scheduled show run late. The next show being Fringe, which is pretty cool, and because of Idol running late, my DVR cuts off and I end up missing the last 5 to 10 minutes of Fringe…which really ticks me off.
Looking back, even in the earliest versions of “reality TV” I didn’t get it. I never like Candid Camera and although I enjoyed parts of it, I remember watching the Gong Show with similar discomfort. Watching people do embarrassing things isn’t entertainment. The voyeuristic feel of reality TV really turns me off and I find shows like The Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Wife Swap completely repulsive. (Last night I saw ads for a new show on the CW called Hitched or Ditched! What fun!)
I confess, the shows I like are scripted shows (or maybe I should say they are the shows that admit to being scripted). I don’t watch Idol, Survivor, Biggest Loser, or Amazing Race. But as “reality” shows increase in popularity I struggle to understand the draw. This fall, NBC is devoting 5 hours of prime time television to a “Variety” show hosted by Jay Leno. This is 5 hours that will no longer be available to scripted TV. Quirky and entertaining shows like Chuck, which has not yet been renewed for next year and Life which has already been cancelled lose out so that we can have 5 hours of a Leno “Variety Show” in prime time.
So here are my questions…have you ever purchased music by an American Idol contestant? Are they performers whose careers you continue to follow? And…What is it about this show that keeps you watching and talking about it? Help me understand…
Oh, and hang around after Idol next Tuesday night and watch a special premier of the new Fox show Glee, it looks like it could be entertaining!
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