--- title: American Idol: Last Episode, Show Legacy and Winners description: The reality series, ending this week, won contemporary culture canonical: https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/ author: Daniel D'Addario article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-06T18:38:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:51.828Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: American Idol's Impact on Culture Is More Than Just Winners og:description: The reality series, ending this week, won contemporary culture og:url: https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7af5ab548fcdce2a/69869f07cd68484162095ff9/t100_tv_american-idol1.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: t100_tv_american-idol1 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: American Idol's Impact on Culture Is More Than Just Winners twitter:description: The reality series, ending this week, won contemporary culture twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7af5ab548fcdce2a/69869f07cd68484162095ff9/t100_tv_american-idol1.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _American Idol_’s Impact on Culture Is More Than Just Its Winners > Sponsored content. 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MONEY takes a look at what "American Idol" has made over 15 years on the air._  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Apr 6, 2016 6:38 PM UTC  Everett  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Apr 6, 2016 6:38 PM UTC [_American Idol_](http://time.com/3853612/american-idol-canceled-last-season-fox/)kicks off its [two-part finale](http://time.com/3853548/american-idol-canceled/) Wednesday night—a long spectacle whose least important part will be choosing the 15th winner of the show. After all, the lengthy broadcast will be far more about celebrating the franchise, which was for many years TV’s most successful, than about any one singer’s fortunes. And even more important, _Idol_‘s real impact has little to do with most of its winners. [Kelly Clarkson](http://time.com/3854571/kelly-clarkson-american-idol-canceled/) and Carrie Underwood, certainly, were _Idol_ winners who converted their success on the show into real-world superstardom; other early [winners](http://time.com/money/4281354/american-idol-stars-most-money/), like Jordin Sparks and Fantasia Barrino, work consistently in the recording industry. But they’ve found success by moving away from _Idol_‘s cheesy Americana and talent-show trappings. Indeed, the show has done far more to change the television industry than it has to change music. Consider that _Idol_ was the first of its kind in the U.S. When it launched in 2002 as an adaptation of the U.K. _Pop Idol_ franchise with few expectations attached, the reality genre was young. _Survivor_, another adaptation of European TV, had begun two years prior. And _Survivor_, with its focus on canny strategizing, has little in common with the flat earnestness of _Idol_, which promises that pure meritocracy will win out. When _Survivor_ has a disappointing winner, it’s because the game shook out in a manner that privileged less appealing qualities. When _Idol_ does, it’s because you—yes, _you_!—didn’t cast enough votes. Five years or so ago, the question of _Idol_‘s winners has created an apparent death spiral; not enough people other than, it seemed, tween and teen girls were voting, and so the winners tended year after year to be inoffensively cute white male guitarists. This made viewing the show seem less urgent and further limited the voting base. Why would anyone dissatisfied with _Idol_ watch it when all of the shows it spawned dominated the airwaves? _Idol_, whose success guaranteed imitators, is the forerunner of one of the two dominant modes of contemporary reality TV, the talent-competition show (the other is _Real Housewives_\-style candid reality, and _Survivor_ straddles the two). Once a foreign import, reality TV is now at the very heart of original American programming. _Idol_‘s offspring include not only _The Voice_, which has stolen _Idol_‘s heat, but also _Dancing With the Stars_, _Project Runway_, and _Top Chef_. All of these shows, whether viewers are actually empowered to vote or not, are designed to feel like reassuring morality stories. The candidate with the best alchemy of winning backstory, raw talent, and hard work either takes the crown—or is cruelly denied in a manner to be resolved in the marketplace or, more likely, on an All-Stars season. ### See American Idol's Most Successful Alumni  Carrie Underwood, winner of American Idol season 4, performs at the 2014 American Country Countdown Awards at Music City Center in Nashville on Dec. 15, 2014. Jason Merritt—Getty Images  Kelly Clarkson, season 1 winner, performs "Heartbeat Song" onstage during the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 29, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images  Chris Daughtry, who came in 4th on season 5, performs at Pompano Beach Amphitheatre in Pompano Beach, Fla. on Nov. 12, 2014. Larry Marano—Getty Images  Clay Aiken, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in North Carolina's Second District, poses for a selfie with supporters after casting his vote in the midterm elections oat Mills Park Elementary School in Cary, N.C. on Nov. 4, 2014\. Aiken was runner up on the second season of American Idol. Grant Halverson—Getty Images  Fantasia, winner of season 3, performs at the 7th Annual Music Festival at Boardwalk Hall Arena in Atlantic City, N.J. on May 9, 2015. Donald Kravitz—Getty Images  Ruben Studdard, season 2 winner, performs at When Georgia Smiled: The Robin McGraw Revelation Foundation And Verizon Unite For Second Annual Domestic Violence Summit at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Calif. on Oct. 3, 2014. Mathew Imaging—WireImage/Getty Images  Scotty McCreery performs during "FOX & Friends" holiday special at FOX Studios in New York City on Dec. 4, 2014\. McCreery won season 10 of American Idol. Slaven