As Phillip Phillips celebrates his victory of Season Eleven, one can say he reflects his American Idol epoch perfectly. Let’s rewind a bit. What is an Idol epoch?
American Idol history runs in threes – specifically, three years. Each three year period has its own distinctive traits and model contestants that exemplify an era. Usually, there’s some of event in the Idol offseason that triggers the change from one era to another.
Sidenote: I’d first discussed the idea of Idol epochs back in Season Seven, holding up David Cook as the poster child of Idol‘s evolution. However, with hindsight, both WNTS and I both felt that what we’d described as the Second Epoch was too broad; Seasons 4-6 was split into its own epoch, putting DC into the Third Epoch. A full breakdown of all the epochs can be found at WNTS.
For the fourth era, it should be obvious what the event that triggered the Fourth Epoch was: Simon Cowell leaving. I’m not going to pretend that Idol would have been better if he had stayed around. It wouldn’t. By the time he left it was clear he had an alternate vision for what a show like Idol was supposed to be – and it was not one critics particularly welcomed.
His departure did leave a hole that had to be filled – and give Fox and 19E credit for it. The “easy” way out would have been to find another judge to replace Simon in the mean role. It might even have been another mean Brit- there’s a reason there’s a trope by that name. But it would have been a stupid decision to do so; Simon’s shoes are an impossible pair to fill, at least immediately.
What happened instead was Idol evolving and going in the completely opposite direction. The judges they brought in deliberately went easy on the contestants, and Randy Jackson basically turned into a parody of himself. (When you’re being mocked for your catchphrase on the Idol finale, that can be considered a sign it’s gotten stale.)
One other thing that changed in the fourth era was the improvement, in the quality of the singers who got through to the semis. Both this year and last year have had fairly good levels of talent that were at least better at avoiding trainwrecks; note how the season-by-season count of one or two-star WNTS performances puts Season 11 in such a good light.
In seeking to avoid Simon’s legacy, they went too far. When he wasn’t being a complete tool and/or jerk, he was the primary source of useful feedback from the contestants. Randy was inconsistent, Paula was loopy, and neither Kara nor Ellen both spent too much time fighting with the other judges. Consequently, when Simon praised someone, it meant something. So would-be Idols actually tried to get better, improve themselves, try new angles, etcetera.
This time, we’re seeing none of that. The judges are telling them right from the get go that they’re good, they’re brilliant, etcetera. In such a situation, wouldn’t you basically stick to what you were doing? So it is with the Idols – there’s no reason for them to experiment. So they end up largely doing the same sort of material week after week.
Consider the kinds of winners we got this year and last year. The real connection isn’t that they both were WGWGs; instead it’s that both Scotty and Phillip stayed largely the same all season long. Neither were they alone; this year Joshua was also a very strong example of this who got very far; another compelling case would be Colton.
That’s really what the Fourth Epoch is about. You can call it the Do What You Want Epoch. Musically, the chief requirement to succeed in this era seems to be just knowing what kind of singer you are and a willingness to stick to your niche for as long as possible. It’s a very different list of a requirements from the Third Epoch, which stressed flexibility, risk-taking, and boldness. For Idol frontrunners, the season may well be less of a weekly competition and more a months-long nationally televised promo tour under unusual circumstances, like oddball themes and cranky coaches/mentors. In such a situation, actual singing ability may matter less and less, as presumably all of the available contestants will meet some reasonable level of competence. The “intangibles” – out and out likability, the ability to appeal to he Idol power voting fanbase – this is where hey might be significant. That’s really why Jessica lost: yes, she was brilliant technically, but somebody like Phil has superior intangibles (and thus, more people would be lured to vote for him.)
The one thing that’s constant from both epochs, however, is that pre-show musical experience counts. All three Third Epoch winners had extensive pre-Idol careers; of this season’s finale Phillip had the superior professional experience. Jessica may have been singing since she was a little kid, but she had general done so in the context of a competition or a Youtube video. There’s still a world of difference from that to doing small gigs regionally. It’s not the kind of experience that helps you on Idol, apparently.
So now we have a decent idea of what the Fourth Epoch – and thus, probably next year – will entail. What will end the era? We don’t know. That’s too far from now to find out. Will it involve competition from either The Voice or X-Factor? Possible, but I wouldn’t rule out those shows to have the existential crisis of the sort that Idol had after Season Nine. The Voice is hampered by how many large egos. X-Factor has problems of its own, and is mismanaging its winner as well.
