“American Idol” judges, from left, Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, and host Ryan Seacrest take part in a panel discussion on the show during the FOX Broadcasting Company Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES – Everybody’s shouting – even Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson.
It easy to tell that the excitement over “American Idol” is back. As the two judges of the television reality singing competition entered the press tent at the PaleyFest in Beverly Hills last week, reporters screamed questions and photographers yelled, “Look over here.”
Why Tyler, dressed in leopard-skin pants, and Jackson, adorned with a brightly colored scarf, came in so pumped up is probably a measure of their outsized personalities, but with ratings up for the show’s 10th season and with what many are calling the best group of finalists in years, there is every reason for fans of “American Idol” to shout.
Yet with all the hype over the years, people probably forget that the show wasn’t an instant phenomenon. When “American Idol” debuted in June 2002, it was to less than 10 million viewers and even after its seventh week was still only pulling in similar numbers. That’s very respectable but hardly the ratings juggernaut it is now. (The March 9 broadcast brought in more than 24 million viewers to top last week’s Nielsen ratings.)
However, since its first season, finale viewership has usually topped more than 20 million. The high point was the Season 2 finale with more than 38 million people tuning in.