Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
STARS ON SCREEN
Can’t keep it down: Turns out the juggernaut wasn’t slain after all — it was just looking for a new home, and now it’s finally all settled in. After nearly two years off the air, “American Idol” stages a triumphant return to television on Sunday, March 11.
Don’t look for the singing competition — which reigned for eight consecutive years as the most watched show in America — on Fox, its old home network. “Idol’s” new home is on ABC, but despite the change of scenery, Ryan Seacrest’s (“Live with Kelly and Ryan”) familiar face is still around to greet audiences. The well-known personality hosted all 15 previous seasons, and he’s made the move to the new network to return to the role that made him a household name.
Seacrest will be the only familiar face greeting audiences on March 11, though, with an all-new judging panel taking its seats. It’s star power galore with these judges: pop rock superstar Katy Perry, country singer Luke Bryan and soul artist Lionel Richie make up the trio passing judgment and giving advice to the aspiring singers.
After several seasons of declining ratings, Fox canceled the series in 2016, but it didn’t take long before ABC snatched it up. In addition to the new judges, there may be some other small changes to the revived series, but the core “American Idol” formula is expected to stay more or less the same. At the start of each season, thousands of talented (and many not-so-talented) amateur singers with dreams of stardom audition in cities around the country, with the judging panel choosing who has the right combination of vocal talent, stage presence and charisma to be potential stars.
The judges gradually whittle down the contestants over the next few weeks, until a group of semifinalists emerges, kicking off the real competition — the live episodes. Each of the semifinalists performs live each week, and viewers at home then get to vote for their favorites, with the contestant receiving the fewest votes being removed from the competition.
With a recording contract up for grabs, not to mention the instant name recognition and built-in fan base that winning a contest of this scale can bring, the stakes are as high as they’ve ever been in “American Idol.” The singing competition returns to television on its new home on Sunday, March 11, on ABC.
Royal behavior: Stately behavior this is not. With the upcoming marriage of American actress Meghan Markle (“Suits”) to Prince Harry, interest in the British Royal Family is high, and it couldn’t be a better time for a new season of “The Royals,” premiering Sunday, March 11, on E!.
The comedy/drama stars Elizabeth Hurley (“Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” 1997) as the fictional royal family’s matriarch, who struggles to keep her clan together as they work through typical — and plenty of notso-typical — family drama. Of course, the fact that they’re one of the most famous families in the world makes it tricky keeping all of that family drama, well, in the family.
William Moseley (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” 2005) and Alexandra Park (“The Elephant Princess”) star as her hedonistic twin children Liam and Eleanor, while Max Brown (“The Tudors”) returns as Robert, her eldest son who was presumed dead but miraculously appeared last season to claim the throne.
That dramatic throne-seizing closed out last season with a bang, and it seems that this season will deal with the fallout within the family. The stakes really couldn’t be higher than when family drama mixes with royal intrigues, but that’s exactly what’s set to happen when “The Royals” returns for a fourth season on Sunday, March 11, on E!.
Legally departing: There’s good news and there’s bad news for fans of “Suits,” USA Network’s hit legal drama. The good news is that it’s been renewed for an eighth season; the bad news is that that season will be missing a few of the show’s longtime stars.
The seventh season is currently underway, with a special two-hour finale scheduled to air Wednesday, April 25, but once that wraps up, both Meghan Markle (“Horrible Bosses,” 2011), who plays paralegal-turned-lawyer Rachel Zane, and Patrick J. Adams (“Luck”), who plays fraudulent attorney Mike Ross, will be saying their goodbyes.
It seems that they’ll be going out on a high note. In that season finale, Mike and Rachel, who’ve had a tumultuous relationship since the very beginning of the series, are finally getting married.
To help fill the hole in the credits, this season’s newcomer Dulé Hill (“The West Wing”) will be promoted to series regular, while stars Gabriel Macht (“The Spirit,” 2008), Rick Hoffman (“Hostel,” 2005) and Sarah Rafferty (“Samantha Who?”) are all set to return. “Suits” continues to be a ratings powerhouse for USA, but only time will tell if its viewership remains loyal with two of its stars gone.