After the finale: 11 things to miss about ‘American Idol’

I’ve been waiting all season long to feel nostalgic about “American Idol,” the show many of us have spent years watching — if perhaps off and on in recent seasons. But the feeling eluded me until the finale.

It wasn’t the parade of “Idol” contestants, judges and wannabes past (or co-hosts, for that matter — nice to see you, Brian Dunkleman) on Thursday’s lavish two-hour series finale that did it. And it wasn’t the performances in which many of the performers showed just how talented they are and how much they’ve grown (sometimes literally) since last stepping into the “Idol” spotlight.

FULL COVERGE: Saying farewell to ‘American Idol’

Nor was my wave of wistfulness brought on by the lights and the hoopla or even the image of Jennifer Lopez enthusiastically shaking her fluffy purple tail feathers, although that was a lot of fun.

It wasn’t even the singing, or the music, or the continuing storyline about talented, fresh-faced young nobodies from all corners of the nation who, for 15 seasons — through hard work and good luck, rather than big bucks and key connections — have been able to find almost unimaginable levels of success and fame. And it certainly wasn’t the pats on the back about “Idol Gives Back” (admirable) or the show’s enduring sponsorship from Ford (less admirable).

No, I think what I will miss most about “American Idol” is the comfortable feeling of familiarity and predictability — Trent Harmon’s unexpected win this season notwithstanding, or maybe including it since white guys (with and without guitars) have won before. I will miss the sense that we’ve been doing this together for a long, long time — the awareness that for 15 years, no matter what has gone on in the world outside or in our homes, “Idol” has continued to be there, on the air, doing its thing.

I will miss the little things, the quirks and details that have made the show uniquely itself and intimately ours. For instance:

— The frisson of excitement stirred by the phrase “Dim the lights …” Although as I have aged with the show (my eyesight diminished by years of screen time, perhaps), I have begun to marvel at the counter-intuitiveness of asking for darkness before reading the results card. Good thing Ryan Seacrest is retiring before he gets too much further into his 40s.

— Watching Keith Urban’s shoulder begin to percolate and then really get going when the music behind a contestant sweeps him up.

— Jennifer Lopez’s outfits. (It’s like Oscar night meets Vegas showgirl every week.)

— Lopez’s “goosies.” You never know where she’ll say she’s gotten them.

— Harry Connick Jr. getting all music-wonkish about melody and harmonics and lyrical connection and delivery, or whatever.

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From left, Caleb Johnson, Constantine Maroulis, Chris Daughtry and James Durbin perform during the “American Idol” finale at the Dolby Theatre on April 7.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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“American Idol” winner Trent Harmon, center right, performs during the show’s finale.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Trent Harmon, winner of “American Idol,” celebrates with fellow contestants.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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“American Idol” winner Trent Harmon celebrates as judges Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban look on.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Original “American Idol” judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell appear onstage at the show’s finale.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Ryan Seacrest looks on as William Hung performs during the “American Idol” finale.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Ruben Studdard and Amber Holcomb perform during the “American Idol” finale.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Marley Fletcher and Harry Connick Jr. perform during the “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Jessica Sanchez performs during the “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Joshua Ledet performs during the “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Katharine McPhee

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Host Ryan Seacrest speaks in the audience during FOX’s “American Idol” Finale For The Farewell Season at Dolby Theatre.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Lauren Alaina, from left, Kree Harrison, Skylar Laine, Kellie Pickler and Diana DeGarmo

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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A screen shows a pre-taped performance by Jennifer Lopez during the “American Idol” farewell season finale.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Carly Smithson

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Ruben Studdard, left, and Amber Holcomb

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Singers Marley Fletcher, left, and Harry Connick, Jr.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Taylor Hicks

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Recording artist Jessica Sanchez

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Singer Joshua Ledet

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Jennifer Lopez takes a selfie at the “American Idol” farewell season finale.

