Rising Star

More than a decade ago, American Idol forever changed the nature of television by putting viewers in control of crowning a new pop-culture star. A lot has changed since then, and plenty of like-minded series have tried to match wits with the alpha show, but, despite new gimmicks at every turn, few stand the test of time. So seems the destiny of Rising Star, which suffers from a gracious but slightly awkward first-time host in Groban and three celebrity panelists who at times seem desperate for the spotlight themselves. This translates to far too much juvenile bantering among them and ridiculously dramatic reactions to the mediocre singers in particular, all of which seems like a ploy to kill time between performances.

Of course, many viewers will tune in just to see how the show manages real-time voting, and this does add a much-needed element of excitement to the otherwise mundane package. For those performers who hit the 70 percent mark, there's the instant gratification of seeing an adoring audience before them. For those who don't, it just makes the moment that much more uncomfortable given that they're sent packing a mere two minutes after they step onto the stage. As for viewers, because you must watch the show live to vote (and only those who vote stand the chance of seeing their profile pictures flash on the performers' walls), there's no chance of recording the show and taking part in the voting process. What's more, West Coast viewers' votes only matter for contestants who fail to move on in an earlier time zone, which makes for pretty anticlimactic reality TV for later viewers.