Kelly Clarkson, in the beginning. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
When Fox started the American version of a British singing competition 14 years ago, the success of "American Idol" was so big, so immediate and so utterly unexpected that it essentially broke television.
Pretty much everything that's happened since, from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" to "Transparent," from Sundance Channel's artisanal content to Netflix's binge model, is, at least in part, a product of the "American Idol" aftershock.
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Mary McNamara is a culture columnist and critic for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she was assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment following a 12-year stint as television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing. She is the author of the Hollywood mysteries “Oscar Season” and “The Starlet.” She lives in La Crescenta with her husband and two dogs.
