The three will become four in the top-rated television talent show ‘American Idol’. The show has added singer and producer Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge and she will join Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. The addition of the new judge was announced by the Fox Network on Monday.

Kara DioGuardi is a known personality in the industry and she has written and produced songs for Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera. She also worked with past Idol graduates like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. Her work also received a number of awards.

The move by the network to add another personality on the table is one move that has been planned for a long time. And for the past seven seasons the lone woman on the table, Paula Abdul has endured the experience of being the only woman in the judging committee. But this will end with the addition of a fourth judge. It was believed by network executives that with the new judge at her side, Paula Abdul will have some back-up and ‘girl power’ will be alive and well on the show. The seventh season of the show was a big success, and it was viewed as a strong season thanks to the slim win managed by rocker David Cook over the young crooner David Archuleta. For the last season, the Fox show garnered an average of 28.1 million which is weaker compared to the 30.8 million that the show garnered during its peak in 2006. But the finale of the show picked up 32 million viewers and this was an improvement by 3 percent from one year earlier.

Though the Idol show may have three judges, the show was originally planned to have four judges. Based on the experience of many international series, having the fourth judge will create a dynamic will benefit viewers and participants.

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