Nigel Lythgoe To Return For ‘American Idol’ Finale As ‘SYTYCD’ Fate In Limbo
The parade of returning American Idol alums for the reality series’ upcoming 15th and final season will include original executive
producer Nigel Lythgoe who is set to reprise his duties for the series finale. The news comes as Fox is going down to the wire deciding the fate of Lythgoe’s series So You Think You Can Dance. In the past, renewals for the dancing competition have come before the Thanksgiving holiday as auditions typically start in January. The plot for a potential Season 13 pickup of SYTYCD thickened further in early October when Fox bought a couples dancing competition show from former The Voice executive producer Stijn Bakkers and American Idol producer FremantleMedia North America.
Lythgoe, along with fellow Idol veteran Ken Warwick, were ousted after Season 12 in 2013 as part of a major shakeup aimed at turning the once-dominant series’ ratings fortunes around. (Lythgoe originally left in 2008, returning two years later.) There is no word yet whether Warwick will also come back. Idol host Ryan Seacrest, the only key original auspice to remain with the show for its entire run, recently told Access Hollywood that all previous judges on the singing show would make an appearance during the final season. Lythgoe’s return to Idol was first reported by Variety.
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