Remember back in elementary school, when the only important thing on TV was “American Idol”?  Every night it was on everyone who was anyone gathered around to watch the innovative singing competition show. What happened to those days?

In 2011, “The Voice” aired for the first time. Since “American Idol” first aired in 2002, it had had no serious competitors.

When “The Voice” came along, it brought with it original, new ideas for how singing competitions should work. The show had a fresh crop of relatively popular music icons in the judges panel and it also had the judges head teams, thereby letting them compete with the contestants. Other changes in how the show ran, such as the fact that the judges could not see the contestants when they auditioned, helped “The Voice” differentiate itself as a different sort of competition.

Only five months after “The Voice” premiered, “The X Factor,” an American adaptation of a popular British singing competition run by ex-Idol judge Simon Cowell, hit American television. Because of Cowell’s influence on both “The X Factor” and “American Idol,” the two ended up being extremely similar in format.

With its original three judges – Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson – gone, “American Idol” has desperately tried to replace them. Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, and Nicki Minaj joined Randy Jackson in 2012’s season twelve. A lot of attention was taken away from the competitors as Carey and Minaj were constantly fighting one another, making the whole thing seem like a publicity stunt.

This season (season thirteen), there is a three-judge panel: Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. According to the Washington Post, “[the judges] pay close attention to auditions, even by the most hopeless singers — no more nasty montages showing delusional wannabes being mocked by scoffing judges. If someone doesn’t have what it takes, they’re let down gently. Even the auditioner who twerks while singing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ gets kind treatment.” Through all the changes Idol has taken upon, it remains a beloved family show for many.