For the past several decades, Simon Cowell has been one of the hardest working people in show business. The music mogul has been instrumental in establishing the careers of notable acts like One Direction and Fifth Harmony and, of course, he’s also been a consistent fixture on TV. Cowell has been part of several popular reality competition programs and currently has gigs on the “exciting” America’s Got Talent and its U.K.-based counterpart. One show that fans still pester him about, though, is The X Factor, which he’s since departed. But now, the star has revealed what it would take for him to return to the series.
Simon Cowell created The X Factor, which originally debuted as a series in the UK back in 2004. The show eventually spawned a massive media franchise that included spinoffs in different countries around the world. The U.S. version of the show became particularly popular and, as Cowell recently revealed, he still gets recognized for it. While the producer says that he’s content with his other business ventures at the moment, he confirmed that he would bring back the show if he and those involved could recapture the unique essence that the program possessed in the early aughts:
I would only do it again if we could go back to where the show started — if we could find some great people and create those TV moments that live forever. There would have to be a genuine opportunity to make it how it was in the early years, and I would only do it with someone who was genuinely enthusiastic about it. I would also bring back the managers and the A&R people instead of having artists judge the talent because I don’t think that’s great.
The man does make a good point. One could argue that these days, many singing competition series put heavy emphasis on the star power it can get for its judges panel. Back in the day, the main appeal of these types of shows was the prospect of seeing a regular person get their big break in the music industry. For instance, it’s easy to remember the first season of American Idol, which marked the rise of Kelly Clarkson (who iced out Simon Cowell during the entirety of that competition).
It honestly wouldn’t be a bad idea if the British TV presenter were to bring X Factor back. As he noted during his interview with The Sun, the show is still very popular online, thanks to YouTube. Plenty of fans go to the account to check out classic moments, such as Harry Styles’ full audition. If a revival could recapture the spirit of the original, there’s a firm chance it could find some success.
Of course, there is still the matter of Simon Cowell’s schedule. While he has been making an effort to take things a bit slower, he still has a lot on his plate with his commitments to the Got Talent series. An ample amount of creative freedom on a theoretical X Factor revival could entice him to make the time, though, I suppose. (Plus, it would give him less time to fiddle around with e-bikes in the aftermath of his injuries.)
Best believe that if Simon Cowell were to formulate a new X Factor show in the U.S., a network wouldn’t turn its nose up to it. We’ll see if he opts to add another TV project to his schedule or if he manages to keep his schedule as is.
Over here in the states, you’ll be able to see the veteran star when America’s Got Talent eventually returns to NBC for its new season. You can occupy yourself in the meantime by watching other reality competition shows that are on the 2022 TV schedule.
