Paula Abdul Leaves The X Factor, Show's Future Uncertain

Paula Abdul Leaves The X Factor, Show's Future Uncertain

Paula Abdul is the latest departure from Fox's middling The X Factor, leaving Simon Cowell searching for the magic he'll need to make the show a hit.

The X Factor hit American television a few years too late, it would appear. After shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent captured the imagination and loyalty of American television viewers, there was an onslaught of new shows that wanted to grab a piece of the "talent contest" format. So by the time Simon Cowell brought The X Factor to America, there was nothing that could be done to make it feel new or exciting to the American public.

Even with the ratings impact of Simon Cowell's love-him-or-hate-him persona, The X Factor struggled to make a major splash. The reality is that the show's format is now stale, having been used and re-used already by countless shows, many of which are still on the air.

As a result of the dead-on-arrival format, The X Factor failed to live up to the impossibly high expectations that Cowell himself had set. Now, Fox is re-thinking the show's structure and has already jettisoned Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and Steve Jones. That leaves Cowell and Antonio "L.A." Reid as the only original members of the cast still on board.

But don't expect Fox or Cowell to throw in the towel just yet. Given that the show has only aired for one season, it's a near certainty that they're going to try to make a splash with replacement personalities for the departed cast members. It's hard to say who might be available and whether or not more star power will make a difference in the ratings. But rumors are surely going to start to swirl in the very near future. Now that Howard Stern is taking over a judge's seat on America's Got Talent, it seems that anything might be possible. 

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies