'American Idol' prepares for final season

The network announced Monday that "American Idol" will go off the air after its 15th and final season next spring. The cast from the past few seasons, with Ryan Seacrest as host and Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. as judges, will return for a season-long celebration of the show's history.

"It was not an easy decision.' American Idol' has been such a vital part of Fox for its run," said Gary Newman, Fox Television Group chairman and CEO. He promised a season-long celebration that matches the show's significance, with the suggestion that its big-name contestants and past judges may be involved.

"American Idol" faded over the past few years, eclipsed in the music competition genre it pioneered by "The Voice" on NBC. Personnel changes didn't help, and neither did tinkering with the format, as the show fell victim to what usually kills off most television series — old age. Still, it was a solid performer for a Fox network that struggles in the ratings.

Dana Walden, co-chairman and CEO of the Fox Television Group, described it as a "pretty emotional decision" to end "American Idol."

Fox and the show's producers were discussing how the series would continue, but ultimately "we all arrived at the conclusion that it was time to bring the show to an end," said Newman. "But we wanted to do it in a way that was special and celebratory."

"Idol" was a quick hit, with fans following contestants who sought the prized "yellow ticket" to Hollywood and a chance at stardom. In the early years, "American Idol" also showed many of the cringe-worthy auditions of contestants with no hope of winning, but has generally resisted those recently.

Simon Cowell, the Brit with a tart tongue and honest assessments, became a star as judge, along with his fellow originals, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

The big-voiced Clarkson became a major pop star after winning "Idol," and Underwood is a solid performer on the country charts. Personalities like Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken also became household names after competing on "Idol."

Walden said there are no specific plans yet, but that several former contestants and judges have already expressed "a lot of enthusiasm" for coming back and celebrating the show's legacy in its final year.

"We're going to deliver a really special season next year," Newman said.

The series averaged 12.69 million viewers during its initial run in 2002, but exploded quickly thereafter, reaching a peak average of more than 30 million viewers each episode in 2006, according to the Nielsen company. It continued averaging more than 20 million viewers an episode through the 2011 season, and that's when the deteriorating in its popularity accelerated.

Its star at Fox was eclipsed this season by the music-based soap opera "Empire," which will launch its second season in the fall. So far this year, "American Idol" is averaging 9.15 million viewers per episode, Nielsen said.

The show will run in a similar format next season as it has this year, airing Wednesday and Thursday nights starting in January for the beginning stages, then once a week on Thursday for the second part of the season, Fox said.

Ten new series will debut next season on Fox, including the comedy-horror series "Scream Queens" from "Glee" producer Ryan Murphy and with veteran scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis in the cast.

New dramas will include "Minority Report," based on Steven Spielberg's futuristic film, and "The Frankenstein Code," about a resurrected former lawman.

Fox and the other broadcast networks are unveiling their plans to advertisers in New York this week to lure them to spend on their programs.

WHAT'S NEW

There will be four new comedies, a comedy-horror anthology, four dramas and the return of "The X-Files," which Fox is billing as a six-episode "event series." Five of the shows will debut in the fall, with the rest scattered throughout the season as Fox and other networks attempt to engage viewers year-round.

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WHAT'S GONE

"The Mindy Project," along with fellow comedies "Weird Loners" and "Mulaney," were canceled. Also gone are the dramas "Backstrom," ''Red Band Society" and "The Following," and the reality series "Utopia."

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WHAT'S BIG

The last chorus of "American Idol" will begin in January, with stalwart host Ryan Seacrest ushering the show to a (hopefully) graceful conclusion after a long and influential run that, at its peak, drew 30 million viewers.

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PROVEN PLAYERS

Ryan Murphy, who gave Fox a hit with "Glee," is getting another chance with "Scream Queens." Writer-producer Chris Carter, who created a landmark Fox series with "The X-Files" (1993-2002), will reunite with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson to try to recapture the magic with a sequel starting in January.

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SO EERIE

"The X-Files" will have company in the sci-fi and fantasy camp. Futuristic "Minority Report," based on the Steven Spielberg movie, will follow a duo trying to stop crimes before they happen, while DC Comics-inspired "Lucifer" reimagines the fallen angel as a crime buster and "The Frankenstein Code" is about a resurrected lawman.

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LIVE

It worked for NBC with "The Sound of Music," not so much with "Peter Pan," but that isn't deterring the peacock network from planning a live "The Wiz" or Fox from airing "Grease: Live," a three-hour version of the musical. Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens will star in the January special. With broadcasters desperate to keep viewers watching shows and commercials in real time, expect more such efforts.

COMEDY CAVALCADE

Fox is upping the ante by creating a Tuesday comedy night this fall with three of its new comedies: "Grandfathered," starring John Stamos; "The Grinder" with Rob Lowe and Fred Savage; and "Scream Queens." The new year will bring another sitcom, "The Guide to Surviving Life," and the animated comedy "Bordertown" from Seth MacFarlane and Mark Hentemann of "Family Guy."

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STAR POWER

Although the small-screen is said to create stars, there's no reason they can't be recycled. Besides Lowe, Stamos, Savage, Duchovny and Anderson, returning actors with a track record include the (barely absent) Lea Michele of "Glee," back in "Scream Queens"; Morris Chestnut ("Nurse Jackie") in "Rosewood"; and Rob Kazinsky ("True Blood") in "The Frankenstein Code."