Never mind the numbers: American Idol has got its groove back.

This year’s singers are better, the show itself is more entertaining and American Idol’s Canadian ratings have recovered in recent weeks after a muted performance at the start.

TV’s most-watched regularly scheduled program has regained some of its cultural cachet, after an off-key year last season in which many of the contestants seemed more tone-deaf than pitch-perfect.

It wasn’t one of our better seasons,” Idol judge Simon Cowell acknowledged in a conference call at this season’s outset.

While Idol has slipped slightly in the U.S. ratings charts — down seven per cent from last season — most music experts say this is a very good season indeed. The reason is two standout singers, both male performers, who could not be more different.

If, as most Idol prognosticators — Cowell included — predict, the May 21 finale will come down to David vs. David: David Archuleta from Murray, Utah and 25-year-old Blue Springs, Mo. native David Cook.

If that happens, the seven-year-old reality-TV competition that has shaped Grammy winners, country stars and even an Academy Award winner could be poised for its most compelling and unpredictable finish yet.

“We found more interesting people, more interesting artists,” Cowell said. “They have a certain quirkiness, an individual style. In past years, we used to get a ton of school kids who were just talented puppets, for want of a better word. These singers look more current; they sound more current.”

A DEFINING MOMENT

Every season has its defining moment. And for Idol this year, that moment came on April 9, when Australian-born rocker Michael Johns was sent home in a shock result that rocked the charts in online chatrooms, including  the one at Canada.com, where fans weighed in with invective that ranged from, “So much for talent; America’s speed-dialers have spoken again,” to, “I’m disgusted and will not watch again.”

Those fans who swore they’d never watch again may not have followed through on their threat: According to CTV, last week’s numbers increased over the week before, to 2.6 million from 2.4 million.

Johns’ early exit did however renew some fans’ demands that Idol adopt a one-fan/one-vote phone- and text-messaging policy.

Idol’s producers say they will hold the line, though. With shock results providing fodder for watercooler conversation — and with last week’s vote tally reaching a season-high 36 million votes — the producers are reluctant to opt for a mid-course correction.

THE NUMBERS GAME

For some, Idol’s erratic ratings performance — down one week, up the next — mirror a music industry besieged by declining album sales and short on glamour. Idol appears to be tailor-made for the YouTube generation, but those attention spans are short and audience tastes notoriously fickle.

“They like to know they have a say in the outcome,” Idol executive-producer Ken Warwick said of the show’s fans, at a conference with reporters last season. “It’s not up to some group of faceless producers who are saying, ‘I think this one’s best; I think that one’s best.’ They get to champion their own Idol, and they like that.”

In the U.S., American Idol is averaging 25 million viewers for the performance programs, and 20 million for the results shows — ahead of TV’s next most-watched programs, CSI and Dancing with the Stars.

Still, that has worried some observers, who note that some key demographics — women aged 18-34, for example –  have dropped by as much as 20 per cent.

THE VIEW FROM HERE

American Idol remains a potent force in Canada, though.

CTV’s audience has ranged between 2.4 million viewers (March 25) to 2.6 million (April 1) for the performance programs. Last week, American Idol registered a season-high 2.7 million.

Fewer viewers tune into the elimination programs, but even there the ratings range from a low of 1.8 million on April 10, the second night of the Stanley Cup playoffs, to a high of 2.4 million last month.

The American Idol effect has washed over onto Canadian Idol, too. Canadian Idol is far-and-away the most-watched program of the summer, with a weekly average 1.6 million viewers for last summer’s performance programs.

LIFE AFTER IDOL

TV ratings are one thing. Album sales are another entirely.

Cowell, for one, was not surprised that 2005 winner Taylor Hicks’ CD sales lagged behind those of previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

“I genuinely didn’t think he was the best singer that year,” Cowell explained. “I thought he was the most popular person, but I didn’t think he was the best singer.”

Popularity vs. singing ability: That’s the deciding factor in why fans vote the way they do.

It also explains why the eventual Idol winner is not guaranteed post-Idol album sales.

It was crucial to Idol’s credibility that it produce at least one commercially viable and critically respected performer, Cowell says. He credits original Idol Kelly Clarkson and 2005 winner Carrie Underwood with elevating American Idol beyond the status of reality-TV show.

That said, there are no guarantees for the eventual winner.

“We reflect the reality of the record business,” Cowell said. “Which is that it’s unpredictable.”

FAMILY FRIENDLY VIEWING

American Idol has traditionally soared high in the ratings because, when it hits the right notes, it appeals to children of all ages.

“I’ve talked to parents, moms, dads and grandparents who said they couldn’t figure out a way to connect with their kids,” host Ryan Seacrest said. “They actually find that connection, just in the time that they sit together and watch the show.”

Idol judge Randy Jackson concurred. He has three children of his own.

“The different music genres bring the family together, I really believe that,” Jackson said. “You listen to music from the ’50s and ’60s, that the kids don’t  know, but they sit there and enjoy it with their parents just the same. That’s really, really cool. It’s kind of the Rocky story set to music. You’re pulling for that underdog.”

Only time will tell if American Idol will itself be an underdog one day. For now, though, it’s top dog in the TV ratings charts.

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