Once upon a time, Fox was the place to be on the small screen when it came to singing competition reality series thanks to American Idol. Fox cancelled the series after 15 seasons back in 2016, however, and the big American Idol reboot is happening at a different network. Now, it looks like Fox is planning to compete with ABC's Idol reboot with a singing competition show of its own. The network is developing a series that would put singers back in the spotlight in primetime in a brand new way.
Fox is developing a project that puts a fresh twist on the American Idol format, which is undoubtedly the idea now that ABC is moving forward at a fast pace with its Idol reboot. The project has evidently been in the works for some time, but Variety reports that the development process has sped up ever since ABC made the big announcement of the reboot. The concept of the new series hails from Israeli producer and distributor Armoza Formats.
The format of the new series would see four singing finalists chosen by judges in the very first episode. The weeks that follow would see new contestants challenge the four finalists to take their spots in the lineup. The competition would continue until the winner is named in the season finale. It's not quite American Idol, but it's not so very different that Fox necessarily needs to wonder if viewers will respond to it.
Armoza Formats is shopping the show around internationally with the title of The Final Four. If Fox does move forward with this project, it will be under a different name in the United States to avoid confusion with the NCAA's basketball tournaments of the same name. No alternative title for the U.S. market has yet been announced.
The premise of this potential series sounds promising enough. Assuming Fox does order it to series, the success may entirely depend on who the network gets as judges and host. ABC has already secured Katy Perry as a judge (for a whopping amount of money), and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has signed on with NBC's The Voice. Simon Cowell is happy where he is on America's Got Talent, and if Ryan Seacrest does agree to join another singing competition series, it almost certainly won't be one on Fox. Has Brian Dunkleman's time come at last?
It should be interesting to see how quickly progress is or isn't made on this new Fox project. If network execs hustle, they might be able to get it on the air before ABC's American Idol debuts next spring, and that could very well steal some of ABC's thunder. We'll have to wait and see. Check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all you can watch now and in the coming weeks, and take a gander at our 2017 Netflix guide if streaming is your style. Our breakdown of all the TV reboots and revivals we can't wait to see is worth a look as well.
