March Makeovers: How can ‘The X Factor’ UK be a factor once more?
The British version of “The X Factor” is the original, and therefore, it is the one iteration of the show that influences all of the others around the world. Yes, the show failed in America, but it still thriving in many other parts of the world.
Unfortunately, ratings in Great Britain have dropped over the past few years, and that does lead to us wondering the answer to one question more so than any other: Is there a way to combat viewer fatigue and a limited talent pool? The series cannot do anything about the fact that there are other shows out there (at least with “The Voice”) sapping away some talent, so it has to make good to a certain extent with what they have. In this edition of our ongoing March Makeovers series, we’re going to be bringing some of our own ideas to the table.
What went wrong – There have been numerous viewer complains about many things, whether it be the show’s judges being too serious, the contestants being boring, the format not being interesting anymore, and the show failing to really show viewers who some of the contestants really are. Ella Henderson is really the past alum from the show to do well, and she didn’t even make the finale.
How to fix it – Let’s start with Simon Cowell, who to us is the biggest issue at the moment. His point of view is no longer interesting, and we’d almost prefer to see him more as an in-house mentor than a coach, given that his label is the one signing winners. It all feels like a conflict of interest with him on the panel alongside other people who in some ways work for him.
From here, we think the show is in need of a complete overhaul in terms of tone. Get rid of some of the sob stories and the pre-taped packages about nerves, and replace them with segments that empower the contestants and show them as fun, likable, positive people. People are numb now to the sad stories, and we’d prefer them to be at a minimum so that we can watch both the singers and the judges have a little bit more fun. With that, ditch the Six-Chair Challenge entirely since it’s dreadful and cruel. Replace it with something a little less competitive, and creative specific themes for the live shows that are either new, or at least different. Get rid of the Movie Week or the other ones that have a tendency for the most part to encourage people to pick the same songs over and over again.
What do you think could be done to make “The X Factor” better? Share below, and head over here to get some more TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ITV.)