American Idol Worth Remembering, But Worth Ending Too

05:55

January 06, 2016

The judges on the final season of American Idol are Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. (Fox)

American Idol's 15th and final season begins tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on Fox. The show was perhaps the most influential of its generation, dominating television for its first eight seasons - but you wouldn't know it by how ratings have spiraled.

As the show begins its farewell tour, NPR's Eric Deggans talks with Here & Now's Robin Young about how it transformed a genre while giving us stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.

See more TV recommendations and commentary from Eric Deggans

Guest

Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR. He tweets @Deggans.

This segment aired on January 6, 2016.