End Of An Era: 'American Idol' Axed After 15 Years
May 11 2015, Updated 10:06 a.m. ET
American Idol will wrap up after 15 years with its upcoming season, Fox announced Monday.
Judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban, and host Ryan Seacrest, will all return for the final year of the network talent show, which introduced now-superstars Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood to the mainstream.
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The show will include detailed retrospectives of its past 14 seasons during its swan song year. American Idol, which had 30 million viewers at its high point, has averaged less than 9 million in recent seasons . The star-studded roster of past judges on the show include Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Simon Cowell, Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Ellen DeGeneres.
Upon its 2002 debut, it kicked off a reality-driven talent show format that was subsequently seen on shows such as The X Factor and The Voice.
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The final season kicks off in January.