Vlasic—Getty Images  Kellie Pickler, who came in 6th on season 5, performs at 2014 USO Gala: Honoring Those Who Serve at the Washington Hilton in Washington on Oct. 17, 2014. Paul Morigi—Getty Images  David Cook, season 7 winner, performs at the Soles4Souls charity concert, sponsored by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly at the Bridge Building in Nashville on April 1, 2014. Jason Davis—Getty Images  Jennifer Hudson, who came in 7th place on season 3, performs at We Day at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. on April 30, 2015. Timothy Hiatt—Getty Images  Jordin Sparks, winner of season 6 of American Idol, performs at Jeffrey Sanker's White Party in Palm Springs, Calif. on April 25, 2015. Chelsea Lauren—WireImage/Getty Images  Phillip Phillips, season 11 winner, performs at Hard Rock Live! in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. on Nov. 15, 2014. Larry Marano—Getty Images  David Archuleta, season 7 runner-up, performs at the KIIS FM's 10th Annual "American Idol" Finale Viewing Party at Regal 14 at LA Live Downtown in Los Angeles on May 25, 2011. Jonathan Leibson—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Adam Lambert, season 8 runner-up, is seen onstage at 102.7 KIIS FM's Wango Tango at StubHub Center in Los Angeles on May 9, 2015. Chelsea Lauren—WireImage/Getty Images  Josh Gracin, who came in 4th place in season 2, performs during the 2012 Downtown Hoedown at Comerica Park in Detroit on June 8, 2012. Paul Warner—Getty Images  Taylor Hicks, winner of season 5, performs at Tony La Russa's 3rd annual Leaders & Legends Gala at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas on Nov. 22, 2014. David Becker—Getty Images  Bo Bice, season 4 runner-up, performs in concert following the 2012 Colt Ford & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic at Legends Golf Course Club in Braselton, Ga. on Sept. 24, 2012. Chris McKay—Getty Images  Elliott Yamin, who came in 3rd in season 5, performs at the Malaria No More Reception With American Idols To Celebrate Recent Progress In The Fight Against Malaria in Washington on March 7, 2012. Paul Morigi—Getty Images  Katharine McPhee, season 5 runner-up, walks out on the field to sing the national anthem before the 2015 NFC Championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Jan. 18, 2015. Ronald Martinez—Getty Images  Diana DeGarmo, season 3 runner-up, arrives at the "American Idol" XIII season premiere event held at Royce Hall, UCLA in Westwood, Calif. on Jan. 14, 2014. Michael Tran—FilmMagic  Kris Allen, winner of season 8, performs at the Soles4Souls charity concert, sponsored by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly at the Bridge Building in Nashville on April 1, 2014. Jason Davis—Getty Images Without _Idol_, we might not have Amy Schumer; the comedian got her big break on NBC’s _Idol_\-for-jokes _Last Comic Standing_. Fifth Harmony, the ascendant girl group who just notched their first Top 10 hit with “Work From Home,” was formed on _The X Factor_, Fox’s attempt to make an _Idol_esque show to run through autumn. Gwen Stefani’s career comeback on _The Voice_, Candice Cameron Bure’s post-_Dancing With the Stars_ role on _Fuller House_, the restaurant in your city that got a little extra juice from its chef having been cut by Padma—all of them are proof of _Idol_‘s impact. So too is the way we watch TV. Fifteen seasons is so long a time that the medium has changed around _Idol_. Never before the show had viewers been so directly allowed to influence what they want to happen; this coincided with a boundless expansion of programs available to watch. Viewers went from being able to choose which amateur singer got to continue on in a splashy Fox reality show to being able to choose which amateur singer to watch on YouTube. The technology would exist without _Idol_, but would the audience’s confidence that they’re empowered to be the one who chooses stars? More than anything else, _Idol_ made explicit the nature of stardom; it’s by consent of the governed. A movie star whose movies don’t sell tickets isn’t going to be a movie star forever. But that sort of hashing-out of star futures usually happens behind the scenes and over a slightly longer term than a TV seasons. _Idol_ allowed fans to closely track the fortunes of their favorite and to exert direct influence over what happened to them. Now that we’re empowered to enter the narratives of stars’ lives by tweeting praise or criticism at them, it’s hard to believe just how thoroughly _Idol_ itself won. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/"},"headline":"American Idol’s Impact on Culture Is More Than Just Its Winners","datePublished":"2016-04-06T18:38:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:41:51.828Z","description":"The reality series, ending this week, won contemporary culture","url":"https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/","keywords":["Television","American Idol"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7af5ab548fcdce2a/69869f07cd68484162095ff9/t100_tv_american-idol1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7af5ab548fcdce2a/69869f07cd68484162095ff9/t100_tv_american-idol1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"t100_tv_american-idol1","caption":"","creditText":"Everett","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/","name":"American Idol’s Impact on Culture Is More Than Just Its Winners"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"\"American Idol\" By the Numbers","description":"MONEY takes a look at what \"American Idol\" has made over 15 years on the air.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/eOnT6UnN/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-04-06T16:30:33.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eOnT6UnN.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/","duration":"PT1M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4283634/american-idol-last-episode-legacy/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```