Last year, Idol suffered a bit from a relative paucity of charismatic finalists, and ended up losing a percentage of its audience. But that was in season six, and the program remains so popular, it could keep losing viewers annually at those levels and still retain the top spot among weekly series until at least the next decade.

Against a strike-weakened schedule, Idol is poised this year not only to rebound, but to soar even higher. A lot, as always, will depend upon the talent that's dredged up, and how voting viewers respond to the various contestants. Last year, nothing was as memorable as Sanjaya's hair. This year, with luck, it'll be someone's voice.

But even if American Idol disappoints at the finish line, it keeps most viewers interested in the journey anyway, because it isn't just one compelling show. It's three.

The first act of the three-act Idol format is the Best-and-Worst initial audition process. The fun here is in seeking out raw talent, and cringing at the even rawer lack of talent.

Act two? The group competition auditions, where everyone's supposed to be good, but where personality and poise count as much as talent. This year, contestants at this level are given a second chance - increasing the chances that some golden voices won't be eliminated by a single nervous stumble.

Act three? The Top 24, then Top 12, then the march to the winner's circle. This is where the performances get longer and more important, the stakes higher, the range and possibility more obvious.

And the one constant in all three? Simon Cowell, who's just as entertaining skewering the talentless as bolstering the egos of the talented. Randy Jackson is supportive, and Paula Abdul's a cartoonish loose cannon - but Simon, in a judge's competition of Idol, would wins hands down. Or thumbs up.