Simon Cowell declines American Idol season 14 offer, no one is shocked

Simon Cowell runs a busy schedule like nobody’s business. He executive-produces and judges on America’s Got Talent, and then over in the United Kingdom he’s got both The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. It also bears reminding that he also is an executive producer on both of those shows, as well.

Given the recent news that American Idol, the show that effectively started it all for Cowell in America, is coming back, it’d be a shock to not see him asked. Per his own comments to Extra, he was; however, it’s just not something he is inclined to take on:

“I have no interest [in American Idol]. My memories are when we first started. It was a different time with Randy [Jackson], Ryan [Seacrest], and Paula [Abdul]. You can’t re-create that.”

Smart move, Simon. It’s impossible to go on and achieve the same results — by the time the original panel started to fade away, the results there were wearing thin. There are new judges and new prospective talent out there, so try out a different combination to see what happens. Also, consider that had Simon wanted to do the show, imagine the logistical headache for him to balance this with his other shows, plus wrangling out of an exclusive deal he has with NBC that came with him joining America’s Got Talent as a judge for the first time last season.

With Kelly Clarkson already spurning the show in order to join The Voice for the upcoming season, producers over at Fremantle and CORE Media Group will need to scramble to find the right people. At one point, there was a thought about getting a new panel together before upfronts; now, it’s not looking as though this may need to wait. Unless there are some undercover operates working underneath the surface to recruit good judges, it’s better off to wait in order to further ensure the right people are on board. (Plus, if you end up getting some complete also-rans, it really works against you to throw them out there in front of advertisers. That won’t impress anyone all that much!)

Have any judging suggestions for American Idol season 14 to keep it from being a retread / dumpster fire / anything of the sort? Sound off below!

Meanwhile, be sure to head over here in the event you do want to get some additional news when it comes to the revival. (Photo: NBC.)