The X Factor axed in US
Simon Cowell returning to UK X Factor as FOX decides a fourth season is no go in the US.
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FOX has announced it will not return The X Factor for a fourth season, just as Simon Cowell plans a return to the UK production.
Ratings for the US season have disappointed. The third season saw its performance show average just a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 7 million viewers, with the finale down a huge 45 percent, year on year.
FOX entertainment chief Kevin Reilly said, “Unfortunately, there is no X Factor USA without Simon Cowell, but we understand and support his decision to focus on the international formats and on the next phase of his personal life. We wish him the very best, and it’s our sincere hope that we work together again soon.”
In January he also said, “The ratings were not what we hoped, but this is a No. 1 brand around the world … and during that lifecycle, there’s been markets where it’s been down and had some very tough seasons, and they’ve reanimated it with producing changes and different ideas. I’ve heard some of those ideas. They are interesting. If the show were to come back, it would not be in the current format we have.”
Sounds familiar. Could he have been referring to the show’s fortunes changing in Australia when it moved from TEN to Seven?
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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5 Responses
It’s not the judges or the production that makes a show, it’s the contestants. And the contestants they managed to find were average at best. US TV is over-exposed with talent shows and FOX will probably hope this means a greater interest in American Idol for next season as their premium and sole singing show. It just didn’t work in the US.
Way too many singing shows going on at the moment. I think by the end of the decade these talent shows will be a thing of the past.
The big problem with this was they tried too hard to please the audience instead of sticking to the formula. They made it a $5m winner for the first season and from there it was a disaster. It could have been an amazing show over there but they stuffed up. I love The X Factor as a brand but the US show always seemed like the odd one out of all the X Factor franchises around the world. FOX is also part to blame.
The American version was absolutely horrid. I’ve never witnessed a more contrived show, since the US Kath & Kim.
If was one of the worst produced version I’ve ever seen, no effort to make it entertaining and the amature editing made it unwatchable. A shame because it’s budget was massive, it could have been great. It’s like they thought the X factor brand would do all the work and relied on people mindlessly tuning in.
Perhaps this was their equivalent of the ch10 2005 version. Then when American idol is axed in a few years another network will give this another spin and do it much better.