‘American Idol’ Deserved an Emmy Nomination This Year

Published On July 14, 2016 » By »
Onstage at the 'American Idol' farewell (photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Onstage at the ‘American Idol’ farewell (photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

“I just want [American Idol] to be remembered for being innovative, pioneering – and maybe the most successful TV show of all time. It would just be nice for people to recognize that,” show creator Simon Fuller boldly told Yahoo Music’s Reality Rocks back in April, shortly before Idol came to the bittersweet end of its long and historical run. “Now that we are no longer competing with other networks who resented its success, now is maybe the time to just recognize the success and be benevolent. I just want it to be a show where people think, ‘That was a part of my life. I sat with my grandparents and watched it. Fifteen years of my life was American Idol.’”

But apparently the Television Academy wasn’t watching – or listening to Fuller. Outrageously, American Idol has been shut out of the Emmys‘ Outstanding Reality Competition race, in its final year of eligibility.

Related: 2016 Emmy Nomination Snubs & Surprises

In it heyday, Idol was consistently nominated for Outstanding Reality Competition, for the first nine years of the category’s existence, from 2003 to 2011. In the past four years, Emmy voters passed Idol over — which was somewhat understandable, considering the show’s steady decline in both ratings and record sales. (However, as a side note, I do think Season 11, the last season to generate a commercially successful winner, Phillip Phillips, should not have been the first Idol season to get snubbed.)

But this should have been Idol’s year.

Sure, American Idol may have had better years than 2016. But it should have won multiple times in the past, when the show not only dominated but completely changed television and pop culture in general. (Instead, Idol lost a whopping eight – EIGHT!! – times to Emmy darling The Amazing Race. Seriously, eight times???) What about Season 2, when the famously controversial Ruben-vs.-Clay showdown divided households? Or Season 3, the year of Fantasia’s “Summertime” and the season that launched the career of future Oscar/Golden Globe/Grammy-winner Jennifer Hudson? Or Season 5 — the year of Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler — when Idol garnered a nightly ratings average of 30 million viewers and had the power to book Prince as a surprise finale performer? What about Season 7, when the introduction of musical instruments, not to mention David Cook’s radical rock remakes of pop standards, absolutely altered what longtime viewers thought Idol could be? What about Season 8, when overnight sensation Adam Lambert’s daringly theatrical performances thrilled viewers and kept office watercooler chatter going strong week after week? And what about the Season 10 reboot, when fun new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler confounded all doubters (who’d assumed American Idol was just The Simon Cowell Show), and the program still had enough of a hold on the nation’s collective psyche that the elimination of a ninth-place hopeful, Pia Toscano, could practically break the Internet?

At the very least, like Whoopi Goldberg getting a consolation Oscar for Ghost when she should have won for The Color Purple or Metallica winning a mantel’s worth of Grammy trophies to make up for that time when they ludicrously lost the Best Metal Performance Grammy to Jethro Tull, Idol should have been nominated this year just as an acknowledgment of its legacy — and to right past wrongs.

Related: Moments Like This: 11 ‘American Idol’ Finale Highlights

It could be argued that Idol did not deserve the Outstanding Reality Competition nomination this year due to its frustratingly truncated season, which featured far fewer live competitive episodes and therefore didn’t do what it used to do best: create compelling story arcs and loyal fanbases for its contestants (arcs and bases so lasting that many contestants who didn’t even make the top 10 still have careers, Twitter followings, and national name recognition more than a decade after they appeared on the show). But Idol should have made the cut for its finale alone. (As part of a series, the finale was not eligible for Outstanding Variety Special, damn it.) The Season 15 grand finale, lovingly masterminded by triumphantly returning original show producer Nigel Lythgoe, was the perfect sendoff, everything all sorts of Idol nostalgists — from the live-tweeting diehards, to the fairweather fans who dropped off in recent seasons — could have hoped for. Unlike most talent show finales, it wasn’t some filler-padded affair with typical performances by the ubiquitous likes of Pitbull, Meghan Trainor, and Nick Jonas. Instead, more than 60 former contestants performed, and they all instantly reminded America of what a cultural force this show used to be.

And these contestants were instantly recognizable, too, from pink-haired powerhouse Allison Iraheta and Broadway rocker Constantine Maroulis to novelty contestants William Hung and Larry “Pants on the Ground” Platt. Let’s face it, when The Voice – which has won in this Emmy category twice already; is nominated again this year; has arguably been best singing show on the air for a while; and is now the only singing show on the air – eventually gets cancelled, Mark Burnett won’t be able to bring back 60 Voice veteran contestants for that show’s series finale. No one would recognize them. “Who dat?” moments would be embarrassingly plentiful. Because as wonderfully talented as many Voice alumni are, they just aren’t the household names that Carly Smithson, Joshua Ledet, Tamyra Gray, or Bo Bice once were. (Back in 2013, when The Voice — a show that would not even exist if Idol had not paved the way — won its first Outstanding Reality Competition Emmy, the irony certainly wasn’t lost on anyone when, shortly after Burnett gave his acceptance speech, Idol superstar Carrie Underwood took part in the Emmys’ tribute to the 1960s.)

Related: 20 Singing Shows That ‘American Idol’ Made Possible

Sigh. There is a slight silver lining here. After being passed over for the past two Emmy cycles, six-time Outstanding Reality Host nominee Ryan Seacrest, who has never won, is up again this year. And this really should be Seacrest’s year, even if he is up against long-overdue first-time nominee RuPaul. (Do not get me started on the lack of overall nominations for RuPaul’s Drag Race. That’s a whole other rant, for another time. That show deserves ALL THE EMMYS.) Seacrest’s uncanny ability to make live TV hosting look easy — even when overseeing a heated Quentin Alexander/Harry Connick Jr. argument, onstage meltdowns by Casey Abrams and Charlie Askew, or shocker eliminations that practically had audience members rioting in the aisles – should finally be rewarded. (I just hope Seacrest brings Season 15 finale guest star and infamous Season 1 co-host Brian Dunkleman to the Emmy podium when he accepts his award.) If Ryan doesn’t win, it’ll be a Seacrest out-rage!

Finally, as a last amusing side note, Kieran Healy – aka the “Kieran, dim the lights” guy – is up for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series, for his work on the American Idol series finale. This may not be the most high-profile way to celebrate Idol’s influence, but now that the lights have dimmed on Idol forever, I suppose it’s fitting.

Parker out.

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