Stars: Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato
Network: Fox, airs Wednesdays and Thursdays
Original Telecast: September 12, 2012

Well, here’s a big surprise – THE X FACTOR Season 2 is actually pretty damn good. In fact, it’s the show THE X FACTOR should have been in Season 1.

Yes, there are many tropes of the genre still hanging around that prove to be annoying (like purposely bad singers allowed on stage), but with a refreshed judging panel and a different approach in showcasing talent, THE X FACTOR is starting to feel more like an original show called THE X FACTOR and less like an AMERICAN IDOL clone.

The Season 2 premiere introduces new judges Britney Spears and Demi Lovato alongside returning Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid.
The result is surprisingly entertaining with both Spears and Lovato bringing personality to the table in spades.

Lovato is actually the biggest find. She’s likable and accessible without being bitchy, and she instantly creates a playful banter with Cowell from the outset. It’s nice to see her rib him and he back at her, but it’s all in good fun and it worked so well, Lovato was seated next to Cowell after the first rounds of auditions just for that reason alone.

Spears is also quite good too – and quite mean at times. Yet, her meanness was warranted – and I would dare say it was her ability to simply be honest and less mean. Let’s hope this attitude remains, because it could finally bring these reality shows back to reality.

The contestants included a broad spectrum of talent and time was spent on some truly worthy folks (and yes, there were some train wrecks too).

What worked even more was how the contestants were presented – and how the show as a whole was put together. It was very much like a documentary. It felt candid and found mini-stories to evolve over the two-hour frame. There were even some nice moments in the Green Room with the judges where we saw a little more of who they are. There was a nice exchange between Lovato and Cowell that actually had a pay-off later on in the show.

The biggest fear in casting younger judges is that it would completely change the dynamic of the show, but the young blood is a nice contrast to the old guard of Cowell and Reid. And Cowell comes off more relaxed and more like himself than he ever did during Season 1 of the series.

Everything comes down to contestants though, and hopefully there’s enough strong talent to go around considering we now have IDOL, THE VOICE and THE X FACTOR for singers to choose from.

Again, totally surprised the show worked as well as it did. The big question is this a little too late to turn this ship around? THE X FACTOR clearly has outdone IDOL with this first show, and the judging table is much better than what IDOL, so I really hope these changes are permanent and they make this show more tolerable than it was last year.

Related: TV Review: THE VOICE – Season 3 premiere

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Article: TV Review: THE X FACTOR – Seaosn 2 premiere – “Auditions No. 1” (Austin and San Francisco)

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