‘American Idol’ recap: season 20 debut

But now “Idol” is like a lot of other shows that were once genuine pop culture phenomena but have now settled happily into a niche world for core fans. (See “Survivor,” “South Park,” “The Simpsons,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and even its rival “The Voice.”)

Reality competition shows are no longer a no-brainer place for would-be singers to build followings. That would be places like YouTube and TikTok. Ironically, “Idol” now shamelessly chases after TikTok viral sensations as evidenced by one of the singers on night one.

From a basic TV perspective, “Idol” has not changed much. Sure, the ABC judges are not Simon, Randy and Paula but the fifth year of Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry. The trio provide enough chemistry and entertainment to keep the die-hards from complaining ― too much. The editors, like they did the early seasons, mine good back stories and still have a soft heart for singers from small towns and Southern accents. And Seacrest remains a reliable cheerleader during the auditions and the glue into and out of commercial breaks during the live shows.

The show has enough appeal that spies leaked out the pre-taped spoilers from December. A top 24 list is already available if you feel like skipping forward.

After a partially remote season 18 and a season 19 featuring social distancing (and no hugs), “Idol” season 20 feels much closer to normal.

The judges and Seacrest can hug and shake hands with the contestants again! But they are still limited to how many people they can bring with them to the audition so the producers continue to use the big video wall so the contestants can inform their families back home what happened.

A couple of minor new things: the judges don’t just hand them the golden ticket. Instead, they pluck them off a wall. Also: there is a “platinum” ticket on the wall, one from each audition city. Those three get to skip the first round of Hollywood.

And the producers now spend generally more time on fewer singers than they did in the early years and far fewer “bad” singers. The two-hour debut episode highlighted a mere 12 people. During the 2000s, they could easily show 20 or more over that same time span.

The show also now actively promotes the singers’ social media accounts on the show. Remember the early days of social media when they kept them pretty locked down? Not anymore.

Plus, they are jumping auditions from city to city, with no real time continuity. The cities themselves (Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles; and Austin, Texas, this year) don’t matter because the contestants are flown in from elsewhere anyway.

Here are the dozen singers and some of their auditions now available online.

First singer of the season: Noah Thompson, 19, Louisa, Kentucky, construction worker. (”Giving You Up,” Kameron Marlowe) “Idol” always starts with a good singer and Noah’s sincerity and textural country tones have commercial appeal in bright lights. Bryan did stop him to ask him to enunciate better during the chorus and he obliges. He lacks confidence in himself and a construction friend forced him to audition. Lionel says he has a “believable” storytelling voice. Katy says he’s “the American dream.” Luke: “You’re why this job is cool.” He is obviously going to Hollywood and has a solid shot at the top 24 if he can build that confidence.

Normandy, 29, Baltimore, Maryland, social media “influencer.” (”Proud Mary,” Tina Turner). She has a ridiculously high speaking voice that could possibly mean: “Joke candidate!” Instead, the second she begins singing in a normal voice, Katy freaks out and walks out the door. She is pretty good but lacking in stage confidence. Her Adele is better but Katy has to goad her to open up more. The judges give her three yesses but I’m not sure if she is going to make it very long during the very tough Hollywood rounds.

Nicolina Bozzo, 18, Toronto, Canada, student, (”She Used to Be Mine,” Sara Bareilles). This is a super blah song but she really sells it, showing off both her quiet voice and her booming side. Her big voice is in fact quite compelling and Katy gets goosebumps. The performance improves and peaks. She receives a well-deserved standing ovation. That was a killer audition, just pure wow. Katy: “I felt your whole life story in that song ... Everybody has their pain, their sorrow and their sadness. It’s about connecting to the heart.” Lionel: “That was just ridiculous. The journey of your voice is what’s infectious.” Luke: “You navigate everything so well. You did a down run that was so unique.” Three very solid yesses. She will have to stumble big time to not make it to the top 24.

Tyler Allen, 24, Mobile, Alabama, delivery driver (”I Believe in You and Me,” Whitney Houston). He starts weak and off-key but brings more nuance and style as he moves along and he blossoms by the end. He is mourning the loss of his nephew and aunt, who died in a car accident. He funnels that pain into this song. Luke lauds his unique sound and his purpose. Lionel: “You are a star. You didn’t do it loud. You did it subtle. You’re the top of my food chain.” That was an easy yes for all three judges. The question is: can he convert that single, very singular, audition into a broader array of performances in Hollywood?

