Diminishing returns

ABDUL. Too kind as head juror.

It’s sad to see some stars and productions doing less well this season than they have in previous years. What’s happened to them can teach other show biz people and entities what negative factors they should look out for, so that they can avoid also ending up in deficit territory due to continually diminishing returns:

A few seasons ago, one of our favorite TV shows was “Iron Chef America.” The cooking competition between master chefs from Asia, Europe and the States taught us a lot about gourmet cooking and dining, and had enough culinary “drama” in it to compete favorably with teleseryes.

Strange detour

Sometime ago, however, the show took a strange detour that significantly compromised and reduced its viewing advantage and appeal to viewers: Possibly because it couldn’t contractually hold on to its stellar array of international master chefs (Batalli, Flay, Morimoto, etc.), the tilt took on a “Search for the Next Iron Chef” coloration. The finalists weren’t all that outstanding, so our attention dipped and strayed, and we rarely watch the show these days. What a pity.

“Dance for Life” is another TV tilt that experienced diminishing returns. Paula Abdul’s new show after she left “American Idol” started off with a big bang, but soon overstayed its welcome on the tube. What was the problem? Paula was too kind as head juror, and approved of too many relatively mediocre dance acts that got into the finals – and watered down the competition’s excitement level.

As a result, “Dance for Life’s” second season became a decidedly iffy proposition – which may have been why Paula felt free to accept her new judging chores alongside her old “love-hate” partner, Simon Cowell, on “X-Factor.”

We trust that their new tandem will last a lot longer, and that she’s learned her lesson and will no longer lower her standards to come across as a slap-happy and super-nice booster of new talents – even if they don’t deserve the hyperventilating raves!