In any case, I hope to see you all next year (something that even the Idol mother ship can’t claim nowadays). I’ll be haunting Twitter, as well, follow me at @theidolguy. Until then, Idol Guy, out.
That was a really good article- it didn’t hurt that I agreed with pretty much everything you said! I knew at the auditions that “Phillip Phillips” (who does that to their kid, anyway?!) was the one to beat. Say what you want about his style, call him a WGWG, but damn is he likeable! Just a really nice, unassuming young man. There aren’t many of them left in this world, especially in the entertainment industry, and he was recognized for it immediately.
Personally, I really enjoy his style. I would like to see him play in a small club- from what I’ve read about his health, I think he’ll be a much more dynamic singer once he’s had his kidney surgery, but even so- I like listening to him. I think the whole “likeability factor” was very damaging to both Jessica and Elise- even Colton. Colton came off as a pretty confident guy, bordering on arrogant. That just doesn’t play with America. I’m confident that the likeability was a big reason why Hollie stayed so long. She was a NICE girl. I have to laugh at the articles I’ve read claiming racism was to blame. Please. That’s a lame cop out for a 16 year old that wasn’t quite ready for it anyway. She’ll get there.
Anyway, it was fun reading your recaps- I can’t believe you didn’t comment on the cheesefest we were subjected to last night via, the staged proposal, the Fantasia/Mantasia screech off, Jessica trying to outsing crazy faced Jennifer Holiday, A NEIL DIAMOND MEDLEY? Skyler’s outfit? Jlo lip synching to her “world wide hits”? Steven Tyler having a seizure on stage? It was cheese on cheese for 2 hours and 6 min. BTW- I REALLY hope Jlo goes away and they get like, an actual judge who doesn’t subject us to her “talent” every week.
Only on American Idol.
I seem to recall Nigel Lythgoe saying prior to Season 10 that the show now wanted to allow singers to stay in their comfort zones as much as possible, which is why Scotty was able to do a country song virtually every week, and both Jessica and Hollie were able to ransack basically the entire diva/”songs of uplift” canon. I can see the point of that, and it’s true that we’ve had fewer terrible Tim Urban types in the finals of late, and fewer 1-star performances. But I also miss the surprise factor of David Cook triumphing on Mariah Carey night, or Fantasia’s “Always on My Mind.”
I do think risk-taking can still help you on Idol. Skylar’s decision to do “Stay With Me” on top 24 night set her apart from the other country girls, and she continued to defy expectations with song choices to some extent. Elise took a few risks too, possibly a fatal one on “Bold As Love,” but she was in continual trouble and pretty much had to roll the dice. And besides, she did finish sixth, an excellent finish for a female who isn’t an ingenue, so it’s hard to argue that the voters punished her for her boldness. But I would agree the top four rarely ventured outside their comfort zones, and that the judges are a key reason why (recall that when Jessica struggled some on “Turn the Beat Around,” Steven essentially told her she should only ever sing ballads).
I also don’t think one can discuss what works on Idol without mentioning the tyranny of the guitar players. One can make too much of the WGWG thing–Cook really was the best in S7; even though he probably won because of an anti-Adam vote, Kris was still quite good; and Scotty could have been a winner in any epoch, besides which his occasional guitar playing was incidental to his appeal. But when folks as patently unqualified as Lee DeWyze and Phillip (easily the weakest vocalist in the top 6) end up winning, it’s safe to assume performers like them are the only types who can win Idol.
This wouldn’t be a problem if Idol was still producing guaranteed chart-toppers, but it’s not happening with the non-country WGWGs, and Idol ratings are starting to reflect the loss of interest from those more interested in current music, and not warmed-over coffeehouse stuff.
Here’s hoping the future careers of Jessica, Joshua, Skylar, and yes, even Phillip are handled with more care and good taste than they got while on the show. See you in 2013.
The WNTS editorial mentions how year 3 of an epoch’s when the theme becomes so omnipresent that it overshadows everything else and the season collapses under its weight.
Think the Diva overload season 3 that led to things like a Fantasia-Latoya-JHud bottom three, or the singer-songwriter centric season 9. It’ll be interesting to see if this sort of thing happens next year.
I agree with your characterization in one way and disagree in another. I agree this is a kinder, gentler post-Simon era. I’ve noticed it in Jimmy Iovine’s comments. Jimmy Iovine has been explicit that many of the contestants will have a chance to make an album, not just the winner and runner-up. On one hand, it seems fair that all these good singers who develop a fanbase through the show would have that opportunity. On the other hand, by reducing the need to win, does it make the show seem even more like one long interactive informercial for new artists?