Maddie Belle Glidewell, Glasgow, Kentucky, nursing student (”Redneck Woman,” Gretchen Wilson). Kellie Pickler alert: she’s small town country with a Southern accent, sparkly boots and a sparkly personality! She notes her mom’s crush on Luke so she brings her mom in and Luke hugs her. Maddie isn’t half bad though I feel she is more reliant on personality than voice. Katy: “It needs some more notes. I wanted a little more variation.” Luke: “The voice needs to catch up and has to grow.” The judges said she needs more vocal maturation.

The judges show how they try to give constructive advice to two singers. Camryn Champion has pitch issues. Danielle Finn is in the wrong key. Both make it to Hollywood.

Grace Franklin, 15, Detroit (”Killing Me Softly” Fugees). She’s Aretha’s grand-daughter! Unfortunately, she is too young and her voice isn’t there. She’s warbly and unsteady. Katy asks for her to try a second song and she performs Aretha’s “Ain’t No Way.” It’s a little better but she still needs work and time to grow up. Smartly, Lionel and Luke don’t give her a break because of her genetic ties and say no. Lionel said she’s not ready at age 15. He tells her: “I don’t want you to be a crash and burn... Put the work in.” Oddly, Katy is quite taken with her and gets angry when the boys reject her.

HunterGirl, 23, Winchester, Tennessee, music therapist with veterans (”Payback,” Rascal Flatts). Like Noah Thompson earlier, she has all the makings of a commercially viable country artist with a pretty, distinctive voice with a slight edge to it. I’m not a fan of her overdone eye shadow makeup. She gets a standing ovation and Luke dances around with joy. Katy: “Your voice cuts through. It is like a sharp knife. It’s authentic. You are a good-hearted person helping veterans. All you need is a shot.” Luke wrote “top ten. It’s a new age Miranda Lambert.” He asks her to raise the key slightly higher and she sounds even better! She is Luke’s favorite female country singer in five years. Later, Luke has her perform at his bar Luke’s 32 Bridge and he presents her one of the three Platinum tickets.

Cole Hallman, 22, Manasquan, New Jersey, surf shop associate (”Lodi” Creedence Clearwater Revival). His younger sister (and “biggest fan”) has a missing partial chromosome that affects her negatively but he brought her to the audition to support him. He started singing relatively late in life. He has a really interesting singer-songwriter vibe. Luke: “You’re an authentic voice. You’re singing from the right place.” Katy: “You think you hit a bad note at the end? You didn’t ... Your heart is in your voice. It’s so raw and passionate.” They bring his sister to sing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with him. It’s sweet. He is an easy yes. If he can keep his head on during Hollywood, he could land in the top 24.

Delaney Renee, 18, Berkley, Massachusetts (”Opportunity,” Sia). She’s a babysitter. The mother she was babysitting for snuck a TikTok video of her singing that went viral. It got 18 million views and “Idol” started chasing her. She does have an excellent voice singing a song with lyrics that seem apt. Luke: “There is still a lot of youthfulness in your voice. I think if we can roughen up some edges, we can throw you into this crazy competition.” Katy: “You are so full of light and goodness and yet we want a little bit of grit. You’ll get there.” She gets three yesses. She has a decent shot at the top 24.

Taylor Fagins, 26, New York, writer (original tune “They Need More”). The song is all about social justice. He references Ahmaud Arbery in the first verse, then Breonna Taylor in the second. It’s heartfelt and quite effective. Lionel said he grew up in the 1960s with these types of social protest songs: “We need your song in 2022. How disgusting [meaning that it’s disgusting he has to sing about this at all.] Very powerful.” Luke: “That was a really magical kind of moment for me. I took every ounce of it in. It was special.” Katy: “Activism comes in so many different forms. It seems art has the most impact at the end of the day and hopefully influence a better world.” He gets three very big yesses. Like Tyler Allen, his audition is so specific, it’s hard to say if he’ll do well in Hollywood.