‘Idol’s back & better

Over the past four years, it’s become a routine.

January comes. Millions of viewers turn twice, sometimes three times a week to Fox to watch “American Idol.”

In May, millions more will buy, download and listen to the single of the new champ’s winning performance.

And sometime in the last quarter of the year, the newest “Idol” will crack the charts with his or her debut release.

It’s a cycle that has become ingrained in the hearts and minds of pop culture. There is little doubt that it will repeat itself beginning Tuesday when “American Idol” returns for a fifth season.

But, why?

Why has “Idol” engulfed both the world of TV and music?

Why is it one of the few guaranteed successes in an entertainment world that sees so many sure things crash and burn?

Why is some unknown singer already on the road to fame and riches?

The answers are simple:

Variety is the spice of life: “Idol” is to 21st-century television what the original “Star Search” and “The Ted Mack Family Hour” were to 20th-century TV.

“It’s a show about real-life young people competing in a musical competition, complete with comedy,” says Marc Berman, senior television writer for Mediaweek, alluding to the auditions by the William Hungs of the world.

“It’s so brilliantly put together,” adds Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.

“For one thing, it’s two different shows,” Thompson says. “There’s the show before they pick the final 12, which is essentially a delicious reality show with lots of mocking of people, laughing at the people who are really bad and all that kind of stuff.

“And then it transforms after the final 12 into a really good, old-fashioned, family-friendly talent show.”

Don’t underestimate family-friendly: “Idol” appeals to a broad audience.

“It is one of the few shows on American television, especially after you get past those first couple of weeks, where really little kids love it, grandma loves it,” Thompson says. “It’s got the kind of wide appeal we used to see all the time on network TV that we very seldom see anymore.”

Cheese sells: Except for the acerbic comments from judge Simon Cowell, there’s no friction or bad words among the contestants once they get down to the final 12. In fact, as Thompson points out, the show is almost “schmaltzy.”

“When they’re voted out, they’re hugging each other and crying,” he says. “There is almost a ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ quality to it.”

There’s something real at stake: As opposed to reality shows such as “Survivor” or “The Apprentice,” the winners don’t disappear or recycle themselves on other reality shows. They go straight to the top of the charts.

“Maybe 10 or 12 popular artists have been introduced into popular music since the show’s debut, and it’s only four seasons in,” says Barry Jeckell, editor of Billboard.com.

“Whoever wins this is essentially guaranteed a platinum record,” adds Thompson. “It’s like watching a ‘making of a famous star’ documentary for three months, before that person is a famous star.”

Money talks: “Idol” sells, simple as that.

“The instant built-in audience for the winners is enormous, so if even a fraction of viewers download a new single or buy a CD, it’s an enormous amount of sales,” Jeckell says. “It’s a huge payday for the artist and the label.”

Adds “Idol” judge Randy Jackson: “It’s amazing what it’s done for the music business, even though a lot of record companies don’t want to admit it.”

It’s not only the contestants who benefit. When Constantine Maroulis covered Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” last season, digital download sales of Queen skyrocketed, Jeckell says.

“When they focus on the music of Barry Manilow or someone else, those artists are definitely getting exposed to a whole new audience,” he says. “That’s good no matter how it comes out in sales the next day or the next year.”

The winners are talented: As Jackson likes to say, “Every year the right winner won.”

While it’s easy to look back and smirk at some of the near winners – Justin Guarini, Diana DeGarmo, Scott Savol – the four previous winners have made it, none more so than the original, Kelly Clarkson.

“She’s a star in her own right – launched by the show – but has proven herself on her own,” Jeckell says. “She proved with (her) second album, she has far more as an artist to her than flash-in-the-pan success.”

Fox hasn’t killed the golden goose: By limiting “Idol” to just once a season, Fox hasn’t overplayed its hand the way ABC did with “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

“You watch it beginning in January, it stays on the air until May and they cram it down your throat from January to May, but then it disappears for seven months, so viewers don’t get tired of it,” says Mediaweek’s Berman. “It gives the viewers something to look forward to.”