American Idol: Season 10
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 11, 2002
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12
American Idol Image
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critics What's this?

User Score
4.4 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 36 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: There were some major changes even before Season 10 began. Simon Cowell left to launch an American version of his UK talent show, The X Factor; Ellen Degeneres elected not to return; while Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi moved on to their own talent shows. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler take over at the judges table with lone original judge, Randy Jackson.… Expand
  • Genre(s): Music

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Jan 20, 2011
    100
    The instant chemistry among the three judges was so right, they couldn't have created it in a lab. Everything that made us fall in love with Idol in the first place was back.
  2. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Feb 9, 2011
    75
    We'll see how season 10 holds up once the chosen contestants move on to Hollywood, but for now Idol remains firmly on its pedestal. [14 Feb 2011, p.39]
    All this critic's reviews
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Jan 20, 2011
    70
    Tyler, Lopez, and Randy Jackson showed some promise last night, for a few reasons. First of all, Idol works better with three judges than four. You could already feel a warm triangular bond developing between Jackson, Tyler, and Lopez.
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Jan 20, 2011
    70
    [Steven Tyler] may be all talk, the initial good cheer may wear thin and we may be begging to be slapped around by Cowell in a few weeks, but for now it's just nice to have judges who aren't learning how to be stars themselves. Which means that this year, maybe the show can be about finding a real American idol.

See all 5 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Fearless13
    10
    The best season of the show to date. Despite the constantly incompetent judges, the absence of Simon, and the mediocre final 2, the talent for Season 10 was off the charts. In spite of the powers that be trying to hold her down at nearly every opportunity, Haley Reinhart shined as the star of the season, outperforming her competitors at nearly every turn. Her close friend and sixth-place finisher Casey Abrams was also one of the highlights. With 39 episodes in total, Season 10 was a great season for talent and overall entertainment.… Expand
  2. ImOnFire
    8
    Season 10 was the first one I watched (Season 11 was the last). A friend told me Steven was hilarious in the show, so one day I had nothing to do and saw that it was on TV and watched it. It was surprisingly fun, not only Steven but JLo and Randy were very entertaining as well. Talent-wise, I was also surprised, with James Durbin Jacob Lusk, Casey Abrams, Pia Toscano and Haley Reinhart. I felt Steven got a little burned out at the end of the season, and thought judges gave unfair criticism to Haley a couple of times despite killer performances. It's also unfortunate that none of those even reached the finals. To be honest I had to force myself to watch the finals. Overall, it was a pretty good season.… Expand
  3. MichaelD
    5
    I don't know why but when I watch the live stages, I just get bored.
  4. jaydelz
    1
    The show's flawed voting system is showing more and more prominently over the last few years. The majority of votes come from American female teeny-boppers, who vote for their favourite male contestants, which is why the final 3 or 4 have all been male over the last few years. True talented girls like Pia Toscano don't stand a chance anymore, especially when the judges waste the saves on males. I have given up on this show which is based on the contestants' popularity with a specific market, and not on true talent.… Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

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