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Did you know the first season of American Idol debuted on June 11, 2002? The show quickly became a topic for talk “around the water cooler” as people discussed the singing ability of the contestants still on the show and debated who should get cut and sent home next. By the time the first season finale aired on September 4, 2002, the Fox network realized they had a big hit show. American Idol became the number one show in America, by far. In fact, they could have lost half their viewership on any given night and still been in the top 10 television shows.

Not watching the show could put people at a social disadvantage because discussion of the show was a hot topic almost anywhere a person goes. That’s why I started watching it in season two. I was sick of everyone I knew talking about it and feeling like I was an outcast because I knew nothing about the show. I became addicted to it as are millions of other Americans. And the ironic thing is the concept for American Idol didn’t originate in the United States.

American Idol was based on a British television show called Pop Idol. And yes, Simon Cowell was part of Pop Idol. Simon, along with Simon Fuller developed Pop Idol and then brought the concept to the United States as American Idol.

Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Ryan Seacrest were all part of the show when it first aired. But did you know Ryan had a co-host the first season? His name was Brian Dunkleman. Brian left after the first season. He was unhappy with his role on the show, the producers were unhappy with his performance, and Simon Cowell was openly critical of him. Dunkleman became involved with American Idol again though, doing voice over work on American Idol Rewind, a show that rehashes everything that happened in past seasons of American Idol – you know – just in case you missed it or want to see it again.

But why did American Idol become the phenomenon it did? After all, it isn’t the first singing competition to be aired on television. Star Search had singing competitions and was on the air for 12 years but it never became a mega hit. The key might be in viewer participation. Star Search had some participation but only from the studio audience whereas American Idol gives anyone with access to a phone the ability to be part of the decision of who goes and who stays. And the voting public gets to make 100 percent of the decision once the top 24 contestants are picked. The judges get to speak their mind each week and they hope the voters will listen to them, but ultimately the viewers decide. I think that is a big part of what has made American Idol so popular. The viewers get to make the decisions. It gives viewers the feeling of control and power.

Combined with the viewers making the decision of who goes and who stays is the contestants themselves. They are everyday people just like you and me who happen to be talented singers, usually anyway, and have not yet been discovered. Plus, the judges and producers have a good knack for not only choosing contestants who can sing but ones with personality as well which makes the show very entertaining.

There are likely very few people living in the United States who have not heard of American Idol. You almost have to be living under a rock to not know about it these days. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I think it’s good. It’s a family-friendly show without violence – unless you count the fights between some of the co-hosts!