Lythgoe Sets Sail From ‘American Idol’
Do you really, really love “American Idol” as it is? Then this might be bad news, because the man who steered the reality competition into the behemoth it’s become for Fox has left the building.
Nigel Lythgoe, the showrunner of AI and “So You Think You Can Dance?“, has told TelevisionWeek that he plans to spend the summer concentrating on a new version of the latter in South Africa.
“My summer will be taken up by travels to South Africa, Australia and Canada to work on local versions of (‘SYTYCD’),” Lythgoe said to TelevisionWeek. “I will step back from my day-to-day producing work on ‘American Idol’ and will be devoting my time to a new venture with (show co-creator) Simon Fuller.”
Both shows’ production company, 19 Entertainment, released a statement after TMZ.com reported that Lythgoe was leaving, stating in part: “Contrary to online rumors, producer Nigel Lythgoe is not leaving 19 Entertainment.” 
The statement confirmed he was working on new project with Fuller, saying: “While we are disappointed that he will no longer be executive producing ‘American Idol,’ we are pleased to continue working with him on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and look forward to working with him on his new projects.”
With “America’s Got Talent” and “Nashville Star” gaining traction (slowly) for NBC, can AI keep America’s attention through the winter? Admittedly, we’ll have fewer distractions in the winter months, but the show’s on the verge of just being a strong lead-in for “House“.
(Photo Credit: Fox)
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