The nation’s favorite reality competition may have seriously just “jumped the shark.” A fourth judge will be added to the panel of American Idol when the series debuts its eighth season this January.
By Blake
Originally posted August 30, 2008.
In its heyday, Happy Days was a television craze that had countless viewers tuning in during each sensational episode. Though, in one fateful move, the show’s pretty-boy Fonzie water-skied over a shark. Fans claim that after Fonzie “jumped the shark,” Happy Days began to lose steam and had seldom decent episodes thereafter. And so, since then, the coined term “jump the shark” has referred to when a television series makes a risky move for the worst that possibly ruins its popularity and destroys its reputation for future episodes. With Andy Griffith, it was when Barney Fife left and the show began to air in color. In Scooby-Doo, it was when the tiny Scrappy-Doo began to tag along with Mystery, Inc. on their adventures. Other shows jump it all when they begin spinoffs or movies.
But when thinking of these legendary television series that made a mistake that messed them up eternally, the one show that doesn’t come to mind is American Idol. Sure, some individual seasons may have been better or worse than others, but as an actual television series, the show has done quite well without making any significant changes in its layout. But an announcement that was made last Monday, August 25, 2008, made me think that American Idol’s luck may just about be up. This January when American Idol returns to Fox for its eighth season premiere, a fourth judge will sit alongside Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell as they review contestants’ performances. If that doesn’t spell out “shark jumpage ahead,” then I don’t know what does.
The fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, is a songwriter and producer that has collaborated with quite an impressive roster of performers, including Christina Aguilera, Jewel, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Carrie Underwood, Gwen Stefani, and even newcomers (and American Idol contestants) David Cook and David Archuleta (both on their upcoming albums). And that’s just to mention a few. So, needless to say, with that many extremely popular singers that she’s worked with, and with her several Grammy nominations to boot, DioGuardi could prove to be a very positive, honest, tell-it-like-it-is asset to American Idol’s judging panel.
So, why does DioGuardi’s involvement with the show have me worried about American Idol “jumping the shark?” Well, it’s not so much about DioGuardi herself. It’s that I just don’t want anything to change too much! American Idol is my very favorite show and I certainly do not want it to be altered.
With certainly no offense to Kara DioGuardi, I don’t really think American Idol currently needs a new judge. It’s great as it is and all three other judges have well chemistry when reviewing together. Additionally, the judge’s comments seemed rushed enough when it was just the three of them . . . who knows how frazzled it will get when they has even less time than they do already to state her opinions.
To be brief, I don’t think Kara DioGuardi herself will be a major problem for American Idol. She won’t be the cause of it “jumping the shark.” Hopefully she’ll fit right in with Randy, Paula, and Simon and be a welcoming new addition to American Idol. But what might cause the show to jump it is if her presence results in subsequent conflicts with the show’s content or current judges.
By Blake; originally posted August 30, 2008. All images (C) Fox.
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