‘American Idol’ at 20: Watching The Pilot Reveals How Reality TV Has Become More Sanitized and Less Satisfying

The year was 2002, and the Billboard Top 100 was graced by Nelly, Avril Lavigne, Sean Paul and (tragically) Nickleback. Those days are long gone, but I recently transported myself back to the early aughts by re-watching what was once a reality TV juggernaut: American Idol. When it first premiered two decades ago, the colossal hit promised to find us our new Britney, Justin or Aaliyah. But did it? 20 years after the very first episode aired on FOX in June, 2002, it’s clear that American Idol had some serious problems on launch; but the show that airs now might not be better for course-correcting.

Yes, Idol created a lasting career for Kelly Clarkson, and gave a spotlight to a group of genuinely talented performers competing alongside her. Yet it’s clear on rewatching the premiere episode of the series (which is only available through bad YouTube rips we won’t link here) that Idol also mined vulnerable people for laughs; openly mocking contestants for their weight, clothes and even their names, while also lampooning them for their lack of talent. And revisiting that long-ago episode, it’s clear that since the show switched to a softer, blander and — critically — kinder formula, the show has lost the bite that we all found so unfortunately compelling.

The most glaring difference between the squeaky-clean Idol of today (which features an annual Disney night and asked contestants to perform “TikTok songs” this season) and the original Idol of 2002 is not the (thankfully) improved film quality, but the blatant cruelty: host Simon Cowell more frequently slams Idol wannabes for their comically awful performances than he praises them for their singing chops. But that was the very draw, the first episode proves. A substantial amount of footage is dedicated to Simon ripping the hopes and dreams of young singers, and we absolutely devoured it.

When one particularly naive hopeful walks through the doors to perform for Simon, plus his co-hosts Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, the perpetually grumpy record exec tells them, “You are the worst singer in America.”

Other zingers from Simon — which, I’ll remind you, are all delivered in just one episode — include: “That was terrible — I mean, seriously terrible,” “If you want to achieve what you want to achieve, you will not do it with your voice” and “Go to an audition where they lie to you.” Ouch.

This isn’t to say that everyone should get a gold star and cookie even if they can’t sing on tune, but that first hour of Idol feels less like a singing competition and more like a then-socially acceptable way to gawk at people who were clearly tapped by producers to make for shocking TV. Still, that cruel setup was a ratings champion, pulling in viewers each episode hungry to see Simon deliver a scathing takedown.

When one singer is turned down by the judges, she’s not only insulted about her lack of talent, but repeatedly disrespected when Simon mispronounces her name (and when co-host Brian Dunkleman quips, “Feisty. Welcome to American Idol Smackdown” as she defends herself). Tamika — whom Simon incorrectly names, despite her telling him, “Not Tamika, it’s Tam-ME-ka,” — is subjected to further ridicule when Ryan Seacrest and Dunkleman intentionally butcher her name as a joke later in the episode.

But the sharp, rude takes from the judges aren’t the only issue with the rough first episode. There’s also an uncomfortable focus on young women in the auditions (I could dive into this and add 5,000 more words, or you could just read this excellent Vulture piece about the weirdly sexual vibe of 2002). At one point, Dunkleman cozies up to a young contestant and places his hand on her thigh during a post-audition chat that made me queasy to watch, but must have been even more unsettling for her.

This kind of ogling would never fly today, thankfully. Instead of touchy post-audition interviews, we have more socially acceptable, yet still grating, clearly over-produced sob stories about why the singers want to go on Idol and how they changed their lives the minute they sat down behind a piano or held up their first guitar pick. You really can’t win.

The show today has become a tired formula that is no longer needed. Idol was most popular initially because it was so brutal, especially in the show’s earlier episodes. People enjoyed laughing at contestants who had enough confidence to get roasted by Simon or taken down a few pegs by Randy. Two decades in, who is the last Idol winner you can name? And okay, if you can name one from the last five years, do they have at least one hit single?

As the years have gone by, Idol‘s influence has waned. I blame two things: the rise of YouTube and viral videos; plus the accountability now built into reality TV. Thankfully, it’s no longer cool to laugh at people who believe they can sing as some bitter British man roasts them for being tone-deaf. And these days, you don’t have to look too hard to find videos of hopeful singers all over the internet: TikTok, YouTube and Instagram all provide much more content than we have time in the day to consume it all.

The numbers prove people have strayed from what was once reality TV’s crown jewel as it ditched its snarky persona. While Idol was at its peak in Season 5, averaging a 12.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic in 2006, it dipped to a 1.7 in that very same demographic in 2014.

Since that very first episode, Idol has undergone plenty of changes aside from its shift in tone, including losing its original judging panel and swapping in Kara DioGuardi, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, plus Ellen DeGeneres, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. The show also jumped networks, moving from FOX to ABC in 2018 and bringing a fresh panel of judges with Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie — none of whom deliver cutting commentary like Simon, who at one point was the real star of Idol.

Over the years, Idol has gotten nicer, but also lost the edge that was once not only appealing, but also novel; the show has also failed to deliver on its promise to find the next singing superstar for years now. There’s a reason we still associate Clarkson with the show – there has yet to be a star as famous as her to emerge from the Idol machine (Carrie Underwood excepted).

Perhaps this is the real lesson in looking back at American Idol‘s pilot episode: if they’re not going to give us the stars, then they need to bring back the mean. Simon Cowell may have moved on to America’s Got Talent, but there are still plenty of sharp-tongued stars out there. Or at the very least, they can stop relying on Katy Perry in goofy costumes, and instead have her toss out some sick barbs. It’s what Brian Dunkleman would have wanted.