Wednesday on Utah TV: How low can "American Idol" go?

As the 12th season of American Idol (7 p.m. Fox/Ch. 13) gets under way, there are three new judges — Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban and Mariah Carey — in addition to returning judge Randy Jackson and returning host Ryan Seacrest.

We keep being told that this show is all about the contestants, but if that were true why are they paying tens of millions of dollars to big-name stars to be the judges?

From what we've seen, Minaj might actually be good at this. Not so sure about Carey or Urban.

The big question is how much further the ratings will fall this season. Because they're almost certainly going to fall.

Elsewhere on TV ...

"The Middle" • (7 p.m, ABC/Ch. 4): Frankie and Mike vow to devote a day to each of the kids.

"Whitney" • (7 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): Alex falls off a stage while speaking at his alma mater.

"Arrow" • (7 p.m., CW/Ch. 30): Oliver takes a break from being Arrow.

"The Neighbors" • (7:30 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): The aliens are terrified when the humans catch colds.

Men's college basketball: Utah at Washington State • (7:30 p.m., P12N); BYU at St. Mary's (9 p.m., ESPNU)

"Criminal Minds" • (8 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): Reid tries to find his girlfriend before it's too late.

"Modern Family" • (8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Gloria and Jay plan a surprise birthday party for Manny.

"Supernatural" • (8 p.m., CW/Ch. 30): Castiel tries to rescue an angel being held captive by Crowley.

"Suburgatory" • (8:30 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Tessa has her wisdom teeth removed.

"CSI" • (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A news anchor dies during a newscast.

"Nashville" • (9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Rayna and Juliette prepare for their first concert together.

"Hot In Cleveland" • (11 p.m., Comedy Central): Melanie plans a night of romance with Alec.

"American Horror Story" • (11 p.m., FX): Grace's obsession with the aliens turns violent.

"The Kroll Show" • (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central): The debut of Nick Kroll's new comedy show. Which is sometimes pretty funny.

Scott D. Pierce