''American Idol Rewind'' is a syndicated television series that ran from September 30, 2006 to May 15, 2010. The hour-long weekly series was a repurposed edition of the hit reality talent show ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', featuring present day interviews with the contestants, semi-finalists and rejected auditioners in addition to extra audition, Hollywood Week, and finals footage never previously aired. It featured the first five seasons of the original series. In August 2006, the series was cleared for broadcast on stations in over 96 percent of the United States. In addition to local stations (including the cable-only CW Plus group of stations), the program formerly aired nationally over cable channel Superstation WGN/

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that was owned by the Nexstar Media Group, and was the company's only wholly owned, national cable-originated television channel. The channel in its final form under the WGN branding ra ...

. Starting Fall 2008, ''American Idol Rewind'' started airing encores a week later on

TV Guide Network The American cable and satellite television network Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Prev ...

Distributors

Until December 2007, "Rewind" was syndicated by

Tribune Entertainment Tribune Entertainment (formerly Mid-America Video Tape Productions, WGN Continental Productions, Tribune Productions and Tribune Entertainment Company) was a television production and broadcast syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Br ...

, which began a quick departure from the industry on December 18, 2007 as part of

Tribune Company Tribune Media Company, also known as Tribune Company, was an American multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through Tribune Broadcasting, Tribune Media was one of the largest television broadcasting companies, owning 39 ...

's oncoming bankruptcy.

As a result, its programs were being forced to find new distributors for their shows. Almost immediately after the closedown, American Idol's producers,

FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...

, transferred syndication and distribution to

Trifecta Entertainment & Media Trifecta Entertainment & Media is an American entertainment company founded in 2006. The company's founders previously held jobs as executives at MGM Television. Trifecta is primarily a distribution company and also handles advertising sales in exc ...

Season 1 (2006-2007)

The first season highlighted the same season of the original series. A highlight of the audition episodes was the first-ever screening of

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

's full audition in Dallas, which never aired in the original run of the show. On the episode aired the weekend of October 14–15, Clarkson singing a portion of Madonna's " Express Yourself" was shown. Brian Dunkleman, who was co-host with Ryan Seacrest season one but left under sour terms, adds new commentary.

Season 2 (2007-2008)

The second season showcased the same season of the original series. The second season, described by the show's producers as "the year that put American Idol on the map with legendary talent and unprecedented ratings," introduced

Ruben Studdard Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of ''American Idol'' and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of ...

(winner),

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...

(runner-up),

Kimberley Locke Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk s ...

, and

Josh Gracin Joshua Mario Gracin (born October 18, 1980) is an American country music singer. A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of ''American Idol''. After h ...

. Aiken provides the narration for this set of episodes.

Season 3 & 4 (2008-2009)

The third edition of "Rewind" highlighted both the Third and Fourth Seasons of the original series. The first half showcased Season 3, where

Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series ''American Idol'' in ...

won and

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

and

Jasmine Trias Jasmine Trias (born November 3, 1986) is an American singer-entertainer who was the third place finalist on the third season of ''American Idol''. She has released one album to date, '' Jasmine Trias''. Biography Trias was born in Honolulu, Haw ...

were finalists, and the second half showcased Season 4 where Carrie Underwood was the winner. Due to copyright laws, the show was unable to get rights to air full-length performances from Season Three which is why they bundled up 16 weeks of the show in 3 weeks. Jason Kennedy narrates.

Season 5 (2009-2010)

The fourth edition of ''Rewind'' featured the fifth season of ''American Idol'', where

Taylor Hicks Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who won the fifth season of ''American Idol'' in May 2006. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States fo ...

won and Chris Daughtry was a finalist.Trifecta Entertainment: American Idol Rewind
Retrieved 2009-08-31. Jason Kennedy returns to narrate. The series was quietly canceled after the final episodes aired in May 2010.

Episodes

References

External links

* {{DISPLAYTITLE:''American Idol Rewind'' 2006 American television series debuts 2010 American television series endings 2000s American reality television series 2010s American reality television series Rewind English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by Tribune Entertainment