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American Idol (titled
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar in the first season) is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by
Simon Fuller. It debuted on June 11, 2002 on the
Fox network, and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television.
It's currently the #1 TV show and is one of only three that have been #1 in the
Nielsen Ratings for five consecutive seasons, along with
All in the Family and
The Cosby Show. Part of the
Idol franchise, it is a spinoff from the reality program
Pop Idol, which first aired in 2001 in the
United Kingdom.
The program seeks to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions. Through phone voting America has chosen past winners
Kelly Clarkson (Season One),
Ruben Studdard (Season Two),
Fantasia Barrino (Season Three),
Carrie Underwood (Season Four),
Taylor Hicks (Season Five),
Jordin Sparks (Season Six),
David Cook (Season Seven), and
Kris Allen (Season Eight).
