Upstaged by other singing competitions, limping into its 12th season with another almost-new cast of judges, you may think “American Idol” (Fox, 8 p.m.) is on its last legs; perhaps Ryan Seacrest at long last may go the way of Brian Dunkleman.
But though it may not still have the bruising cultural dominance it once had (other networks are unafraid of programming against it now), it does have a special weapon: Nicki Minaj.
The colorful hip-hop star with TechniColor hair and a sly Brooklyn accent fairly pops off the screen, knowing the comic excesses of her own face as her eyes grow wide during auditions, snarls emerge during bad ones, she outrageously flirts here and comes up with a perfectly cognizant argument for a contestant’s qualities there.
She’s wild and unpredictable and impossible to not watch. She’s Lucille Ball for a new century.
And opposite her as the other female judge, Mariah Carey has never seemed so matronly or out of touch. Loaded down with jewels, befitting the royalty she imagines herself to be, she listens intently to contestants but is tone-deaf to comments by her fellow judges. She is also clueless as to how she comes off on the screen.
Between them as a hapless referee, country star Keith Urban tries to keep things civil and moving but has yet to assert himself as a leader on the new judging panel. And Randy Jackson? Well, it’s unclear why the only original judge still working on “Idol” refuses to assert any sort of leadership that comes with seniority. He mostly does his strange sayings he imagines to be hipster slang and is more invisible than ever.
So you think it’s all about the contestants, well, there are a couple of singers who may catch your eye in the New York auditions that begin the long process — including a young woman from East Hartford from a remarkable family. But “Idol” is like a lot of other singing competition shows in one thing: It hasn’t produced a true star in years. (In fact, soon enough, you’ll see the kind of benign, good looking guy with a forgettable voice who is the kind that goes all the way.
From what could be determined from a preview reel that drew from the best audition episodes, “Idol” still has something going for it in its humor and simplicity. It forgets its own grandeur and has fun with its footage and as a result still remains by far the most entertaining show of its kind, even if the star it will make this year is the crazy-haired one among judges.