I might also agree that the new philosophy allowed Scotty to remain in the same place for the entire season without being called out for failing to take any risks. He didn’t experiment in any way. He was the perfect example of the failings of the epoch you have described.
I have to disagree is with your characterization of Phillip though. I think Phillip played a perfect Idol game, mostly from Kris Allen’s handbook. It required him to take risks, any of which could have been a disaster and some which really were. Phillip changed songs that were familiar (slowing down “In The Air Tonight,” turning “The Letter” into an unrecognizable hash), chose a few pop rock songs that would please the viewers even when they would not please the judges (Maroon 5 and Matchbox 20), did an acoustic version of an R&B pop hit, sang an artistic song for the NPR-loving crowd, and sang a song straight (“We’ve Got Tonight”). Then he topped every previous Idol contestant by singing an Idol coronation song that actually sounds like the music that people listen to right now. I’m not sure what more Phillip could have done with his voice and the limitations of the show.
Phillip’s perfect game included a perfect set of intangibles as well – humility, attractiveness, exposure to viewers through audition package, sense of humor, memorable loving parents, serious illness, and friendships with other contestants. He managed to check every box on the intangible list.
So, I have to disagree that Phillip stayed the same all season. He didn’t change his clothing style, but neither did Kris Allen, so that can’t really be considered a post-Simon effect.
On a side note, when the quality of the singers this year seemed so much higher than past years, I don’t understand why many of the people that I know could not get excited about any particular contestant.
Thanks for your analysis! It’s always interesting.
I gotta say, this current epoch wherein the winner does not ever go out of their comfort zone has major drawbacks. One of which is, as a contestant, one fails to experiment and try something new. It may work for a Scotty McCreery or a Phillip Phillips but it serves as a death knell for a Pia Toscano or a Jessica Sanchez. Hence, there’s a reason why there’s a “Thia Megia Ghetto.”
Which leads me to the second problem: the audience can only be entertained so much with performances that have similar feels to them. Knowing your musical identity and sticking to it is great and all, but from an entertainment standpoint, it can get boring if done ad nauseum.
And lastly, there’s no growth amongst competitors, This is why as the season progressed, I was inching towards Hollie’s way over Jessica’s. Growth is what keeps people compelled to back you up, IMO. Another case in point: Haley Reinhart.
So where do we go from here? My guess is the time that this epoch collapses under its own weight is when (a) the show has a lot more White Guys With Guitars than ever or what-have-you, or (b) the shows have a boring and dragging feel to it thanks to the contestants staying in their respective lanes.
And what I think will be the next type of contestant to win: Someone who realizes that Idol is not only a singing competition but rather, a reality TV show. These kinds of folks would be savvy enough to know how to market themselves as not only singers but as “personalities with immense musical talent.” They’ll be doing whatever they can to balance having a personality people can get behind and having musical talent people will take notice. The glimpse of that kind of contestant: Colton Dixon. In short, people who know how to play the Idol game.
Aside from those very valid elements already mentioned, I believe this epoch is defined by the ramped up staging to the point of verging on over staging. This epoch Nigel had the pressure of competiting with the other singing reality shows. Several years ago there was the first wave of copycat shows (American Juniors!) but Idol was by far the top dog and didn’t feel any threat from those shows. Now it is a big problem in terms of comparable ratings, judges, song choices and winners. Season 12 may be marred with the pressure that is on Nigel to keep things exciting to keep ratings up. Unfortunately he does it in all the wrong ways. He’s killing almost any moment the contestants could have with the ridiculous prop filled and over croweded with musicians and back up singers staging. Looking back on some of the best moments in Idol history they would be ruined by the over production. Think of Billie Jean or Alone with back up singers and horns, Summertime or Heartless with a choir. Joshua showed glimpses into the future with a GoGo dancer on Runaway Baby and Skylar had the unfortunate live park bench incident. I believe that was Joshua’s bottom 3 week and Skylar was eliminated park bench week. So it’s not surprising when Phillip stripped the staging down for Volcano he had a huge moment. It was a fantastic song choice and performance but also contrasted the over the top tendency of the rest of the season. We saw some of this begin season 10 with Durbin and the flaming piano. If season 12 crashes and burns I believe it will be due to over production and lack of focusing on what makes the contestants unique talents.