Mistakes were made. The powers that be behind "American Idol" admitted that much after a ballyhooed but ultimately booed sixth season. Much had been lamented about last year's go lacking personality, controversy, even kindness, but ultimately the problem lay with the producers' own perversity: A telethon to fight starvation while pimping million-dollar celeb talent, while squandering the most perfect crew of contestants who truly exemplified the feel-good, "Idol Gives Back" atmosphere.

In an open television landscape scrubbed of any competition except honest-to-goodness political news, will people give Season 7 a chance? Sure, the ratings drop hurts, but good buzz could revive fans. In that department, the core following of females returned, comprising 68% of the show's opening night buzz and making the FOX reality competition the most-searched TV show that day. Led by faithful West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Alabama, roughly 37 states tuned in online, with queries like "american idol 2008 auditions," "when does american idol 2008 start," "american idol season 5" (its peak?) and "american idol past winners." (Season 4 Carrie Underwood has now established herself the leader of that pack, with double the buzz of original Idol Kelly Clarkson.)

But not so fast—all may not be quite forgiven: Plain old "american idol" lookups have dropped compared to the start of season 5 (-17%) and 6 (-22%). However, add up those aforementioned reminiscent searches for past seasons and winners, and the aggregate buzz pops up 22% higher than last year.

The best barometer may be whether the auditioners themselves resonated on Search, the way they did in seasons past. The answer: not so much. Not the off-key 16-year-old footballer who received the kindest cut from the judges, not the bikinied man who got waxed on judge Paula Abdul's recommendation, not the "Star Wars" geek whose rant may have been Idol's unconscious attempt at sociological commentary. One possible rising Buzz star: the cage-fighting horse trainer who sold an equine pal to get her chance at stardom... but may also have an unfair advantage.

The premiere continues in Dallas, but the road to wooing back the faithful will be much longer. Meanwhile, share your "Idol" recommendation on what Season 7 has to do to regain its cred...