Thursday, March 28, 2024

“American Idol”: Ratings Tank to Lowest Low After Nicki’s Late-Show and Histrionics

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Thursday’s “American Idol” sank to a 3.0 rating with just 11.63 million people watching the show. It was the fourth most watched show of the night. But it was almost the FIFTH. A show called “Elementary” was behind it by a whisker– 11.63 to 11.49 million. This is very troubling. “Idol” had a 3.8 on Wednesday, revised up. Even if this number is revised up, it still means that the carryover from Wednesday to Thursday was dismal.

And on this episode, Nicki Minaj got up and stomped around when she didn’t get her away over her favorite contestant leaving the show. This was after she showed up 20 minutes late on Wednesday and looked like a hot mess. Her explanation was that she had been caught in traffic– yes, a first for live TV considering she’s paid millions to be in that studio on time. If it wasn’t a PR stunt, then Nicki’s got problems. And so does the show.

The fact is, Thursday has become a disaster for “Idol.” The CBS comedies “Big Bang Theory” and “Two and A Half Men” just roll over it. “Person of Interest” picks up steam from those shows at 9p, giving CBS a blockbuster evening. But now “Elementary,” which follows “PoI,” is just on the verge of making it a CBS night. “Idol” is also facing the return of “The Voice” on NBC Monday, March 25th–with hot hot hot Adam Levine and lots of young stars.

So many things are wrong. Why, for example, didn’t Mariah Carey perform her “Oz” song, “Almost Home,” this week? “Oz” opened to $80 million over the weekend? This would have been the perfect moment for that. Why aren’t we seeing Keith Urban perform a song? He is hot hot hot. The “Idol” audience loves him.  It’s enough with Phillip Phillips.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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