Guys; i live in the UK. A country where if any show ever reaches over 10 million viewers - they create 9 spinoffs on the 3 ancillary networks, make a slew of "Howd they do that" or "the stars behind X" documentries, plug the stars in every network ad about and then make the show go 64 times weekly.

So im used to seeing networks milk ratings juggernauts so hard that they shrivel up and fall over. [The Weakest Link, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Who Wants to be A Millionare?, Big Brother, The Farm et all]

Here in boring Blighty, ratings for ever new series of "Pop Idol" have been sliding like theres no tomorrow - the last star spawned is not seen ANYWHERE any more; and the new star seems to have already dissappeared into obscurity after recording a terribly OTT rehash of "Against All Odds" which ended up not doing hugely well. The only Idol with any real staying power was Will Young, and maybe a little bit of Girls Aloud and Liberty X[losers from PopStars].

But the ratings declined due to lack of originality with every new series and in the end - milking the show for every column inch it was worth. Pop Idol in the UK is on an indefinate leave of absence, although theres talks of a new one in 2006.

So im just wondering, with American Idol moving 3 teams a week to support FOX [its like putting a mouse on top of an elephant] when is America finally going to tire of "Idol"? Ratings are still in the high 20s....Its hitting up all the competition pretty bad [Alias dropped off 3.5 million viewers and is still declining] will America ever tire of the formula?

I mean, i must say, there are SO MANY us reality shows right now that im surprised the whole genre hasn't totally imploded.

Hopefully America will tire eventually. You know damn well FOX will probably push it even harder next year, maybe trying to see if it will work on Thursdays or Fridays, as well. Don't laugh, FOX is still struggling on those two nights, and I think Idol would help the network a lot. But, three nights a week will be far too much once they dwindle down to the top 12, assuming it's still on 3 nights a week then. Maybe not, though. Perhaps, it's just for everyone to perform right now.

They could make the idols box one another on Thursday.

But then on Thursdays people would shit, eat, sleep and drink it, and fatigue would set in quicker than a celebrity sex tape appears online.

You're the only one fatigued over the sex tapes.

3 nights = TOO MUCH!!!!

Every station struggles on Fridays. Maybe not as bad as Fox, but Friday just isnt a good timeslot. Beats sundays at 6, though.

One a week is too much.

True, but FOX has never had any luck on Fridays, since Chris Carter's two biggest shows (The X-Files, his biggest, and Millennium, even though it only lasted three seasons). Consistently, the top network usually triples FOX's ratings for Fridays.

It's only going to be on three times a week for three weeks. Once the Top 12 has been chosen, it'll return to its regular Tuesday and Wednesday routine.

As for reality tv imploding. I don't really see reality tv as a fad anymore. It's like the new hour-long drama. You have to realize that the medium is always changing and this is the latest step in the evolution. But before you tare me down, I'd just like to note that reality shows like The Bachelor or Who Wants To Marry My Dad are NOT part of that inovation.

Well, its Wednesday showing is staying at 9PM rather than 8PM as it was stapled before
meaning its going to continue smashing "Alias" in the ratings

which means i now hate it