Planned 'Idol' Changes: Less Audition Episodes, More Semi-Finalists

Eight seasons in, American Idol is still being the powerhouse it has been.  But, of course, some things have to change, or else the entire thing becomes boring and stale, and viewers have one less thing to look out for when the show finally returns next month.  Executives at Fox have long hinted that there will be some changes to the talent search, and the way it initially sounded, it’s going to be so big we might end up looking at an American Idol that’s barely recognizable from earlier this year.

Well, not really.  The planned changes aren’t really as dramatic as it initially seemed.  Apart from the addition of songwriter Kara DioGuardi as a fourth judge, and the departure of Nigel Lythgoe as executive producer, there are a few tweaks to the show that is expected to keep viewers like you sticking for a longer time.  Fox isn’t bound to say anything about these changes until later today, but with that kind of secrecy comes someone who’s bound to break it.  Yes, that means someone has leaked the proposed changes.  From one fan site, it has since made the rounds of rumor mills and even actual news stories, and we’re just one of those—all right, all right, here are the planned changes to the show.

Less audition episodes. Now, if you’re saddened to hear this—perhaps you love watching those William Hung type contestants, or maybe those contestants who think they have a chance in making it to the top twelve even if they obviously don’t have a chance—take comfort in the news that AI plans to air more episodes about the Hollywood round.  Personally I think that’s a better thing, because it’s the stage where the talents are removed, and the real talents emerge.  But the audition episodes will still stay, only with a bigger emphasis on the performers than the aforementioned bad singers.  They’ve already hinted at this earlier, so you know what to expect.

A bigger semi-final round. Instead of having the top 24 contestants, the show will instead showcase the top 36 contestants, if only to focus further on the better singers this year.  Also, the wild card round will return, which means singers eliminated from this round still have a chance to make it to the top 12.  As Fox executives pointed out, it’s to add a bit of unpredictability.

No “Idol Gives Back” show, at least for now. The “Idol Gives Back” episodes have been a talking point of sorts for the show, with it drawing many big-name guests and a lot more awareness for the causes the show espouses.  (Maybe the only other AI episodes that get more guests are the finales.)  There won’t be any of those episodes this season, although they’re not letting go of it entirely: instead,” Idol Gives Back” will air every other year, which means you can expect it back on the ninth season.

Of course, there’s no official word yet as to what these changes actually are—whether these changes are going to be final, or whether new ones will be added.  A news conference will be held later today, and only then will we be able to confirm what things will actually change when American Idol returns next month. Oh, but it’ll still be the same old competition we love.  It isn’t really that big a change, isn’t it?

Planned ‘Idol’ Changes: Less Audition Episodes, More Semi-Finalists