What was on TV? Tues, Jan 18, 2005

20 years ago, Americans elected George Bush to a second term. Now it was time for even more Americans to choose a new American Idol.

8:00 Amercan Idol on Fox

4x01 "Washington, DC Auditions"

Watch on Youtube

American Idol was an established presence in popular culture by 2005. 2005 might be its peak. Its ratings and relevance were at their peak, and this season was arguably the last time the show created a genuine superstar, someone who made headlines and signaled a dark turning of the tide this very week!

But watching it today, man is this show boring. The auditions had become so popular that the show expanded them, premiering with a full two hours of auditions from DC, most of them bad. There's only so many ways to watch someone sing badly. By this point, the auditions were such a phenomenon that you can see people trying to game the system, to be bad on purpose. I am specifically thinking of Toni Braxton's cousin, who seemed blitzed out of his mind and determined to make a scene. I hope he had fun!

10:00 Malcolm in the Middle (recorded)

6x07 "Hal Sleepwalks"

Available on Hulu

Not one of the show's stronger episodes. There are too many storylines and little to no cohesion. But the Hal and Lois storyline (in which he tries to find her the perfect anniversary present) is very sweet and makes for a nice companion piece to last Thursday's episode of The OC.

Late Night

review

What Else Was On

My Super Sweet 16 aired its first-ever episode on MTV.

TiVo Status

The Masterpiece Theater miniseries He Knew He Was Right and The Lost Prince, and one episode each of Carnivale, Everybody Loves Raymond, and King of the Hill. 10 hours total.