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Recording artists Constantine Maroulis, left, and James Durbin perform onstage during “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Recording artists Caleb Johnson, left, Constantine Maroulis, Bo Bice and James Durbin

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Diana DeGarmo

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Skylar Laine

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / AP)

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Larry Platt

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / AP)

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Recording artists Caleb Johnson, Constantine Maroulis, Chris Daughtry and James Durbin

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Recording artists Jordin Sparks, left, Allison Iraheta, Tamyra Gray and Justin Guarini perform onstage during Fox’s “American Idol” finale at Dolby Theatre.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Pia Toscano

  (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Singers Trent Harmon and La’Porsha Renae

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Singers Trent Harmon, left, La’Porsha Renae and Dalton Rapattoni perform onstage during Fox’s “American Idol” finale

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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“American Idol” past winners and finalists perform together.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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From the audience: “American Idol” past winners and finalists perform together onstage.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Host Ryan Seacrest, left, and Brian Dunkleman

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez and singer Harry Connick Jr. onstage during Fox’s “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Fans at the “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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The “American Idol” stage is set for the finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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President Obama addresses the audience during the “American Idol” finale.

  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

— The theme music, compelling you to focus on your TV screen like one of Pavlov’s dogs.

— Hollywood Week, with which I confess to having always had a love-hate relationship. Was tormenting the talent — those poor kids! — really necessary? Wasn’t all that manipulation to heighten the drama simply cruel? No, and yes, and yet we couldn’t help looking forward to watching the inevitable metaphorical train wrecks play out, as if in slo-mo, every season.

— The sense of unexplored possibility in the auditions, although honestly those have never been my favorite part of the process. I always feel bad for the people who are unaware they have been brought before the cameras to be ridiculed and irritated by those who are clearly in on the joke. In recent seasons, that has felt more like a relic of a past (Simon Cowell) era.

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Melinda Doolittle, left, Jordin Sparks and Taylor Hicks were among those walking the final red carpet for Fox’s “American Idol” at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

  (Left and right - Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images / Center - John Salangsang/Invision/AP)

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Carrie Underwood arrives at the “American Idol” farewell season finale at the Dolby Theatre.

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Allison Iraheta, left, Jennifer Lopez, Fantasia Barrino

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associayed Press)

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Finalist Trent Harmon

  (Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)

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Chris Daughtry arrives at the “American Idol” farewell season finale at the Dolby Theatre.

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Keith Urban

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Joshua Ledet, left, James Durbin and Heidi Lowe, Kimberley Locke

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Constantine Maroulis

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Lauren Alaina

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Maddie Ziegler

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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La’Porsha Renae and Trent Harmon arrive at the “American Idol” farewell season finale.

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

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Maddie Ziegler, left, Katharine McPhee and Diana DeGarmo

  (John Salangsang / Invision / Associated Press)

— The surreal, sort of excitingly jarring transition from the taped to the live shows, which always feels a bit like stepping off a moving sidewalk onto solid ground at the airport.

— The hometown visits and the moment the “Idol” hopefuls dissolve in tears as they feel the intensity of their community’s support. Gets me every time.

— Ryan Seacrest. Our rock. Our guiding force. The guy who anchored the show and kept it moving and was there for us, week after week, season after season, elimination after elimination and coronation after coronation, since the very beginning. Seacrest out? Aw, Ryan.

I’ll tell you one thing, though. Thursday night’s finale also reminded us about resilience and our ability to move on: Look how well Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry have done after their premature eliminations — and hey, Pia Toscano is still hanging in there, making music too. And notice how little we actually missed all the judges who’ve come and gone over the years: from Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres to Steven Tyler, Nicki Minaj and original trio Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Cowell. (Where was Mariah Carey’s taped tribute last night; did I blink and miss it?)

Of course, when all the hyperbolic eulogizing is over, we (and the TV and music industry and Fox and everyone associated with the show) will survive without “American Idol.”

Besides, there’s always “The Voice.”

What will you miss most about “American Idol”? Feel free to share.

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