When "The X Factor" returns next fall on Fox, there will be a much more different look. But at least L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell will still be the same.

"X Factor" is a new show, and with it sometimes means some growing pains. And that's exactly what happened here, Fox's alternative entertainment president Mike Darnell recently told Entertainment Weekly.

"Season 1 was basically an audition act," he said. "Simon got one big new star out of it -- L.A. Reid -- and that was great casting. There's going to be a natural reassessment."

That reassessment means that Paula Abdul, Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger are gone, and could be replaced by the likes of pop singer Beyonce. But is "X Factor" really that worried by another Grammy-topped singing competition show called "The Voice"?

Darnell won't say, but Cowell himself has already shot down rumors that a large paycheck is being offered to someone like Beyonce to join the judges. Darnell said that while the ratings were not what Fox expected, they did remain consistent. As of the end of January, "X Factor" was Fox's No. 3 show with a 6.3 rating/10 share average in Fast National overnight ratings from The Nielsen Co. It carried an Audience Loyalty Index rating of 84.5, meaning that of all the people who tuned in for at least one episode of "X Factor," nearly 85 percent of them returned for every episode after that.

It's a solid ALI rating for a new show, especially a reality show. When looking at television's most stable programs through the end of January, "X Factor" was ranked No. 34 (below the No. 30 it's ranked overall for viewership). Yet, it was the most stable of all the competition shows. Closest to it was "Dancing With the Stars," which had an ALI of 80.8, good for No. 43 among the most stable shows.

That list doesn't include "American Idol" because it hadn't aired enough episodes to be included. According to Inside Blip's look at overnight numbers (because of their regular availability and an effort to make apples-to-apples comparisons), the show that once had Cowell at the helm has slipped in the ratings.

Through the end of January, "American Idol" has averaged an 11.1/17, good for second place behind "NCIS" on CBS. It has lost nearly 13 percent of its audience from last year so far, and February hasn't really produced any better numbers.

But Darnell has an explanation behind that.

"There's no question there's a glut of [singing competition shows] that are affecting the numbers for 'Idol,'" Darnell told EW. "It's the granddaddy, it's run is unprecedented. I think the considering all the other shows and its age, it's doing quite well. Having both shows ['American Idol' and 'X Factor'] on our air has put us in an incredibly strong position as a network."

Maybe. So far this season, Fox is averaging a 4.5/7 overall, behind first place CBS (7.6/12) and second place ABC (5.8/9). CBS is up 10 percent over last year while ABC is flat. Fox, however, is still 10 percent below last year's numbers. Of course, this year doesn't include a full run of "American Idol" just yet, but still, "X Factor" has not seemingly made too much of an impact in Fox's ratings.

"American Idol" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays on Fox. "The X Factor" returns for its second season in the fall.