A reality television show where aspiring singers compete for a recording contract and a shot at fame and wealth? Sounds like a winning formula — and “American Idol” on Fox was just that, year after year, until its end in 2016.

Launched in 2002, the show focused on finding the best singers, but it also offered viewers weeks of “audition” shows in which bad singers humorously took the stage, too. Contestants had to be between 15 and 28 years old at the time of the taping; and while contestants in the the earlier rounds were evaluated by celebrity judges, in the final competition it was viewers who voted via phone, text message, and on the official website.

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The good news? “American Idol” is back, fans. ABC will be its new home, as the broadcast network revealed on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. What’s hugely unclear at this point, among other things: the return of Ryan Seacrest as host. Earlier this month, he was named permanent co-host of the “Live with Kelly and Ryan” syndicated morning show, and he still hosts his daily radio program, as Variety noted. It added, “‘Live’ is distributed by Disney, which could make it easier for Seacrest to juggle an obligation to another ABC program.”

Here are five things we missed about the televised competition series.

1.) Celebrity judges. The original “American Idol” judges were Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. It didn’t take audiences long to figure out how each of them would vote and what feedback they’d offer. Paula would be kind, Randy would crack a joke, often at the contestants’ expense, and Simon? Well — he was as mean, snarky and biting as he could be, to the point that he was parodied endlessly by comedians.

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In later seasons, celebrity judges included Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr., and even Nicki Minaj. Some were far better than others in their thoroughness, their specific feedback, and their professional demeanor; JLo, Urban, and Connick Jr. were standouts in those areas to many viewers. While judges for the reboot are anyone’s guess, some outlets have reported that ex-“Idol” winners such as Kelly Clarkson could be in the running.

2.) Competitors who hit the big time. Fifteen seasons of “Idol” have left their mark on our culture. Some of the music industry’s most popular performers came out of the “Idol” reality TV boot camp, most notably Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Rocker Chris Daughtry and actor Jennifer Hudson did not made it to the final round, but both have had great success in their performing careers nonetheless. Also notable is Adam Lambert, who has seen success both as a solo artist and as a replacement for the late Freddie Mercury in the group Queen. A reboot will no doubt provide us with plenty other talented, chart-topping artists.

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3.) The snark! Championed by the inimitable Simon Cowell, “Idol” was also famous for its mean-spirited criticism and feedback to performers. To make it on “American Idol,” sure, you had to be a great singer — but you really needed a thick skin. Cowell famously offered up feedback such as “Your dancing is terrible, the singing was horrendous,” and “You’re a beautiful girl, but you’re ugly.”

There were also memorable lines such as “You sounded like Dolly Parton on helium.”

Cruel? Yes. But entertaining and memorable. It’s entirely possible Cowell could be back in a judge’s seat in 2018 — and if he’s not, producers will need to find a proper replacement to help relaunch the series.

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4.) The controversies. There was plenty of drama on every season of “Idol” — controversy that caused people to take sides and get up in arms. Sometimes it was scams and manipulated votes (but no Russian hackers, as far as we know). On other seasons, there were voting mix-ups or even a “Textgate” drama (as on Season 8), when “Idol” corporate sponsor AT&T reportedly handed out free phones and helped boost votes for eventual winner Kris Allen. The company later apologized, as that was considered to have given Allen a huge advantage.

Contestants have been busted for lying about their ages, having prior recording contracts (in direct violation of show rules), and even having undisclosed criminal charges. Plenty of people enjoyed chatting that up and debating it all at the water cooler.

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5.) The singers. Everything else paled beside one fact: “American Idol” gave us a chance every week to hear unknowns sing their hearts out. They weren’t all great, and some were barely “good” — but in terms of pure entertainment, the show was dynamite. Male, female, black, white, tall, short, pretty, not so pretty — no matter what someone looked like or what their background, the essence of the show was about what happened when the microphone was turned on and the contestants opened their mouths to sing. There were great singers who didn’t even make it far in the competition but were still a joy to watch.

The show offered — and likely will again — a great display of passion and talent. There’s always plenty of both to go around.

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Dave Taylor, based in Boulder, Colorado, has been writing about consumer electronics, technology and pop culture for many years and runs the popular site AskDaveTaylor.