Same Show, New Washed Up Celebrities

It's amazing to me that shows like American Idol don't update. It would be easy to change the format in exciting ways while the show is still successful. Instead, they ride the show until it nosedives into a flaming pile of overused reality TV gags. By the time the producers realize they should have a Celebrity American Idol, an amazing new sitcom about people in their late 20's trying to find love in a big city will be spanking it in the ratings.

Shows that end in their prime always impress me. Seinfeld managed to recognize that Kramer sliding into the room would only be funny for 200 episodes or so. It was the late 90's, and people's tastes were becoming more refined. Observational humor was out, soon to be replaced by immunity challenges and scorpion eating.

The part that stings the most is that I guarantee the creativity/success connection is a very, very loose one. We want to believe that the most creative people get ahead, but that is not the case. If that were so, then explain Law and Order: Angry Spouse Adventures, or 98 Degrees. I think I'm still just angry because Arrested Development never caught on. The 1.3% of the population that watched, you are cool with me. To those other idiots...you know what you did. Quick, The Big Bang Theory is coming on.