“American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe explained why it’s time for the reality singing competition series to end after 15 seasons, saying the show forgot about what made it great in its early years.

“When we started ‘American Idol,’ no one knew who the hell Simon Cowell was, or Randy Jackson. And the network was telling me that Paula Abdul was past it,” Lythgoe said at TheWrap’s annual media leadership conference TheGrill. “It should always be about the talent.”

He argued that the series had forgotten about the talent once original judges Abdul and Cowell left the show. The show later saw substantial turnover in judges, including short tenures for Ellen Degeneres, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.

Also read: TheGrill 2015: 4 Reality Titans Debate the 'Death' of Unscripted TV, Hits and Misses of the Genre (Video)

“We forgot what ‘American Idol’ was about. It should’ve been about the talent, and all of a sudden Mariah and Nicki turn up and it’s about [bumps fists together] this. We lost the humor of it, and the warmth of it.”

As a result, the show saw a decline in ratings and had to be put to rest. “I’ve always equated it to an old boxer. You don’t want to see some young guy come up and keep knocking them out,” he said.

Also read: TheGrill 2015: Movio's Will Palmer Argues Women, Not Blockbusters Are Key to Box Office Growth (Video)

Lythgoe was appearing on a panel about the current state of reality television, with Ben Silverman, founder and chairman of Electus; Allison Grodner, executive producer of “Big Brother” on CBS; and David Lyle, president of PactUS, a business association that lobbies on behalf of production companies.

Though the genre seems to have stalled in recent years, particularly on broadcast networks, Lythgoe was optimistic about the future. “”I don’t ever see reality going away,” he said. “It is part of the diet of television viewers now.”

See the complete coverage of TheWrap’s Reality TV panel here:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Joseph Kapsch, Executive Editor at TheWrap, Nigel Lythgoe, Executive Producer “American Idol”, Ben Silverman, Founder & Chairman of Electus, David Lyle, President PactUS and executive producer of “Big Brother” Allison Grodner speak onstage during TheWrap’s 6th Annual TheGrill at Montage Beverly Hills on October 6, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alison Buck/Getty Images for TheWrap)

The Scene at TheGrill 2015: TheWrap's Media Leadership Conference (Photos)

TheWrap's editor in chief Sharon Waxman kicked off the sixth annual TheGrill Conference Day 1.
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"Empire" co-creator/writer Danny Strong (left) and producer Brian Grazer spoke onstage during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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Producer Brian Grazer spoke onstage during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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"Empire" co-creator/writer Danny Strong and producer Brian Grazer spoke onstage with Sharon Waxman during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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"Empire" co-creator/writer Danny Strong and producer Brian Grazer spoke onstage during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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"Empire" co-creator/writer Danny Strong and producer Brian Grazer spoke onstage with Sharon Waxman during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz spoke onstage during Day 1 of TheGrill 2015.

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Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz (left) spoke onstage with AwesomenessTV founder and CEO Brian Robbins (right) during Day 1 of TheGrill 2015.

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Brian Robbins, founder & CEO of AwesomenessTV, spoke onstage during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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REDEF CEO Jason Hirschhorn spoke onstage with TheWrap's editor in chief Sharon Waxman on Day 1 of TheGrill 2015.
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Edelman president of strategic partnerships and global integration Gail Becker presented results of new consumer study on Day 1 of TheGrill 2015.

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Edelman president of strategic partnerships and global integration Gail Becker presented results of new consumer study on Day 1 of TheGrill 2015.

Also Read: TheGrill 2015: Consumers Trust Online and Traditional Content Creators Equally, According to New Study (Exclusive)
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Robert Kyncl, chief business officer at YouTube, spoke about the platform's growth rate during Day 1 of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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Robert Kyncl, chief business officer at YouTube, spoke about the platform's growth rate during Day 1 of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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Jason Hirschhorn talked to Kyncl about YouTube's growth and challenges at the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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Andrew Glasgow, SVP at Viacom Scratch, spoke about the declining attention span of Americans during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill conference.

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Nancy Dubuc, president & CEO of A+E Networks, spoke about the disruption of cable TV during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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Nancy Dubuc, president & CEO of A+E Networks, spoke about the disruption of cable TV during the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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Dawn Ostroff, president of Conde Nast Entertainment, attended the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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Van Toffler attended the first day of TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.

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From left to right: TheWrap's executive editor Joseph Kapsch, "So You Think You Can Dance" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, Electus founder and chairman Ben Silverman, PactUS president David Lyle, and "Big Brother" executive producer Allison Grodner.
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PactUS president David Lyle discussed the state of reality TV during Day 2 of TheGrill.

See video: TheGrill 2015: 4 Reality Titans Debate the ‘Death’ of Unscripted TV, Hits and Misses of the Genre
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"Big Brother" executive producer Allison Grodner discussed the state of reality TV during Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Nigel Lythgoe discussed the state of reality TV on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Electus founder and chairman Ben Silverman talked the state of reality TV during Day 2 of TheGrill.
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CNBC reporter Julia Boorstin attended TheWrap's sixth annual TheGrill conference at The Montage Beverly Hills.
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Conde Nast Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff discussed content creation on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Box founder and CEO Aaron Levie discussed content protection with TheWrap's editor in chief Sharon Waxman on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Golden Globe nominee Maria Bello discusses her life and career during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Golden Globe nominee Maria Bello discusses her life and career during Day 2 of TheGrill
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From left to right: Movio co-founder and chief executive Will Palmer, Fandango president Paul Yanover, Skydance Media CCO Dana Goldberg, IMAX's head of international marketing Roger Pollock, Universal president of worldwide marketing Josh Goldstine, and TheWrap's Deputy Managing Editor Thom Geier discussed the moviegoing experience on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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IMAX's head of international marketing Roger Pollock discussed the moviegoing experience on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Fandango president Paul Yanover discussed the moviegoing experience on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Skydance Media CCO Dana Goldberg discussed the moviegoing experience on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Movio co-founder and chief executive Will Palmer discussed the moviegoing experience on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Universal president of worldwide marketing Josh Goldstine discussed the moviegoing experience on Day 2 of TheGrill.
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Steven Amato, CEO & chief content officer of Contend and Sharon Waxman, founder & CEO of TheWrap spoke onstage during the "Drones and Hollywood" panel at TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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Co-founder and chief executive of Movio Will Palmer held a discussion regarding "What Women Want: Unlocking Box Office Revenue" at TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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Joseph Atkinson, U.S. Advisory Leader for the Entertainment, Media & Communications Practice at PwC, spoke onstage at TheWrap's 6th Annual TheGrill.
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Twitter and Uber investor Chris Sacca talks investing in the tech space during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Evolution Media Group founder and co-managing partner Rick Hess talks about financing media during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Former MTV president Van Toffler talks about his new company during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Lloyd Braun, Founder & CEO of Whalerock Industries during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Mark Terbeek, Partner at Greycroft, Jesse Jacobs, President of The Chernin Group and Brian Weinstein, Head of Corporate Finance Group of CAA during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Steven Haft, SVP Innovation of Time Inc., Sanjay Sharma, President & COO of All Def Digital, Christian Meinberger, SVP Content Programming & Production at Studio 71, and Tobias Bauckhage, CEO and co-founder of Moviepilot during Day 2 of TheGrill
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Steven Haft, SVP Innovation of Time Inc. and Adam Smith, Partner at United Entertainment Group during Day 2 of TheGrill
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