As soon as each season's Hollywood Week ends, and finalists start singing for fans' votes, 'American Idol' addicts coast to coast are on autopilot when it comes to tuning in for fresh performances on Tuesdays, and for the elimination announcement the next night. According to the Hollywood Reporter, that's all about to change.
Fox has made the surprising move of bumping the hit series -- about to launch season 10 with the revamped panel of Randy Jackson and new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler -- to a weekly Wednesday/Thursday schedule.
"Here's a chance for us to own Thursday nights," says Mike Darnell, Fox's president of alternative programming, who is gambling that having Ryan Seacrest preside over the suspenseful elimination episodes one night later than usual will be a winner for the network (the night is known to garner the most lucrative ad dollars). He added, "You have to do a big move to take on Thursdays, and this is a big move."
Fox has made the surprising move of bumping the hit series -- about to launch season 10 with the revamped panel of Randy Jackson and new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler -- to a weekly Wednesday/Thursday schedule.
"Here's a chance for us to own Thursday nights," says Mike Darnell, Fox's president of alternative programming, who is gambling that having Ryan Seacrest preside over the suspenseful elimination episodes one night later than usual will be a winner for the network (the night is known to garner the most lucrative ad dollars). He added, "You have to do a big move to take on Thursdays, and this is a big move."
With the Fox hit 'Glee' dominating Tuesday nights, 'Idol' will soon face a very interesting competitor on Wednesday nights: Paula Abdul's new talent competition, 'Live to Dance,' on CBS. Abdul, who has spent months auditioning talented hoofers to compete for a $500,000 prize, will have a head start, as her show debuts on Jan. 4, two weeks before the new season of 'Idol' kicks off.
'American Idol,' with its new Simon-free panel of judges, will air its two-hour season 10 premiere on Wed., Jan. 19.
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