THR reports that Trish Kinane, who shares showrunning duties with Fox executive vp David Hill, acknowledges, “The storytelling works better in [fewer] weeks.” The problem, surmises Kinane, is that during its heyday, “Idol was so successful [that the season] got too extended too much. There are only so many hours that viewers will devote to watching these shows, so if it is shorter this year, it will be a good thing.”
Despite the declining ratings, American Idol‘s numbers are still good, when compared to other non-scripted entertainment. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if we see a re-boot at some point.