PILOT REVIEW: The X-Factor

THE X-FACTOR

Judges: Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, LA Reid, and Cheryl Cole
Hosted by Steve Jones
Directed by Ben Thursby

The X-Factor is the new big talent show to hit the airwaves with the biggest cash prize in TV history and the reuniting of two longtime American Idol judges - Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, joining LA Reid and Cheryl Cole. This show is aiming to be the next big thing and that's evident from the promotion to the opening, but have we finally had one talent competition too many?

THE GOOD: One thing that's always good about these shows is their is, of course, some genuine talent. Some people are fun to watch perform no matter the show and this is no exception. While there are some issues I have with Simon and Paula (see below), there is still some fun to seeing them together again. That's really all I have to say. Whatever I like about American Idol, I still like here - just a little bit less.

THE BAD: These types of shows have a tendency to be overproduced and this is no exception. In fact, it's worse than usual. It's also not a great idea to make the show all about the judges as this show really is. There's talented people of course, but you can tell that this show is all about Simon Cowell. From the promotion to the clips before the credits even air, this show isn't letting the talent speak for itself. It's basically The Simon Cowell Show. And most audience know exactly what they're getting with him. It's not shocking anymore and honestly it's not even that entertaining anymore. While we're on that topic, Paula and Simon seem to be forcing their chemistry that used to come so natural. Even the contestants don't seem as genuine as other shows. I think our whole culture with these shows has taken away truly finding someone with "the x factor." The overdone audition shows don't have the charm of those early American Idol days in a room with the three judges. The bad auditions are so fake in my opinion and are not nearly as entertaining as the bad Idol auditions. And for what it's worth, Cheryl Cole is pretty annoying too. Finally, there's nothing new about this show. It has elements of American Idol, The Voice, and America's Got Talent. But the only think that makes this show is different is the amount of prize money... and that's not very innovative. It feels like an extravagant yet pale imitation of Idol in every way.

BOTTOM LINE: I feel like the talent competitions have reached their breaking point. And judging from the ratings, it looks like many people agree. The Voice was different enough with its new spin on auditions and very different spin on the coach/judge role. This one doesn't have that. It's a retread of American Idol and it's so obvious that they're trying too hard to make it huge. It just isn't. No show that's a near carbon copy is going to make a huge splash and that's why this doesn't work. It might do well enough but it's not TV's next big thing.