You guys remember Ryan Seacrest, right? He hosted that one competition show that went on for 15 seasons, and just ended last night? And, oh yeah, he's already teasing that American Idol might come back one day. If you didn't catch it during the finale on April 7, as Seacrest was bidding farewell to the show that made him famous, he said, "And one more time, we say to you from Hollywood, goodnight America..." and then there's a long pause, and as the credits roll, he sneaks in, "...for now."
Wait, what? Since when do you hint at the return of a show while you're still literally onstage saying goodbye to it? THIS IS BIG NEWS — and it might not even be a joke. According to creator Simon Fuller in an interview with Billboard on April 4, American Idol 's ending might really be more of a hiatus than a traditional cancellation, because new tweaks to the format and ways to bring the show back are already being thought of. Here's Fuller on his plans:
There will no doubt be another format or refinement or elevation of the format. Now I can actually revamp it and come up with a new version. And we can look back on 15 seasons and think of some legitimate ways to allow people to enjoy them again, maybe adding another dimension to it [...] There are loads of ideas being shared and I’m deep in thought about how we can evolve Idol. We debuted at the very beginning of the digital world. So the next generation of Idol will be a lot more interactive, a lot more immersive. For me the most exciting thing is we can really now dive deep with all the new technology that’s coming. My head is exploding with opportunities. The next generation of Idol -- and Idol will certainly be coming back for sure -- will have a youthful glow and it will be pioneering again, just as it was when we first began.
You see that? "Idol will certainly be coming back for sure."
Of course, as for when a potential comeback could happen, that remains to be seen. But hey, if you were super sad about Idol ending... good news!
