American Idol renewed for season 18, judges’ fate uncertain
Today, ABC officially confirmed that they are bringing back the reality TV competition for its third year after coming over from Fox. Yet, there are still question marks out there when it comes to what else is going to be happening behind the scenes. Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry remain unsigned, and ABC would like to bring them back … at least at a discount. As reported yesterday, the series is looking to trim costs after suffering some ratings slippage, and the #1 way to do that is by trying to make the judge salaries a little more affordable. Katy Perry in particular is earning upwards of $20 million to be a part of the show — while she’s one of the biggest pop stars on the planet and she certainly deserves a lot of money because of that, we understand that sometimes, a network’s gotta do what it’s gotta do.
Want to get some more news when it comes to American Idol now in video form? Then take a look at some of what we had to say about last night’s episode below! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for some more updates, and be sure to check out our official show playlist.
The larger question to ponder right now is simply whether or not the judges will take salary cuts or move on to some other endeavors. We don’t foresee ABC having a hard time filling these spots if the judges do decide they want to leave, but that’s mostly because of the fact that there are always going to be interested artists out there and that they can still offer someone a contract in the millions. It’s the most obvious thing to say ever, but $10 million or $15 million is very different from $20 million. The network probably has the summer to figure this out, given that they don’t need to record the judges’ auditions for quite some time even while early tryouts happen with some show producers.
For those wondering, Ryan Seacrest remains under contract as a part of a long-term deal that he has with ABC. He also hosts Live! for them alongside Kelly Ripa.
For some more on American Idol now in written form…
Be sure to check out the link here, since that’s where you can get a little more information on the results from last night. Alejandro Aranda, Laine Hardy, and Madison VanDenburg are the three remaining singers, and what makes things so interesting about this season is that in terms of talent and performance style, these three couldn’t be any more different. It’s really going to come down to personal preference — what we’re all looking for an artist, and also just what we think constitutes a proper superstar.
What do you think about American Idol being renewed for a season 18 over at ABC? Be sure to share right now in the comments, and remember to check back soon for some more news. (Photo: ABC.)