American Idol´s 10th season

“American Idol” is supposed to allow young people to live their wildest dreams. The show’s 10th season, which began Wednesday on Fox with new judges, looked more like an older woman’s fantasy – a Nancy Meyers movie about the revenge of the scorned first wife, New York Times mediates.

The introduction of the new stars, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, was labored, long and almost painfully lighthearted, like a divorced husband awkwardly presenting the new wife to his grown but unforgiving children. And all the while, over on CBS, Paula Abdul, who was replaced as an “Idol” judge last season by Ellen DeGeneres, shimmered, preened and gloated on her own reality contest, “Live to Dance.”

Perhaps to assure viewers of continuity, or legitimacy, the premiere of “Idol” was preceded by a half-hour preview, entitled “Welcome Home,” an elegiac montage of past winners talking about how “American Idol” changed their lives and made them better people. (Fame does that.)

Finally, the veteran host Ryan Seacrest gingerly unveiled life without Simon Cowell with the words, “New dream-makers will carve out our destiny on our show.” Then came tableau after tableau of Mr. Tyler and Ms. Lopez, mugging and arching their backs in photo shoots, clowning in auditions and having a blast, as if they have been a team for ages.

But the obvious, referred to as “a new era,” had to be addressed, and that was left to the one remaining original judge, Randy Jackson. “It’s going to be a little funny sitting in the chair on season 10, thinking, `Wow, this is a different table,’” Mr. Jackson said. “But, you know what, it’s hot. Let’s go, baby.”

Once the auditions finally did get going, the new didn’t look that strange. For one thing, both Mr. Tyler and Ms. Lopez are more famous than Mr. Cowell was when “Idol” began a decade ago, let alone (the now-departed) Kara DioGuardi, who was added as a fourth judge in the eighth season.

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