I really have a good feeling about this season, a feeling I've never had since the initial launch.

They seem to have finally got the panel right. Simon is in his element with three women, and because of this he seems to be bringing out the best of the female judges.

The US version finally seems to have established a strong relationship on the panel, this being Demi and Simon. I think the constant change in panels has limited the chemistry overall, but with Demi being the first female to last for two seasons, I can imagine the chemistry will rise.

The talent also seems more varied this year, from what I've heard at least.

Out in America The X Factor is still the newbie underdog, but this season I think it will slowly manage to establish itself as being up there with AI and The Voice. Time will tell

Depends, they really should of hot one big singer like instead of Paulina have Justin Timberlake then the ratings would have a decent start then rise as it gets good reviews, hopefully it beats AI which results in that show being axed then TXF takes it place so Cowel can judge both shows

The previews look really good. The WHOLE panel looks strong.

I don't think Justin Timberlake would ever do it. He doesn't seem the type where he would want to be on a show like that.

This is what people fail to understand it is not about the big names it is about the chemistry with the judges that matter as well as the talent that appear .Britney Spears was a huge name for the show but she done nothing for the ratings as she was dull and and had no chemistry with any of the judges.

To be fair though, you can still be a big name AND have a personality.
Justin Timberlake has a personality, but I don't think he would ever do it. The reason Britney was so dull is because of her other issues in my opinion.

Justion is arguably the busiest star of 2013, hit single after hit single.. 2 albums in one year.. He wouldn't have said yes, it would've probably spoiled him musical 'comeback' which he needs to focus on

I also read a while ago (round about the time of the Brit Awards) that Simon had hinted his wishes to work with him, but he turned down immeditely

You you fail to realise is that not many will tune in this season after you axe a superstar with people who aren't household names they'd have to rely on press giving good reviews, I think this season is do or due for Cowell in the states

I'm very excited too. I'm sure the auditions are gonna be great and funny. I can't wait to see demi twerking on simon, simon singing, the return of panda and a bunch of others things that people who were there told that happened (I wonder if they will air the moments when a few contestants talked about their late parents and demi went away crying because of her father). I just hope things don't fall apart when the live shows begin

Yeah true if you get a massive star with a good personality for TV then that's a bonus .

I completely agree op. There is a massive buzz surrounding this season, X Factor USA trends worldwide on a regular basis these days despite the now not even being on TV it's starts in two months this season will be special.

That didn't stop American Idol doing well with Paula Randy and Simon all three for the first couple of seasons were pretty unknown but there chemistry was great together and the talent was great which is why it was a hit.

That was 10 years ago, when the type of show was new & fresh, ever since the new decade it's all about famous singers judging the talent in 2011 AI brought in superstars Jennifer Lopez & Stephen Tyler, then The Voice came with all singing panel of judges (or coaches) TXF UK didn't have the most famous line up in the panel when Cowell left such as Kelly & Tulisa but we're not spoilt rotten like the states, they won't care much if a superstar isn't on the panel in 2013, Simon needs to hope for the best by reviews & ads to make it more successful

Ratings have been falling drastically for American Idol though since Simon left there bringing in big names but they do not jel together but anyway I think Simon is onto a winner with this panel .

I like the panel too but I'm just giving my view on how the season will turn out ratings wise in the states, I just don't see them liking the idea of going from a mega star like Britney (even though she was dull) to a friend of Beyonce & some Latin star that many Americans haven't heard of, not hating just don't see it doing as we'll as many will hope

There is zero buzz for this new season, despite what people here are claiming.

No news, media, or tabloid reports in major outlets.

I'm not sure that there is a lot of buzz surrounding season 3, but I appreciate what Simon was doing with this Panel. I think all of the big singing shows in American (AI, XF, The voice) had got to the point where they were competing to see who could get the biggest superstar panel, but as other posters have said it really didn't increase any of the ratings.

At some point, one of these shows has to take the plunge and try to pick a panel that they hope will be fun, charismatic and have genuine chemistry. I think Simon has definately tried to do that with this XF panel, but because of how Britney (and the season 2 ratings) worked out a lot of people are seeing it as a cost-cutting exercise.

Looking back on the previous 2 seasons my biggest problem wasn't the judges. It was a combination of terrible editing and poor presenters (I remember this being picked up in the media as well). The whole thing looked really sloppy compared to the other shows. If the panel works out they can tighten the editing a bit (and find some good talent obviously!) then I think that the ratings could be OK. I doubt they will increase from last season but they could possibly stabilise.

A lot of viewers gave up on American Idol in season 12 (even though I thought it was OK) - maybe those people will give XF another chance?

There are several articles in the daily mail and other outlets every time they release a promo video. Plus x factor usa trends on twitter on a regular basis. Besides they still have two full months..unlike xfuk that only has about 3 weeks and they haven't even started promoting

The one thing they should not do this year is try to compete with The Voice. That show has become the music talent show that everyone in America is talking about and it's replacing Idol in relevance.

Last year was supposed to be the breakthrough season for X-Factor with Britney joining the panel and it didn't happen. I doubt anything will change this year, especially as they don't seem to have learnt anything from the criticisms of the previous two seasons.

I'm confused how it keeps getting renewed, ratings are poor

I absolutely agree with you. When it comes to quality of production, itv needs to show Fox how it's done. Steve Jones was just uncomfortable to watch, a bit like a poundland version of Ryan Seacrest. Mario was great but lacked chemistry with Khloe Kardashian. Sometimes they skipped one judges comment's and overall it just felt disjointed. Sometimes the judges are already seated, sometimes they walk in at the start.. too much loud screaming from teenage girls: they need to try and control that.. we need silence at some parts. They need to establish a 'routine' of how the live shows are run and stick to it every week. XF UK hss that spot on amd XF USA needs to do the same

I'm hoping things will be better with just one host but I'm still not sure about Mario. He came across a such a cheeseball last year - the only reason he wasn't fired must've been that Khloe was even worse and they wanted to keep some kind of consistency.

No, the reason he was asked to do it again is because he's actually a very good presenter. He knows what he's doing, and he brings an element of fun, professionalism and order to his job. He does a lot of hosting gigs in America, and I think he's known for being a decent presenter.

Even before the show launched in America, I saw him as the American equivalent to when Dermot was doing shows like BBLB. It's strange how now he's also ended up doing a big show like The X Factor. I see Dermot and Mario as the perfect hosts for The X Factor.

Mario's perfect for the show, would of gone better if he was present at auditions then maybe reviews would of been better

The launch of season 2 - including "big name" Britney Spears - rated lower than most of the whole first season. Hiring stars actually cost them viewers... and $15m.

American Idol spent a fortune this year and the bosses have already indicated that it'll never happen again because it was such a disaster and a total waste of money.

The overwhelming evidence is that people tune in for the show, not the names.


Except they're not poor at all. They're great by any normal, objective measure. Consistently FOX's #1 show of the week and X Factor on Wednesdays regularly delivered FOX's only win of the week.

It's not the biggest reality show on TV, sure. It's the third. Which, when you think about it, really isn't that bad!