‘American Idol’ beats odds, holds off demise and stays a hit

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

It seems strange now to think of it as an underdog, but going into this season there was every likelihood that “American Idol” would crash and burn. Spectacularly.

Viewers complained about a string of bland winners who haven’t exactly set the recording world on fire: Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze.

Those of us who tuned in to hate Simon — or, in a pinch, Kara — were disappointed to hear that the judges would be replaced by an aging rocker and a prefab pop diva whose greatest strength is ... well, not singing.

TV’s biggest hit could have been TV’s biggest cautionary tale.

But audiences have used their save decisively, delivering ratings comparable to 2010’s. And even when they threatened to boycott the show after Pia Toscano’s ouster, they didn’t mean it: In fact, the first Pia-less episode averaged 23 million viewers, up 12 percent from the same time last year.

The moral of the story? “American Idol” is the little juggernaut that could.

“This season is actually pretty entertaining,” says Dave Della Terza, the suburban Chicago blogger behind votefortheworst.com, which rallies fans to vote for bad “Idol” singers. “I can see why people are watching it.”

WBBM-FM (96.3) entertainment reporter “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker, who covers “Idol” and visited its set earlier this year, says she “was one of those skeptical people. Any change of format is something that’s going to turn away some people.”

She thinks people have been surprised by how much they like new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, as well as an eclectic cast that truly has something for everyone: pop, rock, country, jazz, gospel, metal. If nothing else, says Menaker, “I want to see what J. Lo’s wearing each week.”

Andy Dehnart of the reality TV site realityblurred.com isn’t “American Idol’s” biggest fan ordinarily. But when the judges used their save on Casey Abrams — who was nearly shocked into a medical emergency — Dehnart called it “a near-perfect hour.” Especially since it ended with guest star Hulk Hogan fake-punching Ryan Seacrest into the audience.

“I personally love it because over half the cast is ‘Vote for the Worst’-worthy,” says Della Terza, who means it as a compliment. “We just have a treasure trove of picks this year. In the finals this year, Paul McDonald was just wacky, Naima Adedapo was entertaining, Casey Abrams is very strange, Haley Reinhart’s growling is phenomenal, Jacob Lusk is like an awesome drag performer, Scotty McCreery makes some of the funniest faces I’ve ever seen ... and that’s not even all of them yet.”

Season 10 has benefitted from all kinds of star power. Instead of the customary random mentors, the contestants are being coached by someone who can actually help them, now and in the future: Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Prolific mentor will.i.am has both industry cred and a sense of humor. Rihanna’s performed on the show, Gwen Stefani served as stylist, and Bruce Springsteen showed up on set this week to give the final seven a few words of advice.

It doesn’t hurt that finalists have scheduled in some romance. Toscano’s been sighted with Mark Ballas of “Dancing With the Stars,” while McDonald confirmed to Kelly and Regis that he’s dating “Twilight’s” Nikki Reed.

Complaints about Simon Cowell’s nastiness have turned into complaints about the judges’ gushing. The difference is, we’re not yet bored with complaining about it.

“The judges are nauseatingly vanilla in their comments,” says Aaron Burdon, program director of All Digital Radio, which presents shows devoted to “Idol.” “Even Paula was known for giving a few harsh critiques at this stage in the competition. They should be expecting more from the top seven, and when they deliver a mediocre performance, they shouldn’t be afraid to call them out on it.

“If they keep making me miss Simon, they are giving me more reason to pay attention to ‘X-Factor,’ ” Burdon warns.

“The X Factor,” Cowell’s next talent show, doesn’t arrive on Fox until fall. The more immediate threat is NBC’s “The Voice,” which premieres Tuesday and boasts train wreck potential in judge Christina Aguilera, who swears she’s never seen a full episode of “Idol.” Cee-Lo Green, also a judge, already has begun a trash-talk campaign, saying that “American Idol” has run its course.

Wishful thinking. No matter who earns the title this year, there’s already a clear winner: “American Idol” has gotten its second wind.