American Idol reunion! Former Idol executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe looked tanned and well rested in a Zoom interview from Barbados with Ryan Seacrest on his radio show. After the two reminisced a little about their days working together on American Idol during the FOX era, Ryan asked Nigel for an update on So You Think You Can Dance.
FOX renewed SYTYCD for the 2020 season. But before the auditions began, the pandemic shut down film and television production. Most competitive reality shows like American Idol, The Voice and America’s Got Talent figured out a way to move forward amid coronavirus restrictions. But FOX decided to cancel So You Think You Can Dance instead of taking special measures to proceed with the season. FOX didn’t bring the show back for the 2021 season either.
“I believe it’s going to come back this year”
Now, SYTYCD’s executive producer is cautious. “I believe it’s going to come back this year,” he said. However, “No one is really contacted me yet, but there’s rumors that it’s going to come back.” Interesting. So nobody from FOX contacted him, but he’s hearing through the grapevine that the network wants to bring it back? Or something?
Previously, Nigel teased fans on Twitter, writing, “I think #SYTYCD fans might be getting some good news this year?”
“Obviously, during the Covid period, it was really difficult to create a bubble because we had so many different choreographers coming in and and you are swapping partners,” Nigel told Ryan. “So it’s very difficult to do during this terrible pandemic. But hopefully we’ll come into the end of it now and [So You Think You Can Dance] will come back.”
Will FOX bring So You Think You Can Dance back after 2 years off the air?
The iconic Emmy winning dance show, created by Simon Fuller and overseen by Nigel, sat on a ratings bubble for several seasons. If the show had better ratings, FOX would have found a way to continue production. But ever since FOX hit gold with The Masked Singer, the network pivoted to shows with similar gimmicks. It’s not good enough to merely perform in front of a panel of judges and ask viewers for votes. There HAS to be a crazy twist. Contestants sing while wearing goofy costumes (Masked Singer), or inside a creepy looking avatar (Alter Ego). Or the panel must guess whether a performer can actually sing or not (I Can See Your Voice).
Would FOX actually bring back an old school competition like So You Think You Can Dance after it’s been off the schedule for two years? Nigel announcing “rumors” could be a way to stir fan enthusiasm. Start up those hashtags, kids, and direct them at @FOXTV! Or probably, don’t do that.
In the meantime, Nigel keeps himself busy producing and promoting Triller Fight Club events. The next one is in Houston on February 26.
